Identification of touch point on touch screen device

• US 8,773,374 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ibdah, Abdallah
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M
• Application Number:
  US13/107,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20120287056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-179, 178/18.01, 178/19.01, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A system and method of determining a target touch point on a touch screen is presented. A touch down event at a first time and a first location on a touch screen is detected and a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen is detected. A mode of operation using at least one of the touch down event and the touch up event is characterized. A target touch point is determined using at least one of the touch down event, the touch up event, and the characterization of the mode of operation.

Claims

1. A method of correcting a location of a target touch point on a touch screen, comprising:

detecting a touch down event at a first time and a first location on the touch screen;

detecting a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen;

calculating a difference between the second time and the first time to identify a touch duration; and

determining the target touch point using the touch down event, the touch up event, and the touch duration, by;

when the touch duration is less than a first predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch down event location,

when the touch duration is greater than or equal to the first predetermined threshold and less than or equal to a second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards a midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location, and

when the touch duration is greater than the second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location, whereby the weighting of the target touch point is done to more accurately approximate an intended touch point of the user.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first predetermined threshold is approximately 100 milliseconds and the second predetermined threshold is approximately 250 milliseconds.

3. The method of claim 1, including, when a distance between the touch down event and the touch up event is greater than a predetermined threshold distance, determining that the position of the touch up event is the target touch point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is greater than 5 millimeters.

5. The method of claim 1, including:

recording a touch path between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

wherein the target touch point is located on the touch path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

weighting the target touch point towards the touch down even location includes determining the target touch point is located at the touch down event location;

weighting the target touch point towards the midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location includes determining the target touch point is located at the midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location includes determining the target touch point is located at the touch up event location.

7. A user equipment, comprising:

a touch screen;

a sensor-coupled to the touch screen and configured to detect a touch event on the touch screen; and

a processor coupled to the sensor and in communication with a memory, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

detect a touch down event at a first time and a first location on the touch screen;

detect a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen;

calculate a difference between the second time and the first time to identify a touch duration; and

determine the target touch point using the touch down event, the touch up event, and the touch duration, by;

when the touch duration is less than a first predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch down event location,

when the touch duration is greater than or equal to the first predetermined threshold and less than or equal to a second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards a midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location, and

when the touch duration is greater than the second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location, whereby the weighting of the target touch point is done to more accurately approximate an intended touch point of the user.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored instructions executed by a processor of a portable electronic device and causing the portable electronic device to implement the method of:

detecting a touch down event at a first time and a first location on the touch screen;

detecting a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen;

calculating a difference between the second time and the first time to identify a touch duration; and

determining the target touch point using the touch down event, the touch up event, and the touch duration, by;

when the touch duration is less than a first predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch down event location,

when the touch duration is greater than or equal to the first predetermined threshold and less than or equal to a second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards a midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location, and

when the touch duration is greater than the second predetermined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location, whereby the weighting of the target touch point is done to more accurately approximate an intended touch point of the user.