Setting change touch region for a controller having a touch screen display

• US 7,636,604 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Schwendinger, Paul G., Stoner, Marcus D., Readio, Philip O., Boll, Jeff D., Mcleod, George J., Bergman, Gabriel A., Thomson, Ian, Takach, Eugene J., Amundson, John B., Ferguson, Colin T., Wolfbauer, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US11/247,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 700275-276
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/106 for selecting a programme, variable or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time

Abstract

A touch region for a controller having a touch screen that, when touched, makes a setting change to the controller. In one illustrative embodiment, the controller displays a display image on the touch screen, wherein the touch screen has a defined touch region that when touched makes a setting change to the controller. The display image has a portion that coincides with the touch region, wherein when the touch region is touched, at least part of the portion of the display image that coincides with the touch region changes from a first display image to a second display image to indicate a setting change of the controller. A subsequent touch to the touch region may cause at least part of the portion of the display image that coincides with the touch region to change from the second display image to a third display image to indicate a subsequent setting change of the controller.

Claims

1. A thermostat comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller adapted to display a display image on the touch screen, the touch screen having a touch region, defined as a button by the display image, that when touched makes a pre-defined setting change to the thermostat, wherein when the touch region is touched, at least part of the display image that defines the button changes from a first pre-defined display image to a second pre-defined display image to indicate a first setting change of the thermostat and from the second pre-defined display to a third pre-defined display image different from the first pre-defined image when the touch region is again touched to indicate a second setting change of the thermostat.

2. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein the first display image includes a first setting indicator and the second display image includes a second setting indicator.

3. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein the display image displays a boundary that traverses around at least part of the touch region to help define the touch region as a button.

4. The thermostat of claim 3 wherein the boundary traverses around all or substantially all of the touch region.

5. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein at least part of the portion of the display image that defines the button changes back to the first pre-defined display image after the touch region is touched a predetermined number of times.

6. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein at least part of the portion of the display image that defines the button changes from the third pre-defined display image to the first pre-defined display image when the touch region is again touched.

7. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein at least part of the portion of the display image that defines the button changes from the third pre-defined display image to a fourth pre-defined display image when the touch region is again touched to indicate a third setting change of the thermostat.

8. The thermostat of claim 7 wherein at least part of the portion of the display image that defines the button changes from the fourth pre-defined display image to the first pre-defined display image when the touch region is again touched.

9. The thermostat of claim 2 wherein the first setting indicator corresponds to a heat mode of the thermostat, and the second setting indicator corresponds to a cool mode of the thermostat.

10. The thermostat of claim 2 wherein the first setting indicator corresponds to a fan on mode of the thermostat, and the second setting indicator corresponds to a fan auto mode of the thermostat.

32. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the button is defined or substantially defined by a visible boundary.

33. The thermostat of claim 32, wherein the first pre-defined display image includes a first textual message and the second pre-defined display image includes a second textual message, wherein the first and second textual messages are different and indicate first and second settings, respectively.

11. A method for changing a setting of a thermostat that has a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a first pre-defined display image on the touch screen, wherein the first pre-defined display image defines a button that physically coincides with a touch region of the touch screen;

monitoring the touch region for a touch by a user;

changing at least part of a portion of the first pre-defined display image that physically coincides with the touch region to a second pre-defined display image to indicate a first setting change of the thermostat when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has been touched by the user; and

wherein the first pre-defined display image corresponds to a heat mode of the thermostat, and the second pre-defined display image corresponds to a cool mode of the thermostat.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

changing at least part of the portion of the second pre-defined display image that physically coincides with the touch region to indicate a second setting change of the thermostat when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user.

13. A method for changing a desired setting of a thermostat between a number of ordered pre-defined setting options including a first pre-defined setting option and a last pre-defined setting option, the thermostat having a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a display image on the touch screen, wherein the display image defines a button with a label, the label indicating one of the pre-defined setting options, the button physically corresponding to a touch region of the touch screen;

monitoring the touch region for a touch by a user; and

changing the label to indicate the desired setting has been or will be changed to a next pre-defined setting option each time the touch region has been touched by the user.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

changing the label to indicate the desired setting has been or will be changed to the last pre-defined setting option when the touch region has been touched by the user a sufficient number of times to reach the last pre-defined setting option.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

changing the label to indicate the desired setting has been or will be changed to the first pre-defined setting option when the touch region has been touched a next time.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the pre-defined setting options correspond to thermostat system modes.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the pre-defined setting options correspond to thermostat fan modes.

18. A method for selecting a setting of a thermostat from a number of pre-defined setting options including a first pre-defined setting option and a last pre-defined setting option, the thermostat having a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a first setting indicator in a display image on the touch screen, the first setting indicator corresponding to the first pre-defined setting option;

monitoring a touch region defined as a button on the touch screen for a touch by a user, the first setting indicator occupying a common space on the touch screen as the touch region;

removing the first setting indicator and displaying a second setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has been touched by the user, the second setting indicator corresponding to a second pre-defined setting option of the thermostat; and

removing the second setting indicator and displaying a third setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user, the third setting indicator corresponding to a third pre-defined setting option;

wherein the third setting indicator is different from the first and second setting indicators.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising

displaying the first setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has been touched a predetermined number of times by the user.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising

removing the third setting indicator and displaying the first setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

removing the third setting indicator and displaying a fourth setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user, the fourth setting indicator corresponding to a fourth pre-defined setting option.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising

removing the fourth setting indicator and displaying the first setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

removing a next to last setting indicator and displaying the last pre-defined setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has been touched a sufficient number of times to reach the last pre-defined setting indicator.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

removing the last pre-defined setting indicator and displaying the first pre-defined setting indicator when the monitoring step detects that the touch region has again been touched by the user.

25. A thermostat comprising:

a touch screen;

a controller adapted to display a display image on the touch screen, the display image having a portion that occupies at least part of the same space as a touch region on the touch screen, wherein when the touch region is touched, at least part of the portion of the display image that occupies at least part of the same space as the touch region changes from a first pre-determined display image to a second pre-determined display image to indicate a first setting change of the thermostat;

the display image displays a boundary that traverses around at least part of the touch region, wherein the boundary is generally rectangular in shape; and

wherein the first pre-defined display image includes a first textual message and the second pre-defined display image includes a second textual message, wherein the first and second textual messages are different and indicate first and second settings of the thermostat.

26. The thermostat of claim 25 wherein the generally rectangular shaped boundary includes rounded off corners.

27. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein the generally rectangular shaped boundary includes one or more gaps in the boundary.

28. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein the generally rectangular shaped boundary includes a first region and a second region, wherein a line is displayed between the first region and the second region.

29. The thermostat of claim 28 wherein the first display image includes a first setting indicator and the second display image includes a second setting indicator, wherein the first setting indicator and the second setting indicator are displayed in the second region of the generally rectangular shaped boundary, and wherein the first display image and the second display image both display a common header in the first region of the generally rectangular boundary.

30. The thermostat of claim 29 wherein the first setting indicator and the second setting indicator relate to thermostat fan mode settings, and the common header is a fan mode heading.

31. The thermostat of claim 29 wherein the first setting indicator and the second setting indicator relate to thermostat system mode settings, and the common header is a system mode heading.