Touch screen offset pointer

• US 8,749,494 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Delker, Jason R., Everson, John M., Lundy, Michael T., Whitney, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOYD, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/145,465
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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

Abstract

A device with a touch screen offset pointer is provided. The device includes a processor; a touch screen, and a navigator engine. When executed by the processor, the navigator engine detects a first touch input at a first location on the touch screen, determines a first offset for a pointer to overlay on content displayed by the touch screen, and displays the pointer on the touch screen at the first offset from the first location. The navigator engine also detects a second touch input at a second location on the touch screen, determines a second offset for the pointer, and displays the pointer on the touch screen at the second offset from the second location.

Claims

1. A device with a touch screen offset pointer, comprising:

a processor;

a touch screen; and

a navigator engine, when executed by the processor,

to detect a first touch input by a finger at a first touch input location on the touch screen,

to determine an offset for a pointer to overlay on content displayed on the touch screen,

to modify the offset to a lesser offset when the first touch input location is less than the offset from the edge of the touch screen,

to modify the offset to a different direction when the navigator engine detects that a majority of the selectable content is in the different direction,

to display the pointer on the touch screen at a first pointer location located at the modified offset from the first touch input location,

to detect a continuous movement of the same finger across the touch screen from the first touch input at the first touch input location to a second touch input at a second touch input location,

to determine a second pointer location at a pointer displacement from the first pointer location, wherein the pointer displacement is less than the distance of the continuous movement, and wherein the pointer displacement varies based on a speed of the continuous movement from the first touch input to the second touch input, and

to display the pointer on the touch screen at the second pointer location.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the navigator engine is configurable to select from the content based on a third touch input.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first pointer location and the second pointer location is based on a proximity of the second touch input location to an edge of the touch screen.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second pointer location is based on a time difference between the first touch input and the second touch input.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second pointer location is based on a direction from the first touch input to the second touch input.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second pointer location is based on a location of selectable content.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the offset is configurable.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device has a reduced screen size and is one of a mobile telecommunication device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a handheld gaming device, a handheld wireless mobile device, a pager, a digital camera, a media player, and a digital calculator.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is one of a mobile computer, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the pointer displacement is based on a time difference between the first touch input and the second touch input.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a border on more than one edge of the touch screen, wherein the border is without selectable content, and wherein the border is capable of detecting a touch input.

12. A device with a touch screen offset pointer, comprising:

detecting a first touch input by a first finger at a first touch input location on the touch screen;

determining an offset for a pointer to overlay on content displayed on the touch screen;

modifying the offset to a lesser offset when the first touch input location is less than the offset from the edge of the touch screen;

modifying the offset to a different direction when the navigator engine detects that a majority of the selectable content is in the different direction;

detecting a continuous movement by the first finger across the touch screen from the first touch input at the first touch input location to a second touch input at a second touch input location;

displaying the pointer at a first pointer location that is at the modified offset from the first touch input location; and

displacing the pointer on the touch screen to a second pointer position located at a pointer displacement from the first pointer location, wherein the pointer displacement is less than the distance of the continuous movement, and wherein a speed of displacing the pointer is based on a ratio applied to a time difference between the first touch input by the first finger and the second touch input by the first finger, and wherein the first finger is the only finger on the touch screen.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein a direction for displacing the pointer is based on a direction to the second touch input location from the first touch input location.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the speed is configurable.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the pointer displacement is based on a time difference between the first touch input and the second touch input.

16. A device with a touch screen offset pointer, comprising:

a processor;

a touch screen comprising a selectable content area and a border around the entire perimeter of the touch screen, wherein the border comprises a top border region, a bottom border region, a left border region, and a right border region, wherein the border is without selectable content, and wherein the border is capable of detecting a touch input; and

a navigator engine, when executed by the processor,

to detect a first touch input by a finger at a location on the touch screen within the selectable content area,

to determine an offset for a pointer to overlay on selectable content displayed by the touch screen,

to modify the offset to a lesser offset when the first touch input location is less than the offset from the edge of the touch screen,

to modify the offset to a different direction when the navigator engine detects that a majority of the selectable content is in the different direction,

to display the pointer on the touch screen at a first pointer location located at the modified offset from the first touch input location within the selectable content area,

to detect a continuous movement of the same finger across the touch screen from the first touch input at the first touch input location to a second touch input at a second touch input location within one of the top border region, the left border region, or the right border region, and

to determine a second pointer location at a pointer displacement from the first pointer location, wherein the pointer displacement is less than the distance of the continuous movement such that the pointer does not enter the one of the top border, the left border region, or the right border region, and wherein a speed of displacing the pointer is based on a ratio applied to a time difference between the first touch input by the same finger and the second touch input by the same finger.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the navigator engine further promotes the pointer selecting from the selectable content displayed by the touch screen.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the width of the border is configurable.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the offset is configurable.