Method of single-handed software operation of large form factor mobile electronic devices

• US 8,769,431 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roy Varada Prasad
• Original Assignee: Roy Varada Prasad
• Inventors: Prasad, Roy Varada
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US13/854,052
• Time in Patent Office: 458 Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

In a large form-factor mobile electronic device having a touchscreen for receiving user thumb input actions via an operating system desktop to facilitate user-software interactions, a method of enabling single-handed user-software interactions, comprising the steps of: generating a single-handed utilization zone; positioning said single-handed utilization zone at a current detected thumb location on the touchscreen; rendering a proxy desktop within said zone, said proxy desktop providing substantially the same functionality of the operating system desktop of the large form-factor mobile electronic device and being conformed substantially in shape and size to a small form factor mobile electronic device to facilitate user familiarity with thumb stroke actions with the rendered touch screen desktop; and rendering an application interface within said zone upon receiving a generate application interface request.

Claims

1. In a large form-factor mobile electronic device having a touchscreen for receiving user thumb input actions via an operating system desktop to facilitate user-software interactions, a method of enabling single-handed user-software interactions, comprising the steps of:

generating a designated dynamic area on the touchscreen for defining a single-handed utilization zone;

positioning said single-handed utilization zone in real time at a currently detected thumb location on the touchscreen;

rendering a proxy desktop within said zone at a native resolution of the touchscreen, said proxy desktop providing at least some of the same functionality of the operating system desktop of the large form-factor mobile electronic device;

wherein said currently detected thumb location is tracked in real time on the touchscreen and updated to provide another currently detected thumb location each time the thumb of a user is relocated on the touchscreen to automatically position said single-handed utilization zone at about said another currently detected thumb location with context-aware intelligence;

wherein said proxy desktop is populated with a plurality of actionable icons arranged within said zone to facilitate easy thumb access;

wherein the actionable icons are further arranged in a horizontal pitch and a vertical pitch determined based on a usage profile and the single-handed utilization zone size; and

wherein said usage profile is a thumb profile based on one or more thumb size demographics including at least a thumb length, a thumb thickness and a thumb range of motion.

2. The method of enabling according to claim 1, wherein said single-handed utilization zone is an invisible single-handed utilization zone;

and

wherein said step of rendering includes;

rendering visibly within said invisible single-handed utilization zone either said proxy desktop or a software application user-interface;

wherein said step of rendering visibly is user initiated in real time at a user selected touchscreen location anywhere on the touchscreen to confirm intentional selection by the user.

3. The method of enabling according to claim 1, wherein said proxy desktop may be customized with respect to shape, size, appearance, location anywhere on the touchscreen, content, content organization or accessibility of content to facilitate providing a personalized user experience.

4. The method of enabling according to claim 1, wherein said currently detected thumb location is tracked and updated on the touchscreen each time the thumb of a user is relocated on the touchscreen;

and further comprising;

providing a plurality of user profiles for facilitating customizing said proxy desktop for individual ones of a plurality of users;

wherein each individual one of said plurality of user profiles is selectable by a current user via said proxy desktop and a thumb input selection action provided by the current user.

5. In a large form-factor mobile electronic device having a touchscreen for receiving user thumb input actions to facilitate user-software interactions, a method of enabling single-handed user-operating system interaction at a native resolution of the touchscreen, comprising the steps of:

generating a single-handed utilization zone defined by an area of the touchscreen that can be accessed by the thumb of the device-holding hand of the user;

rendering a proxy desktop within said zone at a native resolution of the touchscreen, said proxy desktop being distinct with respect to its content, appearance and organization from the operating system desktop of the larger form-factor mobile electronic device while providing at least some of the same functionality of the operating system desktop of the large form-factor mobile electronic device;

wherein the area of the touchscreen that can be accessed by the thumb of the device-holding hand of the user is determined by the size of the single-handed utilization zone and a thumb profile; and

wherein said thumb profile is based on one or more thumb size demographics including at least a thumb length, a thumb thickness and a thumb range of motion.

6. The method of enabling according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

determining in real time the position and orientation of said single-handed utilization zone at a currently detected thumb location on the touchscreen; and

rendering a set of previously chosen actionable icons individually in the correct orientation for readability within said proxy desktop, said icons being rendered at the native resolution at which the icons were created to be displayed on the touchscreen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of rendering further includes presenting previously saved configuration of the content of the proxy desktop, including what actionable icons are included or excluded, the size, sequence, graphics, horizontal pitch, and vertical pitch of the icons contained therein, and further, the organization of the icons within the proxy desktop in folders or groups.

8. The method of enabling according to claim 6, further comprising:

using single-handed thumb input actions to pan vertically or horizontally or both in a virtual desktop contained within the single hand usability zone in order to access more icons.

9. The method of enabling according to claim 6, further comprising:

using single-handed thumb input actions to navigate through folders or groups by a series of overlapping stacked virtual desktops, all contained within the single handed usability zone.

10. The method of enabling according to claim 6, further comprising:

continually tracking the location of the thumb and orientation of the device in real time; and

responding to a predefined single-handed thumb input action to display on the touchscreen either the proxy desktop or an application software user-interface.

11. The method of enabling according to claim 6, further comprising:

providing application program interfaces and operating system support services to enable operating system functions to operate in said single handed usability zone.

12. The method of enabling according to claim 5, wherein said step of rendering includes presenting the proxy desktop in accordance with previously saved appearance attributes with respect to shape, size, aspect ratio, orientation, border, and other stylistic effects.

13. In a large form-factor mobile electronic device having a touchscreen for receiving user thumb input actions to facilitate user-software interactions, a method of enabling single-handed user-software interaction at a native resolution of the touchscreen, comprising the steps of:

generating a single-handed utilization zone defined by an area of the touchscreen that can be accessed by the thumb of the device-holding hand of the user;

determining in real time the position and orientation of said single handed utilization zone at a currently detected thumb location on the touchscreen; and

rendering at least a subset of an application software user-interface within said single-handed utilization zone, said subset being rendered at the native resolution of the touchscreen at which the software user-interface was designed to be displayed to facilitate single-handed thumb input actions using only the thumb of the device-holding hand of the user;

wherein the area of the touchscreen that can be accessed by the thumb of the device-holding hand of the user is determined by the size of the single-handed utilization zone and a thumb profile; and

wherein said thumb profile is based on one or more thumb size demographics including at least a thumb length, a thumb thickness and a thumb range of motion.

14. The method of enabling according to claim 13, further comprising:

providing application software for single-handed user software interactions; and

enabling said application software to present a complex, hierarchical menu tree via overlapping stacked windows contained within the single handed utilization zone.

15. The method of enabling according to claim 13, further comprising:

continually tracking the location of the thumb and orientation of the device in real time; and

responding to a predefined single-handed thumb input action to display on the touchscreen either the proxy desktop or an application software user-interface.

16. The method of enabling according to claim 13, further comprising:

providing applications program interfaces and operating system support services to enable applications to operate in said single handed usability zone.