Touch screen input method and device

• US 8,743,070 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Goto, Koichi, Sakurai, Mikiko, Yoshioka, Akio, Nashida, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimi, Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US13/617,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/169, 348/E5.105
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

A touch panel is constructed by a display/sensor unit which is slightly larger than a display screen of an LCD and a sensor unit which is projected to the outside from one side, for example, from one side on the right. A finger of the user is touched to a selection item such as desired button, icon, or the like on the display/sensor unit and vertically moved on the sensor unit. A selection display constructed by a plurality of buttons is displayed along the side of the display screen by the LCD. A button beside the finger is highlighted. When the finger is released, the highlighted button is selected. If there are no buttons adjacent to the finger, the button is not highlighted. Even if the finger is released, the state is not changed. When finger is moved to the display/sensor unit, the selection display disappears.

Claims

1. An input method using a sensor unit formed on a display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

displaying a selection display, comprising a plurality of selection menu items, on said display screen;

highlighting and instructing one of said selection menu items in a position of a same height as that of the finger or the touch pen when the finger or the touch pen is vertically moved while keeping a state where the finger or the touch pen is touched onto the sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection menu item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen, from constant contact with said sensor unit, in the position of the same height as that of the position of the highlighted selection item; and

cancelling display of the selection display when the finger or the touch pen is slid along said sensor unit and moves off said sensor unit onto said display screen, wherein a single touch, and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to highlight the selection menu item and (b) to select the selection menu item on the selection display.

2. An input method using a sensor unit formed on a display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

highlighting and instructing one of plural selection menu items on a selection display in a position of a same height as that of the finger or the touch pen when the finger or the touch pen is vertically moved while keeping a state where the finger or the touch pen is touched onto the sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection menu item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen, from constant contact with said sensor unit, in the position of the same height as that of the position of the highlighted selection menu item; and

cancelling display of the selection display when the linger or the touch pen is not lifted and is slid off said sensor unit onto said display screen, wherein a single touch, and slide operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to highlight the selection menu item and (b) to cancel display of the selection display.

3. An input method using a sensor unit formed on a display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

displaying a selection display, comprising a plurality of selection menu items on said display screen after the finger or the touch pen initially touches said sensor unit;

highlighting and instructing said selection menu items in a position of a same height as that of the finger or the touch pen when the finger or the touch pen is vertically moved while keeping a state where the finger or the touch pen is touched onto the sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection menu item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen, from constant contact with said sensor unit after being vertically slid along said sensor unit, in the position of the same height as that of the position of the highlighted selection menu item; and

cancelling display of the selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved off said sensor unit and onto said display screen, wherein a single touch, slide and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to highlight a selection menu item and (b) to select a desired selection menu item on the selection display.

4. An input method using a sensor unit formed on a display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of:

highlighting and instructing selection menu items on a selection display in a position of a same height as that of the finger or the touch pen when the finger or the touch pen is vertically moved while keeping a state where the finger or the touch pen is touched onto the sensor unit;

automatically selecting said highlighted selection menu item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen, constant contact with said sensor unit after being vertically slid along said sensor unit, in the position of the same height as that of the position of the highlighted selection menu item; and

cancelling display of the selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved off said sensor unit and onto said display screen, wherein a single touch, slide and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to highlight a selection menu item and (b) to select a desired selection menu item on the selection display or to cancel display of the selection display.