Method and apparatus for controlling display area of touch screen device

• US 8,692,778 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ji-sang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US12/243,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20090184935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 345/23, 345173-179, 345/949, 345/698, 715/808, 715862-864, 713/300, 713/324, 463/39, 463/20, 463/32, 463/42, 463/16, 455/566
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method of controlling a display area of a touch screen device includes detecting a touch on the display area of the touch screen device; determining whether the detected touch is being used to hold the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device; and selectively changing the display area of the touch screen device based on a result of the determination.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display area of a touch screen device, the method comprising:

detecting a touch on the display area of the touch screen device;

determining whether the detected touch is an incidental touch which is being used to grasp the touch screen device or an intentional touch to activate a function of the touch screen device; and

selectively changing at least one of a size and a position of an active area of the display area of the touch screen device based on the determined incidental touch,

wherein the active area is a portion of the display area of the touch screen where content or a menu is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective changing of the at least one of a size and a position of the active area of the touch screen device comprises maintaining an original display area of the touch screen device if the detected touch is being used to realize a function of the touch screen device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device is based on a touch time of the detected touch and/or a size of a touch area where the detected touch is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective changing of the at least one of a size and a position of the active area of the touch screen device comprises:

determining at least one rectangular area that can be formed from at least one visible display area of the display area of the touch screen device if the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device;

selecting at least one active area from the at least one determined rectangular area based on a size of each of the at least one determined rectangular area; and

setting each of the at least one selected active area as a new display area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a 3D orientation of the touch screen device; and

selectively changing a display direction of the display area based on the detected 3D orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting, the determining, and the selectively changing are repeatedly performed to selectively change the at least one of a size and a position of the active area based on changes in the detected touch.

7. An apparatus for controlling a display area of a touch screen device, the apparatus comprising:

a touch detecting unit to detect a touch on the display area of the touch screen device;

a hold determining unit to determine whether the detected touch is an incidental touch which is being used to grasp the touch screen device or an intentional touch to activate a function of the touch screen device; and

a display area changing unit to selectively change at least one of a size and a position of an active area of the display area of the touch screen device based on the determined incidental touch,

wherein the active area is a portion of the display area of the touch screen where content or a menu is displayed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the display area changing units maintains an original display area of the touch screen device if the hold determining unit determines that the detected touch is being used to realize a function of the touch screen device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the hold determining unit determines whether the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device based on a touch time of the detected touch and/or a size of a touch area where the detected touch is detected.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the display area changing unit comprises:

a determining unit to determine at least one rectangular area that can be formed from at least one visible display area of the display area of the touch screen device if the hold determining unit determines that the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device;

a selecting unit to select at least one active area from the at least one determined rectangular area based on a size of each of the at least one determined rectangular area; and

an area setting unit to set each of the at least one selected active area as a new display area.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an orientation detecting unit to detect a 3D orientation of the touch screen device; and

a direction changing unit to selectively change a display direction of the display area based on the detected 3D orientation.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein if the touch detecting unit detects a change in the detected touch, the hold determining unit determines whether the changed detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device, and the display area changing unit selectively changes the at least one of a size and a position of the active area of the touch screen device again if necessary based on a result of the determination made by the hold determining unit with respect to the changed detected touch.

13. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method of controlling a display area of a touch screen device performed by a computer, the method comprising:

detecting a touch on the display area of the touch screen device;

determining whether the detected touch is an incidental touch which is being used to grasp the touch screen device or an intentional touch to activate a function of the touch screen device; and

selectively changing at least one of a size and a position of an active area of the display area of the touch screen device based on the determined incidental touch,

wherein the active area is a portion of the display area of the touch screen where content or a menu is displayed.

14. A method of controlling a display area of a touch screen device, the method comprising:

detecting a touch on the display area of the touch screen device;

determining whether the detected touch is an incidental touch which is being used to grasp the touch screen device or an intentional touch to activate a function of the touch screen device; and

controlling at least one of a size and a position of an active area of the display area of the touch screen device based on the determined incidental touch,

wherein the active area is a portion of the display area of the touch screen where content or a menu is displayed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of whether the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device is based on a size of a touch area where the detected touch is detected and a touch time of the detected touch.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining of whether the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device or to activate a function of the touch screen device comprises:

determining that the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device if the touch area exceeds a predetermined touch area size and the touch time exceeds a predetermined touch time; and

determining that the detected touch is being used to activate a function of the touch screen device if the touch area does not exceed the predetermined touch area size, or if the touch area exceeds the predetermined touch area size but the touch time does not exceed the predetermined touch time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined touch time is 1 second, and the predetermined touch area size is 1 cm².

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the controlling of the display area of the touch screen device comprises:

controlling the display area of the touch screen device so that nothing is displayed in a touch area where the detected touch is detected when the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device; and

controlling the display area of the touch screen to maintain an original display area of the touch screen device when the detected touch is being used to activate a function of the touch screen device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the controlling of the display area so that nothing is displayed in a touch area where the detected touch is detected when the detected touch is being used to grasp the touch screen device comprises:

determining at least one rectangular area that can be formed from at least one visible display area of the display area of the touch screen device, each of the at least one visible display area excluding the touch area;

selecting at least one active area from the at least one determined rectangular area based on a size of each of the at least one determined rectangular area; and

setting each of the at least one selected active area as a new display area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining of at least one rectangular area that can be formed from at least one visible display area of the display area of the touch screen device comprises determining one rectangular area having a maximum size that can be formed from each of the at least one visible display area.