Method of improving the accuracy of selecting a soft button displayed on a touch-sensitive screen and related portable electronic device

• US 8,405,677 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ranford, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMIN, JWALANT B
• Application Number:
  US12/556,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20110057956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/619
• 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 of inputting commands through a touch-sensitive screen of a portable electronic device includes displaying a plurality of soft buttons on the touch-sensitive screen, detecting touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a touch location, identifying a closest soft button that is nearest to the touch location, magnifying the closest soft button and one or more other soft buttons in the immediate vicinity of the closest soft button that are located in a same row or in a same column as the closest soft button, reducing the size of other soft buttons, detecting release of the touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a release location after the soft buttons have been magnified, identifying a selected soft button located at the release location upon detecting release of the touch input, and executing a command corresponding to the selected soft button.

Claims

1. A method of inputting commands through a touch-sensitive screen of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of soft buttons on the touch-sensitive screen;

detecting touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a touch location;

identifying a closest soft button that is nearest to the touch location;

magnifying the closest soft button, magnifying the entire row or the entire column of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in, and magnifying one or more other rows or columns of soft buttons in the immediate vicinity of the row or column that the closest soft button is located in;

reducing the size of soft buttons other than the magnified soft buttons;

detecting release of the touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a release location after the soft buttons have been magnified;

identifying a selected soft button located at the release location upon detecting release of the touch input; and

executing a command corresponding to the selected soft button.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting movement of the touch location to a new touch location while touch input is still received on the touch-sensitive screen;

identifying a new closest soft button that is nearest to the new touch location; and

magnifying the new closest soft button and magnifying the entire row or the entire column of soft buttons that the new closest soft button is located in while not magnifying other soft buttons.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing the size of soft buttons located in rows or columns other than the magnified soft buttons located in the rows or columns in the immediate vicinity of the row or column that the closest soft button is located in.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of soft buttons form a QWERTY keyboard.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein when the QWERTY keyboard is oriented in portrait mode, the closest soft button and the entire row of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in are magnified.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein when the QWERTY keyboard is oriented in landscape mode, the closest soft button and the entire column of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in are magnified.

7. A portable electronic device receiving input commands through a touch-sensitive screen, the portable electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen for displaying a plurality of soft buttons on the touch-sensitive screen and detecting touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a touch location; and

a processor for identifying a closest soft button that is nearest to the touch location, controlling the touch-sensitive screen to magnify the closest soft button, the entire row or the entire column of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in, and one or more other rows or columns of soft buttons in the immediate vicinity of the row or column that the closest soft button is located in, controlling the touch-sensitive screen to reduce the size of soft buttons other than the magnified soft buttons, receiving data from the touch-sensitive screen indicating release of the touch input on the touch-sensitive screen at a release location after the soft buttons have been magnified, identifying a selected soft button located at the release location upon detecting release of the touch input, and executing a command corresponding to the selected soft button.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor detects movement of the touch location to a new touch location while touch input is still received on the touch-sensitive screen, identifies a new closest soft button that is nearest to the new touch location, and magnifies the new closest soft button and the entire row or the entire column of soft buttons that the new closest soft button is located in while not magnifying other soft buttons.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor reduces the size of soft buttons located in rows or columns other than the magnified soft buttons located in the rows or columns in the immediate vicinity of the row or column that the closest soft button is located in.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of soft buttons form a QWERTY keyboard.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the QWERTY keyboard is oriented in portrait mode, the closest soft button and the entire row of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in are magnified.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the QWERTY keyboard is oriented in landscape mode, the closest soft button and the entire column of soft buttons that the closest soft button is located in are magnified.