Electronic device and method providing a cursor control

• US 7,737,956 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gold Charm Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lian, Wen-Chuan, Hsieh, Kuan-Hong, Li, Xiao-Guang, Wang, Han-Che
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sherman; Stephen G
• Application Number:
  US11/308,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20070075979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 455/566
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

An electronic device and method for controlling a cursor is provided. The electronic device includes a display, a timer, and a processing unit. The display includes a screen and a frame thereof. The frame further has a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation. Each sensing signal is assigned a coordinate for identification. The timer records a time duration of continuously receiving the sensing signals. The processing unit determines a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration of the timer, and thus moves a cursor displayed on the screen corresponding to the direction and speed. A related method is also provided.

Claims

1. An electronic device enabling a cursor control, the device comprising:

a display having a screen and a frame attached to the screen, the frame comprising a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation, each sensing signal being assigned to a corresponding coordinate for identification, wherein the touch sensitive region comprises a plurality of sensing units thereunder, each of which has a sensing signal processing circuit for generating the sensing signals;

a timer for recording a time duration of receiving the sensing signals; and

a processing unit for determining a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration of receiving the sensing signals only, and moving the cursor displayed on the screen word by word if the speed of the input operation is in a low-speed range;

wherein the processing unit determines the speed of the input operation is in the low-speed range if the time duration of receiving the sensing signals is greater than a first predetermined value.

2. A method for providing a cursor control on the electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a display on the electronic device, the display having a screen and a frame attached to the screen, the frame comprising a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation, each sensing signal being assigned to a coordinate for identification;

recording a time duration of receiving the sensing signals from the touch sensitive region;

determining a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration of receiving the sensing signals only; and

moving a cursor displayed on the screen word by word if the speed of the input operation is in a low-speed range wherein the speed of the input operation is determined to be the low-speed range if the time duration of receiving the sensing signals is greater than a first predetermined value.