Apparatus and method for providing virtual graffiti and recording medium for the same

• US 7,956,845 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Seung-Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/864,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20050099400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,553 Days
• Field of Search: 345/169, 345173-179, 715625-629, 715/790, 715825-829, 178 1801- 1804
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a virtual graffiti function and a recording medium for the same. The apparatus for providing a virtual graffiti function includes: a touch-screen display for displaying information on its screen, and at the same time receiving user-entry data created by a user touching the screen; and a controller connected to the touch-screen display, which overlaps a graffiti screen image with a main screen image in a virtual graffiti area for providing a portion of the screen with virtual graffiti, classifies the user-entry data created by the user touching the screen into application execution entry data and graffiti entry data according to the touched position and/or method, and processes the classified user-entry data differently from each other. Therefore, the apparatus can effectively implement a graffiti function in a hand-held device limited in size, and can also provide an effective recording medium.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a virtual graffiti function, comprising:

a touch-screen display for displaying information on its screen, and at the same time receiving user-entry data created by a user touching the touch-screen display; and

a controller connected to the touch-screen display, which controls a transparent overlap of a graffiti screen image and a main screen image in a virtual graffiti area of the touch-screen display for providing a portion of the screen with virtual graffiti when the virtual graffiti function is enabled, classifies the user-entry data created by the user touching the touch-screen display into application execution entry data and graffiti entry data according to at least one of the touched position and a manner in which the user touches the screen, and processes the classified user-entry data according to the classification.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller enables or disables the virtual graffiti function upon user'"'"'s selection.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller can change one or more pieces of attribution from among a variety of pieces of attribution composed of position, shape, transparency, size, and color data of the virtual graffiti input area to other data upon user'"'"'s selection.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller overlaps user'"'"'s stroke image resulting from the user touching the virtual graffiti input area with the virtual graffiti input area, and controls the overlapped image to be displayed.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the controller determines color and transparency of the user'"'"' stroke image on the basis of a background color of the touch-screen display such that the user'"'"'s stroke image can be distinguished from the background color.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

a display controller for displaying an image corresponding to entry video data on the touch-screen display;

an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) for converting an analog user-entry signal generated by the user touching the touch-screen display into a digital signal;

a memory including a graffiti screen memory for storing video data of the graffiti screen image, a first video buffer for storing video data of the main screen image, and a second video buffer for storing video data of the overlapped image between the main screen image and the graffiti screen image;

a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller for selectively reading individual video data stored in the first and second video buffers, and transmitting the read video data to the display controller;

a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for processing user-entry data received from the ADC, selectively updating video data stored in the first or second video buffer according to the user-entry data, and controlling the selective video data readout operation of the DMA controller according to enable or disable state information of the virtual graffiti function generated by the user-entry data; and

a host interface for providing the display controller, the memory, and the DMA controller with an interface of the CPU.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

if the virtual graffiti function is enabled, the CPU updates the first video buffer, updates the second video buffer by overlapping the graffiti screen image stored in the graffiti screen memory with the main screen image stored in the first video buffer, controls the DMA controller to read the video data of the second video buffer, and transmits the read video data to the display controller, and

if the virtual graffiti function is disabled, the CPU updates the first video buffer, controls the DMA controller to read the video data of the first video buffer, and transmits the read video data to the display controller.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the CPU can change one or more attribution from among a variety of attribution composed of position, shape, transparency, size, and color data of the virtual graffiti input area upon receiving a selection signal from the user.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the CPU overlaps stroke-inking data indicative of a stroke image generated by the user'"'"'s touch when the virtual graffiti function is enabled.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the CPU determines color and transparency of the stroke image on the basis of a background color of the screen such that the stroke image can be distinguished from the background color.

11. A method for providing a virtual graffiti function using a touch-screen display which displays information on its touch-screen display and at the same time receives user-entry data created by a user touching the touch-screen display, comprising the steps of:

a) transparently overlapping, in accordance with a control of a controller connected to the touch screen display, a graffiti screen image and a main screen image in a virtual graffiti area of the touch screen display for providing a portion of the screen with virtual graffiti when the virtual graffiti function is enabled, and displaying the overlapped image; and

b) classifying the user-entry data created by the user touching the touch-screen display into application execution entry data and graffiti entry data according to at least one of the touched position and a manner in which the user touches the virtual graffiti area, and processing the classified user-entry data according to the classification.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

c) enabling or disabling the virtual graffiti function according to a user'"'"'s selection.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein step (a) includes the steps of:

a3) if the virtual graffiti function is enabled, updating display data of the touch-screen display upon receiving the overlapped image between the graffiti screen image and the main screen image; and

a4) if the virtual graffiti function is disabled, updating display data of the touch-screen display upon receiving the main screen image.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein step (a) further includes the step of:

a5) changing one or more attribution from among a variety of attribution composed of position, shape, transparency, size, and color data of the virtual graffiti input area to other data according to a user'"'"'s selection.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein step (a3) includes the step of:

a3-1) overlapping stroke-inking data indicative of a stroke image generated by the user'"'"'s touch with the overlapped image between the graffiti screen image and the main screen image, and updating display data of the touch-screen display.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein step (a3) further includes the step of:

a3-2) determining color and transparency of the stroke image on the basis of a background color of the touch-screen display such that the stroke image can be distinguished from the background color.

17. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

d) changing one or more piece of pieces of attribution from among a variety of attribution composed of position, shape, transparency, size, and color data of the virtual graffiti input area to other data according to a user'"'"'s selection.

18. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein step (a) includes the step of:

a1) overlapping user'"'"'s stroke image resulting from the user touching the virtual graffiti input area with the virtual graffiti input area, and displaying the overlapped image.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein step (a) further includes the step of:

a2) determining color and transparency of the user'"'"'s stroke image on the basis of a background color of the screen such that the user'"'"'s stroke image can be distinguished from the background color.

20. A computer-readable recording medium for storing an execution program for use in an apparatus including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a touch-screen display which displays information on its screen and at the same time receives user-entry data created by a user touching the screen, comprising the steps of:

a) transparently overlapping a graffiti screen image and a main screen image in a virtual graffiti area of the touch-screen display for providing a portion of the screen with virtual graffiti when a virtual graffiti function is enabled, and displaying the overlapped image; and

b) classifying the user entry-data created by the user touching the touch-screen display into application execution entry data according to at least one of the touched position and a manner in which the user touches the virtual graffiti input area, and processing the classified user-entry data according to the classification.

21. The computer-readable recording medium as set forth in claim 20, wherein step (a) includes the steps of:

a1) if the virtual graffiti function is enabled, updating display data of the screen upon receiving the overlapped image between the graffiti screen image and the main screen image; and

a2) if the virtual graffiti function is disabled, updating display data of the touch-screen display upon receiving the main screen image.

22. The computer-readable recording medium as set forth in claim 21, further comprising the step of:

c) changing one or more piece of attribution from among a variety of pieces of attribution composed of position, shape, transparency, size, and color data of the virtual graffiti input area to other data according to a user'"'"'s selection.

23. The computer-readable recording medium as set forth in claim 21, wherein step (a1) includes the step of:

a1-1) overlapping stroke-inking data indicative of a stroke image generated by the user'"'"'s touch with the overlapped image between the graffiti screen image and the main screen image, and updating display data of the touch-screen display.

24. The computer-readable recording medium as set forth in claim 23, wherein step (a1) further includes the step of:

a1-2) determining color and transparency of the stroke image on the basis of a background color of the screen such that the stroke image can be distinguished from the background color.