Switching display mode of electronic device

• US 8,125,457 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawson, Richard James, Letulle, Marguerite, Nissen, Oluf
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US11/796,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345/8, 345/163, 345/420, 345168-179, 345/156, 345/423, 341/20, 341/22, 715/711, 379/433.06, 379/433.07, 348/169
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

One embodiment receives a single click from a user to switch an electronic device between a mouse mode and a touch mode.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a single click from a user to switch an electronic device between a mouse mode in which clicking a pointer moved on an object displayed on a display of the electronic device selects the object and a touch mode in which touching the object displayed on the display of the electronic device selects the object;

enlarging visual objects in an application displayed on the display when the electronic device switches from the mouse mode to the touch mode; and

,

shrinking the visual objects in the application displayed on the display when the electronic device switches from the touch mode to the mouse mode;

wherein the visual objects are shrunk such that the visual objects are still displayed on the display after switching to the mouse mode from the touch mode,

and wherein the visual objects that are enlarged when switching from the mouse mode to the touch mode are the visual objects that were displayed on the display prior to switching from the mouse mode to the touch mode.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, switching from the mouse mode to the touch mode by receiving the single click from an electronic pointer on the display.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, switching from the touch mode to the mouse mode by receiving the single click from a touch of a user on an icon displayed on the of a display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the single click is from actuating a physical switch or button on or near the display.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, automatically enlarging icons, text, and hyperlinks on displayed on the display when the electronic device switches from the mouse mode to the touch mode.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

saving operating system settings of the mouse mode;

changing back to the operating system settings when the electronic device switches from the touch mode back to the mouse mode.

7. A computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

altering a size of plural icons on a display of an electronic device upon receiving a command from a user to switch between a first mode that uses a user interface of the electronic device to receive input from clicks and a second mode that uses the user interface of the electronic device to receive input from touch,

such that the plural icons are enlarged in size on the display when the electronic device switches from the first mode to the second mode,

and such that the plural icons are shrunk in size on the display when the electronic device switches from the second mode to the first mode;

wherein the visual objects are shrunk such that the visual objects are still displayed on the display after switching to the first mode from the second mode,

and wherein the visual objects that are enlarged when switching from the first mode to the second mode are the visual objects that were displayed on the display prior to switching from the first mode to the second mode.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

detecting a touch on the display in the second mode to switch the electronic device from the second mode to the first mode.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

detecting activation of a physical button or switch located on or near the display to switch the electronic device between the first and second modes.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

launching an application in the electronic device to switch the electronic device from the first mode to the second mode.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

receiving a click of an icon on the display to switch the electronic device from the first mode to the second mode.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

switching from the first mode to the second mode when a web browser application is activated.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the method further comprising:

enlarging icons in a task bar and hyperlinks in a display area upon switching the electronic device from the first mode to the second mode.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

memory for storing an algorithm; and

processor for executing the algorithm to;

enlarge and shrink sizes of icons on the display upon receiving activation from a user to switch between first and second modes of system operation, wherein the first mode receives user input from clicks on the display of the electronic device and the second mode receives user input from touch on the display of the electronic device,

such that the icons are enlarged in size on the display when the electronic device switches from the first mode to the second mode,

and such that the icons are shrunk in size on the display when the electronic device switches from the second mode to the first mode;

wherein the visual objects are shrunk such that the visual objects are still displayed on the display after switching to the first mode from the second mode,

and wherein the visual objects that are enlarged when switching from the first mode to the second mode are the visual objects that were displayed on the display prior to switching from the first mode to the second mode.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 further comprising, a button on the electronic device for switching the electronic device from the first mode to the second mode.

16. The electronic device of claim 14 further comprising, a button on the electronic device for switching the electronic device from the second mode to the first mode.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to automatically switch from the first mode to the second mode when a web browsing application is launched.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor further executes the algorithm to automatically switch from the second mode to the first mode when a user moves a mouse on the display.