Touch input method and apparatus of portable terminal

• US 8,902,187 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Sungwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US13/713,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/158, 345/156, 345/169, 345/157, 715/863, 715/857, 715/864, 715/788
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touch input method of a portable terminal which enables touch input to an entire region of a touch screen using a partial region of the touch screen in a state where a hand gripping of the portable terminal cannot touch all regions of the touch screen, and an apparatus thereof, are provided. The touch input method includes detecting touch input on one of divided touch regions of a touch screen, detecting a tilted state of the portable terminal when the touch input is detected, determining one of divided touch regions as a touch reflection region in which a touch event generated from a region in which the touch input is detected is reflected according to the detected tilted state of the portable terminal, and processing the touch event generated from the region in which the touch input is detected as the touch event reflected in the touch reflection region.

Claims

1. A touch input method of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

detecting a touch input on one of a plurality of divided touch regions of a touch screen;

detecting a tilted state of the portable terminal when the touch input is detected;

determining one of the plurality of divided touch regions as a touch reflection region in which a touch event generated from a region in which the touch input is detected is reflected according to the detected tilted state of the portable terminal; and

processing the touch event generated from the region in which the touch input is detected as the touch event reflected in the determined touch reflection region.

2. The touch input method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the touch event comprises converting touch coordinates of the region in which the touch input is detected into touch coordinates of the determined touch reflection region.

3. The touch input method of claim 2, wherein the processing of the touch event comprises:

focusing a link when the link exists at the converted touch coordinates; and

moving the focus to another link corresponding to a touch drag event generated from a touch region in which the touch input is detected.

4. The touch input method of claim 2, wherein the processing of the touch event comprises displaying a graphic object at the converted touch coordinates.

5. The touch input method of claim 4, wherein the graphic object is moved to another touch reflection region determined according to a tilted state change of the portable terminal.

6. The touch input method of claim 2, wherein the processing of the touch event comprises:

executing a function allocated to a touch event at the converted touch coordinates when the detected touch input is released within a preset time; and

executing a function allocated to a long touch event at the converted touch coordinates when the detected touch is maintained for the preset time.

7. The touch input method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether one hand touch mode in which the touch region of the touch screen is divided into the plurality of touch regions, and in which a touch is inputted through one of the divided plurality of touch regions is activated; and

operating the portable terminal in the one hand touch mode when the one hand touch mode is activated, and operating the portable terminal in a touch mode which does not divide the touch region of the touch screen when the one hand touch mode is not activated.

8. The touch input method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the tilted state of the portable terminal comprises determining whether a tilt of the portable terminal is changed by more than a preset reference value within a preset time in one of up, down, left, and right directions based on the tilted state of the portable terminal.

9. The touch input method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the determined touch reflection region visually separately from other touch regions.

10. The touch input method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the one of the touch regions is performed when a tilt of the portable terminal is restored to a previous state after the tilted state of the portable terminal is changed.

11. A touch input apparatus of a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a touch screen divided into a plurality of touch regions;

a sensor measuring a tilted state of the portable terminal; and

a controller detecting the titled state of the portable terminal, determining one of the plurality of divided touch regions as a touch reflection region which a touch event generated from a region in which the touch input is detected is reflected according to the detected tilted state of the portable terminal, and processing the touch event generated from a touch region in which the touch input is detected as the touch event reflected in the determined touch reflection region when the touch input is detected from one of the touch regions.

12. The touch input apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller converts touch coordinates of the region in which the touch input is detected into touch coordinates of the determined touch reflection region.

13. The touch input apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller focuses a link when the link exists at the converted touch coordinates, and moves the focus to another link corresponding to a touch drag event generated from a touch region in which the touch input is detected.

14. The touch input apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the touch screen to display a graphic object at the converted touch coordinates.

15. The touch input apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the touch screen to move the graphic object to another touch reflection region determined according to a tilted state change of the portable terminal.

16. The touch input apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller executes a function allocated to a touch event at the converted touch coordinates when the detected touch input is released within a preset time, and executes a function allocated to a long touch event at the converted touch coordinates when the detected touch is maintained for the preset time.

17. The touch input apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller divides the touch region of the touch screen into the plurality of touch regions to determine whether a one hand touch mode controlling touch input is activated, operates the portable terminal in the one hand touch mode when the one hand touch mode is activated, and operates the portable terminal in a touch mode which does not divide the touch region of the touch screen when the one hand touch mode is not activated.

18. The touch input apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller determines whether a tilt of the portable terminal is changed by more than a preset reference value within a preset time in one of up, down, left, and right directions based on the tilted state of the portable terminal.

19. The touch input apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller controls the touch screen to display the determined touch reflection region visually separately from other touch regions.

20. The touch input apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller determines the one of the touch regions as the touch reflection region when a tilt of the portable terminal is restored to a previous state after the tilted state of the portable terminal is changed.