Touch screen input method and device

• US 7,948,476 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2004
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Mikiko, Nashida, Tatsushi, Goto, Koichi, Yoshioka, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karimi; Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US10/524,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/901, 345/156, 345/902, 345/141, 345/175, 715809-827, 715/779, 715/808, 715/840, 715/866, 709/206, 382/13, 178/18.03
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

A touch panel 47 is constructed by a display/sensor unit 51a which is slightly larger than a display screen of an LCD 46 and a sensor unit 51b which is projected to the outside from one side, for example, from one side on the right. A finger 52 of the user is touched to a selection item such as desired button, icon, or the like on the display/sensor unit 51a and vertically moved on the sensor unit 51b. A selection display 53 constructed by a plurality of buttons is displayed along the side of the right side of the display screen by the LCD 46. A button beside the finger 52 is highlighted and when the finger 52 is released, the highlighted button is selected. If there are no buttons adjacent to the finger 52, the button is not highlighted. Even if the finger 52 is released, the state is not changed. When finger 52 is moved to the display/sensor unit 51a, the selection display 53 disappears.

Claims

1. An input method using a touch panel input apparatus in which a touch panel is laminated onto a display screen of a display apparatus, a sensor unit is formed so as to be expanded to the outside of one side of said display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

displaying a selection display, comprising a plurality of selection items along said side of said display screen, while the finger or the touch pen is initially touched and remains in contact with said sensor unit;

highlighting said selection items when the finger or the touch pen is near said selection items without moving over a highlighted selection item as the finger or touch pen remains in contact with said sensor unit after the initial touch and is moved along said side on said sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen from contact with said sensor unit at the position of the highlighted selection item after being moved along said side on said sensor unit; and

cancelling a selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved away from said sensor unit,

wherein a single touch, move and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to display the selection display and (b) to select a desired selection item in the selection display.

2. An input method according to claim 1, wherein by operating a predetermined button on a display/sensor unit of said touch panel overlapped with said display screen, an instruction corresponding to said button is generated.

3. An input method according to claim 1, wherein said selection display is a menu display.

4. An input method according to claim 1, wherein a selection operation is cancelled and said selection display is continued when the finger or the touch pen is moved along said sensor unit to an end area of said sensor unit out of range of said selection items on said display screen and thereafter lifting up the finger or touch pen from said sensor unit.

5. An input method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the touch panel to be larger than the display screen.

6. An input method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the touch panel to include (a) a display/sensor unit larger than the display screen and (b) the sensor unit.

7. A touch panel input apparatus in which a touch panel is laminated onto a display screen of a display apparatus, comprising:

a sensor unit formed so as to be expanded to the outside of one side of said display screen; and

a controller to which an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given and which generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, wherein said controller controls the display apparatus in such a manner that a selection display comprising a plurality of selection items is displayed along said side of said display screen while the finger or the touch pen is initially touched and remains in contact with said sensor unit and one of said selection items is highlighted when the finger or the touch pen is near said selection items without moving over a highlighted selection item as the finger or touch pen remains in contact with said sensor unit after the initial touch and is moved along said side on said sensor unit, and said controller generates the control signal to instruct automatic selection of said highlighted selection item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen from contact with said sensor unit near the highlighted selection item after being moved along said side on said sensor unit and cancelling a selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved away from said sensor unit, wherein a single touch, move and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to display the selection display and (b) to select a desired selection item in the selection display.

8. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein by operating a predetermined button on a display/sensor unit of said touch panel overlapped with said display screen, said controller generates an instruction corresponding to said button.

9. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said selection display is a menu display.

10. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a selection operation is cancelled and said selection display is continued when the finger or the touch pen is moved along said sensor unit to an end area of said sensor unit out of range of said selection items on said display screen and thereafter uplifting the finger or touch pen from said sensor unit.

11. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the touch panel is larger than the display screen.

12. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the touch panel includes (a) a display/sensor unit larger than the display screen and (b) the sensor unit.

13. An input method using a touch panel input apparatus in which a touch panel is laminated onto a display screen of a display apparatus, a sensor unit is formed on said display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

displaying a selection display, comprising a plurality of selection items on said display screen, while the finger or the touch pen is initially touched and remains in contact with said sensor unit;

highlighting said selection items when the finger or the touch pen is near said selection items without moving over a highlighted selection item as the finger or touch pen remains in contact after the initial touch with said sensor unit and is slid along on said sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen from contact with said sensor unit after being slid along said sensor unit at the position of the highlighted selection item; and

cancelling a selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved away from said sensor unit to said, wherein a single touch, slide and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation to (a) display the selection display and (b) to select a desired selection item in the selection display.

14. An input method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of providing the touch panel to be larger than the display screen.

15. An input method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of providing the touch panel to include (a) a display/sensor unit larger than the display screen and (b) the sensor unit.

16. A touch panel input apparatus in which a touch panel is laminated onto a display screen of a display apparatus, comprising:

a sensor unit formed on said display screen; and

a controller to which an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given and which generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, wherein said controller controls the display apparatus in such a manner that a selection display comprising a plurality of selection items is displayed on said display screen while the finger or the touch pen is initially touched and remains in contact with said sensor unit and one of said selection items is highlighted when the finger or the touch pen is near said selection items without moving over a highlighted selection item as the finger or touch pen remains in contact with said sensor unit after the initial touch and is slid along said sensor unit, and said controller generates the control signal to instruct automatic selection of said highlighted selection item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen from contact with said sensor unit after being slid along the sensor unit near the highlighted selection item and closing the selection display when the finger or the touch pen remains in contact while being is moved away from said sensor unit, wherein a single touch, slide and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to display the selection display and (b) to select a desired selection item in the selection display.

17. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the touch panel is larger than the display screen.

18. A touch panel input apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the touch panel includes (a) a display/sensor unit larger than the display screen and (b) the sensor unit.