Telephone call and alarm control methods for a cell phone

• US 8,452,338 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Yeh, I-Hau, Tsai, Kun-Ming, Yeh, Joe Tsung-Ying, Yeh, Theresa I-Hsing
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/728,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Control methods for a cell phone are provided upon occurrence of a particular event, which receive a contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, analyze the contact-related information to identify the contact position, the number of contact objects, or a gesture, to determine a further step to deal with the particular event. The particular event may include receipt of a call, sounding of an alarm of the cell phone, displaying of a short message on the touch screen, receipt of an interrupting call, or a standby mode of the cell phone.

Claims

1. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

displaying an animated picture on the touch screen, the animated picture including a main figure, said main figure having a plurality of figure areas;

touching one of said plurality of figure areas;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen as to a particular area touched to define a contact position;

extracting said contact position from the contact-related information; and

putting the call through only if the contact position falls within a predetermined area of the main figure.

2. The control method of claim 1, wherein the main figure is at a time-varying position on the touch screen.

3. The control method of claim 1, wherein the main figure comprises an animal.

4. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

identifying a gesture from the contact-related information applied throughout the surface area; and

putting the call through if the gesture matches to a preset one, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

5. The control method of claim 4, further comprising refusing the call if the gesture matches to a second preset one.

6. The control method of claim 4, further comprising switching a call alert of the call to a silent mode if the gesture matches to a second preset one.

7. The control method of claim 4, wherein the preset gesture is selected from the group consisting of circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and half times, moving two fingers toward each other, and moving two fingers away from each other.

8. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

identifying a number of objects in contact with the touch screen throughout the surface area according to the contact-related information; and

putting the call through if the number is equal to a preset value, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

9. The control method of claim 8, further comprising refusing the call if the number is equal to a second preset value.

10. The control method of claim 8, further comprising switching a call alert of the call to a silent mode if the number is equal to a second preset value.

11. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

identifying a number of objects in contact with the touch screen throughout the surface area according to the contact-related information; and

comparing the number with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

12. The control method of claim 11, wherein the step of comparing the number with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through comprises refusing the call if the number is smaller than the preset value.

13. The control method of claim 11, wherein the step of comparing the number with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through comprises putting the call through if the number is greater than the preset value.

14. The control method of claim 11, wherein the step of comparing the number with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through comprises switching a call alert of the call to a silent mode if the number is equal to the preset value.

15. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen throughout a surface area defined by said touch screen;

identifying a contact object contacted on the surface area from the contact-related information; and

putting the call through if the contact object contacted on the surface area matches to a preset one, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

16. The control method of claim 15, further comprising refusing the call if the contact object matches to a second preset one.

17. The control method of claim 15, further comprising switching a call alert of the call to a silent mode if the contact object matches to a second preset one.

18. A control method for a cell phone receiving a call, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said call from a caller;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

extracting an area of the contact object on the touch screen from the contact-related information; and

comparing the area with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

19. The control method of claim 18, wherein the step of comparing the area with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through comprises refusing the call if the area is smaller than the preset value.

20. The control method of claim 18, wherein the step of comparing the area with a preset value for determining whether or not to put the call through comprises putting the call through if the area is greater than the preset value.

21. The control method of claim 18, further comprising:

presetting a second value greater than the first preset value;

putting the call through if the area is smaller than the first preset value;

switching a call alert of the call to a silent mode if the area is greater than the first preset value but smaller than the second preset value; and

refusing the call if the area is greater than the second preset value.

22. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

displaying an animated picture on the touch screen, the animated picture including a main figure, said main figure having a plurality of figure areas;

touching one of said plurality of figure areas;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen as to a particular area touched to define a contact position;

extracting said contact position from the contact-related information; and

stopping the alarm only if the contact position falls within a predetermined area of the main figure.

23. The control method of claim 22, wherein the main figure is at a time-varying position on the touch screen.

24. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

identifying a gesture from the contact-related information applied throughout the surface area; and

stopping the alarm if the gesture matches to a preset one, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

25. The control method of claim 24, wherein the preset gesture is selected from the group consisting of circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and half times, moving two fingers toward each other, and moving two fingers away from each other.

26. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

identifying a number of objects in contact with the touch screen applied throughout the surface area according to the contact-related information; and

stopping the alarm if the number is equal to a preset value, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

27. The control method of claim 26, wherein the preset value is one.

28. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

identifying a number of objects in contact with the touch screen according to the contact-related information; and

comparing the number with a preset value for determining whether or not to stop the alarm, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

29. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

identifying a contact object contacted on the touch screen from the contact-related information; and

stopping the alarm if the contact object contacted on the touch screen matches to a preset one, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

30. The control method of claim 29, wherein the preset object is a thumb.

31. A control method for a cell phone when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon sounding of said alarm;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

extracting an area of the contact object on the touch screen from the contact-related information; and

stopping the alarm if the area is greater than a preset value, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

32. A control method for a cell phone displaying a short message, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon displaying said short message;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen having a surface area;

detecting and identifying a gesture applied throughout the surface area according to the contact- related information; and

performing a further step on the short message according to the gesture, regardless of a contact position on the surface area.

33. The control method of claim 32, wherein the gesture is selected from the group consisting of circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and a half time, moving two fingers toward each other, and moving two fingers away from each other.

34. The control method of claim 32, wherein the further step comprises exiting from a screen displaying the short message, deleting the short message, replying to the short message, forwarding the short message, dialing a phone number from which the short message is sent, or saving the phone number.

35. A control method for a cell phone receiving an interrupting call when a call is already put through, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

upon detecting said interrupting call;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

detecting and identifying a gesture according to the contact- related information; and

performing a further step on the already put through call and the interrupting call according to the gesture, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

36. The control method of claim 35, wherein the gesture is selected from the group consisting of circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and half times, moving two fingers toward each other, and moving two fingers away from each other.

37. The control method of claim 35, wherein the further step comprises suspending the already put through call and putting the interrupting call through, ending the already put through call and putting the interrupting call through, or activating a three-way calling.

38. A control method for a cell phone in a standby mode, the cell phone having a touch screen, the control method comprising:

while in said standby mode;

receiving a contact-related information from the touch screen;

detecting and identifying a gesture according to the contact-related information; and

performing a further step according to the gesture, regardless of a contact position on the touch screen.

39. The control method of claim 38, wherein the gesture is selected from the group consisting of circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and half times, moving two fingers toward each other, and moving two fingers away from each other.

40. The control method of claim 38, wherein the further step comprises activating or deactivating a key lock.