Touch-sensitive display method and apparatus

• US 8,350,818 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fritzley, Eric, Hardy, Michael Thomas, Jain, Rohit Rockey, Logan, Adrian Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US12/618,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method includes detecting a continuous touch on a touch-sensitive display. A position of one or more boundaries is updated when the continuous touch crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries. Feedback is provided when the continuous touch crosses the first boundary.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a touch at a first location on a touch-sensitive display;

determining position of a pair of horizontal boundaries and position of a pair of vertical boundaries based on the first location of the touch, such that the first location of the touch is between the pair of horizontal boundaries and the pair of vertical boundaries, and wherein information displayed on the touch-sensitive display changes when one of the boundaries is crossed by the touch;

changing the position of at least one of the boundaries when the touch continues and crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries;

providing feedback when the touch crosses the first boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing feedback comprises changing information displayed on the touch-sensitive display based on location of the touch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises increasing a first distance between a first pair of the one or more boundaries and decreasing a second distance between a second pair of the one or more boundaries.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising when the touch continues and crosses a second boundary of the boundaries, reducing the first distance between the first pair of the boundaries and increasing the second distance between the second pair of the boundaries.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing is based at least in part on location of the touch.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback when the touch continues and crosses the first boundary.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback is based at least in part on location of the touch.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the visual feedback comprises shading or highlighting an area between at least two of the boundaries.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a first image before the touch crosses a first boundary and panning the image when the touch crosses the first boundary.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises increasing a distance between the pair of horizontal boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the vertical boundaries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises decreasing a distance between the pair of horizontal boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the vertical boundaries.

12. A computer-readable storage device having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises changing position of the pair of vertical boundaries and maintaining position of the pair of horizontal boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the vertical boundaries.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises changing position of the pair of horizontal boundaries and maintaining position of the pair of vertical boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the horizontal boundaries.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises increasing a distance between the pair of vertical boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the pair of horizontal boundaries.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein changing comprises decreasing a distance between the pair of vertical boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the pair of horizontal boundaries.

17. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors configured to;

detect a touch at a first location on the touch-sensitive display;

determine position of a pair of horizontal boundaries and position of a pair of vertical boundaries based on the first location of the touch, such that the first location of the touch is between the pair of horizontal boundaries and the pair of vertical boundaries, and wherein the boundaries are utilized to determine when information displayed on the touch-sensitive display is changed;

change the position of one of the pairs of boundaries when the touch continues and crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries;

provide feedback when the touch crosses the first boundary.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein to provide the feedback, the one or more processors are configured to change information displayed on the touch-sensitive display based on location of the touch.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein to change the position of the boundaries, the one or more processors are configured to increase a first distance between a first pair of the one or more boundaries and decrease a second distance between a second pair of the one or more boundaries.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the touch continues and crosses a second boundary of the boundaries, reduce the first distance between the first pair of the boundaries and increase the second distance between the second pair of the boundaries.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 17 wherein the change is based at least in part on location of the touch.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback when the touch continues and crosses one of the first boundary.

23. The portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the visual feedback comprises displaying the boundaries on the touch-sensitive display, the audible feedback comprises a beep, and the tactile feedback comprises vibrating at least a part of the portable electronic device.

24. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display a first image before the touch crosses a first boundary and pan the image when the touch crosses the first boundary.

25. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to change position of the pair of vertical boundaries and maintain position of the pair of horizontal boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the vertical boundaries.

26. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to change position of the pair of horizontal boundaries and maintain position of the pair of vertical boundaries when the touch continues and crosses one of the horizontal boundaries.