Electronic device with touch screen and method of displaying information using the same

• US 7,986,309 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fox Factory Incorporated, LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao; Lun-yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERKOULOVA, OLGA VLADIMIROVNA
• Application Number:
  US11/778,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/173, 345174-176, 345/179, 463/37, 715/800, 715/801, 715/815, 178 1801- 1807, 178 1901- 1904
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention relates to displaying information on a touch screen of an electronic device. The present invention includes displaying information on a touch screen, sensing at least two points on the touch screen being touched, resizing the information displayed according to a distance between the at least two touched points, and displaying the resized information on the touch screen.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information on a touch screen of an electronic device, the method comprising:

storing a reference distance in a memory unit of the device;

displaying information on the touch screen;

displaying an indicator indicating the stored reference distance;

sensing an input for resizing the displayed information when two points on the touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

determining a distance between the two touched points;

resizing the information responsive to the input based on the determined distance and the reference distance; and

displaying the resized information on the touch screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of:

image data;

video data;

map data;

text data;

or

webpage data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the information is uniformly enlarged regardless of the distance when the distance between the two touched points is greater than the reference distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the information is proportionally enlarged according to a ratio of the distance between the two touched points and the reference distance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the size of the information is proportionally enlarged discretely.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the information is uniformly reduced regardless of the distance when the distance between the two touched points is lesser than the reference distance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the information is proportionally reduced according to a ratio of the distance between the two touched points and the reference distance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the size of the information is proportionally reduced discretely.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is enlarged or reduced according to a reference table in which a plurality of distances between the touched two points are respectively matched to a plurality of magnifications.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reference table is provided by the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of magnifications respectively matched to the plurality of distances between the touched two points in the reference table are determined by a user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored reference distance is set by the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored reference distance is set by a user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is resized upon sensing the two points being touched N times within a certain time period, where the N is an integer greater than 1.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is displayed on a portion of the touch screen and the two touched points are sensed on the portion of the touch screen.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory unit configured to store a reference distance;

a touch screen configured to display information and an indicator indicating the stored reference distance; and

a controller configured to;

sense an input for resizing the displayed information when two points on the touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

determine a distance between the two touched points;

resize the information responsive to the input based on the determined distance and the reference distance; and

cause displaying of the resized information on the touch screen.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the information comprises at least one of:

image data;

video data;

map data;

text data;

or

webpage data.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein a size of the information is uniformly enlarged regardless of the distance when the distance between the two touched points is greater than the reference distance.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein a size of the information is proportionally enlarged according to a ratio of the distance between the two touched points and the reference distance.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the size of the information is proportionally enlarged discretely.

21. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein a size of the information is uniformly reduced regardless of the distance when the distance between the two touched points is lesser than the reference distance.

22. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein a size of the information is proportionally reduced according to a ratio of the distance between the two touched points and the reference distance.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the size of the information is proportionally reduced discretely.

24. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the information is enlarged or reduced according to a reference table in which a plurality of distances between the touched two points are respectively matched to a plurality of magnifications.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the reference table is provided by the electronic device.

26. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of magnifications respectively matched to the plurality of distances between the touched two points in the reference table are determined by a user.

27. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the stored reference distance is provided by the electronic device.

28. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the stored reference distance is determined by a user.

29. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the information is resized upon the controller sensing the two points being touched N times within a certain time period, where the N is an integer greater than 1.

30. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the information is displayed on a portion of the touch screen and the two touched points are sensed on the portion of the touch screen.

31. A method for displaying information on a touch screen of an electronic device, the method comprising:

storing a reference distance in a memory of the device;

displaying information and an indicator indicating the stored reference distance;

sensing an input for resizing the displayed information when two points on the touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

enlarging the displayed information when a distance between the initially touched two points is greater than the reference distance indicated by the indicator;

reducing the displayed information when the distance between the initially touched two points is less than the reference distance indicated by the indicator; and

displaying the enlarged or reduced information on the touch screen.

32. A method for displaying information on a touch screen of an electronic device, the method comprising:

storing a reference distance in a memory of the device;

displaying first information and second information, which is different from the first information, distinguishably on a first region and a second region of the touch screen, respectively;

displaying an indicator indicating the stored reference distance;

sensing an input for resizing the displayed first information when two points on the entire touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

enlarging the first information displayed on the first region when a distance between the initially touched two points is greater than the stored reference distance;

reducing the first information displayed on the first region when the distance between the initially touched two points is less than the stored reference distance; and

displaying the enlarged or reduced first information on the first region of the touch screen.

33. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory configured to store a reference distance;

a touch screen configured to display information and an indicator indicating the stored reference distance; and

a controller configured to;

sense an input for resizing the displayed information when two points on the touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

enlarge the displayed information when a distance between the initially touched two points is greater than the reference distance indicated by the indicator;

reduce the displayed information when the distance between the initially touched two points is less than the reference distance indicated by the indicator; and

display the enlarged or reduced information on the touch screen.

34. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory configured to store a reference distance;

a touch screen configured to display first information and second information, which is different from the first information, distinguishably on a first region and a second region of the touch screen, respectively, the touch screen further displaying an indicator indicating the stored reference distance; and

a controller configured to;

sense an input for resizing the displayed first information when two points on the entire touch screen are initially touched simultaneously or substantially at the same time;

enlarge the first information displayed on the first region when a distance between the initially touched two points is greater than the stored reference distance;

reduce the first information displayed on the first region when the distance between the initially touched two points is less than the stored reference distance; and

display the enlarged or reduced first information on the first region of the touch screen.