Terminal device

• US 9,071,970 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimoe, Takeaki, Okuno, Takayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US13/617,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/90.1, 455565-566, 715/702, 715741-747, 715/863, 715/864, 715/866
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A terminal device including an operation unit configured to receive an operation instruction performed by an external object; an operation disabling controller which performs control such that when the terminal device is in a disabled state, the operation instruction performed on the operation unit is ignored or the disabled state is cancelled; an operation detector which outputs, when a touch operation by the external object is detected, content of the touch operation as the operation instruction; an operation speed determination unit which determines whether a movement speed of the touch operation is higher than a predetermined threshold; and an operation controller which instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and control execution of a predetermined function when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and in accordance with the movement speed of the touch operation.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising:

an operation receiver configured to receive an operation instruction performed by an external object;

an operation disabling controller which performs control such that when the terminal device is in a disabled state, the operation instruction performed on the operation receiver is ignored or the disabled state is cancelled;

an operation detector which outputs, when a touch operation by the external object is detected, content of the touch operation as the operation instruction;

an operation speed determiner which determines whether a movement speed of the touch operation is higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

an operation controller which instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and perform control of execution of a predetermined function when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and in accordance with the movement speed of the touch operation,

wherein a first predetermined function is executed when the movement speed of the touch operation is higher than the predetermined threshold value and a second predetermined function is executed when the movement speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined function is selected from a plurality of functions on the terminal device and is associated in advance with the determination of the movement speed of the touch operation being higher than the predetermined threshold value.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the external object is a user'"'"'s finger.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the touch operation is a sliding movement of the external object.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the operation receiver is configured to display an input area for receiving a touch operation to cancel the disabled state of the terminal device.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the input area is a slide bar icon.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of input areas are displayed on the operation receiver for receiving a touch operation to cancel the disabled state of the terminal device when the terminal device is in a disabled state, each of the plurality of input areas corresponding to a different predetermined function, and the operation controller instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and perform control of execution of one of the predetermined functions when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction received at the respective one of the plurality of input areas corresponding to the one of the predetermined functions.

8. The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein when the movement speed of the touch operation received at the respective one of the plurality of input areas is higher than the predetermined threshold value, the operation controller opens a specific function within the one of the predetermined functions.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inclination detector which detects an inclination of the terminal device,

wherein a plurality of predetermined functions are set to correspond to a respective plurality of inclinations of the terminal device, and

the operation controller instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and perform control of execution of a predetermined function out of the plurality of predetermined functions that correspond to a detected inclination of the terminal device when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and the movement speed of the touch operation is higher than the predetermined threshold value.

10. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined function corresponds to an application stored in the terminal device.

11. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the operation controller instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and restart an application or a function that was running before the disabled state was entered, or to display a standby screen, when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and the movement speed of the touch operation is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value.

12. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device stores an activation or usage history of functions on the terminal device, and the predetermined function is determined automatically based on a function that is most frequently activated or used in the activation or usage history.

13. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined function is a cancellation mode in which the operation controller instructs the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and display a standby screen or a screen that was previously displayed before the terminal device entered the disabled state, when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and the movement speed of the touch operation is higher than the predetermined threshold value.

15. The terminal device according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined function is a game which is used by a user when the terminal device is at the detected inclination of the terminal device.

14. A method, implemented on a terminal device, comprising:

receiving, at an operation receiver, an operation instruction performed by an external object;

performing, at an operation disabling controller, control such that when the terminal device is in a disabled state, the operation instruction performed on the operation receiver is ignored or the disabled state is cancelled;

outputting, at an operation detector, when a touch operation by the external object is detected, content of the touch operation as the operation instruction;

determining whether a movement speed of the touch operation is higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

instructing the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and perform control of execution of a predetermined function when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and in accordance with the movement speed of the touch operation,

wherein a first predetermined function is executed when the movement speed of the touch operation is higher than the predetermined threshold value and a second predetermined function is executed when the movement speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a terminal device, cause the terminal device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at an operation receiver, an operation instruction performed by an external object;

performing, at an operation disabling controller, control such that when the terminal device is in a disabled state, the operation instruction performed on the operation receiver is ignored or the disabled state is cancelled;

outputting, at an operation detector, when a touch operation by the external object is detected, content of the touch operation as the operation instruction;

determining whether a movement speed of the touch operation is higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

instructing the operation disabling controller to cancel the disabled state and perform control of execution of a predetermined function when it is determined that the touch operation is an operation instruction to cancel the disabled state and in accordance with the movement speed of the touch operation,

wherein a first predetermined function is executed when the movement speed of the touch operation is higher than the predetermined threshold value and a second predetermined function is executed when the movement speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value.