Touch-screen user interface

• US 8,451,238 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, John T., Hebenstreit, Joseph J., Green, Christopher, Keller, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US12/553,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A user interface for a touch-screen display of a dedicated handheld electronic book reader device is described. The user interface detects human gestures manifest as pressure being applied by a finger or stylus to regions on the touch-screen display. In one implementation, the touch-screen user interface enables a user to turn one or more pages in response to applying a force or pressure to the touch-screen display. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface is configured to bookmark a page temporarily by applying a pressure to the display, then allowing a user to turn pages to a new page, but reverting back to a previously-displayed page when the pressure is removed. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface identifies and filters electronic books based on book size and/or a time available to read a book. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface converts text to speech in response to a user touching the touch-screen display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of an electronic book reader device configured with executable instructions, performing the following;

displaying content on a touch-screen display of an electronic book reader device;

detecting pressure of an object on the touch-screen display of the electronic book reader device;

determining a duration of time of contact of the object with the touch-screen display of the electronic book reader device;

initiating an operation that is determined based on at least an amount of pressure applied by the object to the touch-screen display and the duration of time of contact of the object with the touch-screen display; and

displaying results of the operation on the touch-screen display of the electronic book reader device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises one of a finger or a stylus.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises sensing pressure within a region of the touch-screen display.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises sensing pressure as a swiping motion across the touch-screen display.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises turning one or more pages.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises turning one or more pages, wherein an increasing number of pages are turned in proportion to increasing pressure applied to the touch-screen display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises turning one or more pages, wherein an increasing number of pages are turned in proportion to the duration of time of contact.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises turning one or more pages from a first page to a second while the pressure is applied, and upon removal of the pressure from the object, redisplaying the first page.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises selecting an electronic document from a list of electronic documents.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises filtering a list of electronic documents according to book size.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation comprises filtering a list of electronic documents according to a time-based parameter.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises sensing pressure over a region of text, and the operation comprises converting the text in the region to speech.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising generating an audio response in conjunction with the initiating the operation.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the audio response changes based on at least one of the amount of pressure or the duration of time of contact.

15. A dedicated electronic book reader device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor;

a touch-screen display to present a visible representation of an electronic document, the touch-screen display having a pressure detector to sense pressure applied to the touch-screen display and configured to detect specific locations of pressure being applied; and

a page turn detector to turn one or more pages in the electronic document in response to sensing of pressure on the touch-screen display, wherein;

a number of pages to turn is determined based on a number of detected locations of pressure; and

the number of pages to turn increases with an increasing number of detected locations of pressure.

16. The dedicated electronic book reader device of claim 15, wherein the page turn detector turns pages in response to pressure being applied to a predefined region of the touch-screen display.

17. The dedicated electronic book reader device of claim 15, wherein the page turn detector turns pages in response to a swiping pressure across the touch-screen display.

18. The dedicated electronic book reader device of claim 15, further comprising a book filtering module stored in the memory and executable by the processor to identify and filter lists of electronic documents according to one of document size or a time available to read.

19. The dedicated electronic book reader device of claim 15, further comprising a bookmarking module stored in the memory and executable by the processor to bookmark a first page of the electronic document temporarily in response to continuous pressure being applied to the touch-screen display, while allowing the page turn detector to turn one or more pages so that a second page is displayed, the bookmarking module causing a return to display of the first page upon removal of the pressure.

20. The dedicated electronic book reader device of claim 15, further comprising a text-to-speech (TTS) module to convert to speech a portion of text selected from the electronic document via detection of pressure applied to the touch-screen display.

21. The electronic book reader device of claim 15, wherein the number of pages to turn is the same as the number of detected locations of pressure.

22. The electronic book reader device of claim 15, wherein the number of pages to turn is different from the number of detected locations of pressure.

23. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-screen display for presenting visible representations of electronic documents;

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor; and

one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying a first page of an electronic document on the touch-screen display;

detecting a pressure of an object on the touch-screen display;

turning one or more pages of the electronic document in response to sensing of pressure on the touch-screen display, wherein a number of pages to turn at one time is proportional to the pressure; and

displaying a second page of the electronic document.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the one or more programs detects the pressure while the object is applied to a region on the touch-screen display.

25. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the one or more programs detects the pressure while the object is swiped across the touch-screen display.

26. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the number of pages to turn at one time increases in proportion to increases in the pressure.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the number of pages to turn at one time is adjustable by a user.

28. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the program further includes instructions for displaying a visual representation of the turning pages.

29. The electronic device of claim 28, wherein the visual representation comprises a changing page number.

30. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the electronic device comprises a dedicated handheld electronic book reader.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to generate a user interface comprising:

visible representations of an electronic document presented on a touch-screen display;

a force sensing arrangement for producing one or more input signals when a force is exerted on the touch-screen display by an object;

a first area of the touch-screen display for turning pages of the electronic document forward in proportion to the force, wherein a number of pages to turn forward at one time increases in proportion to the force exerted on the first area; and

a second area of the touch-screen display for turning pages of the electronic document backward in proportion to the force, wherein a number of pages to turn backward at one time increases in proportion to the force exerted on the second area.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the object comprises a finger.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the first area is a lower right corner of the touch-screen display and the second area is a lower left corner of the touch-screen display.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the first area is located in a right half of the touch-screen display and the second area is located in a left half of the touch-screen display.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the user interface further comprises a visual representation of the turning pages.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the visual representation of the turning pages comprises an increasing page number when the force is exerted on the first area and a decreasing page number when the force is exerted on the second area.