Detecting and handling unintentional touching of a touch screen

• US 9,122,333 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ananthapadmanabh, Madhu B., Bhat, B. G. Prashanth
• Primary Examiner(s): MISHLER, ROBIN J
• Application Number:
  US14/045,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• 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 processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product detects and handles an unintentional touching of a touch screen in order to prevent unintentional inputs to the touch screen. An unintentional touching of touch screen, as determined by one or more predefined events, causes a predetermined region of the touch screen to be disabled.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of detecting and handling an unintentional touching of a touch screen, the processor-implemented method comprising:

a processor detecting an unintentional touching of a touch screen, wherein the touch screen is a component of a portable computing device that comprises an orientation sensor;

the processor, in response to detecting the unintentional touching of the touch screen, disabling a predetermined region of the touch screen, wherein said disabling prevents unintentional inputs to the touch screen;

the processor receiving outputs from the orientation sensor in the portable computing device indicating that the portable computing device is being handed from a first person to a second person, wherein the orientation sensor detects acceleration, yaw, pitch and roll movement indicative of the portable computing device being handed from the first person to the second person, and wherein the yaw is a rotating movement of the portable computing device indicating that the portable computing device is being turned around for the second person to see during a hand-off of the portable computing device from the first person to the second person; and

the processor, in response to detecting that the portable computing device is being handed from the first person to the second person based on received outputs from the orientation sensor, blocking all touch inputs to the touch screen while the portable computing device is being handed from the first person to the second person.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that an area that is larger than a predetermined area is being touched on the touch screen.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined region of the touch screen being disabled is the area that is being touched on the touch screen.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the touch screen is a component of a portable computing device, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:

the processor further determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by determining that the portable computing device is moving in an oscillating motion while the area that is larger than the predetermined area is being touched on the touch screen.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the touch screen is a component of a portable computing device, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:

the processor further determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by determining that the portable computing device is accelerating while the area that is larger than the predetermined area is being touched on the touch screen.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

the processor disabling the predetermined region of the touch screen only in response to determining that the portable computing device is accelerating beyond a predetermined acceleration rate.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined region of the touch screen being disabled covers all of the touch screen.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that the touch screen is facing downward.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that the touch screen is oriented perpendicular to a walking surface.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor displaying an enabling widget on the touch screen, wherein activating the enabling widget re-enables the predetermined region of the touch screen.

11. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that a predefined perimeter area of the touch screen is being touched for longer than a predetermined length of time.

12. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor defining an inappropriate time of day during which an input to the touch screen is unauthorized; and

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that the touch screen is being touched during the inappropriate time of day.

13. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor defining an inappropriate day of a week during which an input to the touch screen is unauthorized; and

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that the touch screen is being touched during the inappropriate day of the week.

14. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor defining an inappropriate calendar date during which an input to the touch screen is unauthorized; and

the processor determining that the touch screen is being unintentionally touched by detecting that the touch screen is being touched during the inappropriate calendar date.

15. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor disabling the predetermined region of the touch screen by turning off power to the predetermined region of the touch screen.

16. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor identifying multiple fingertip-touched areas on the touch screen;

the processor determining that the multiple fingertip-touched areas are inadvertent touchings of the touch screen;

the processor forming a polygonal area on the touch screen using connections lines between the multiple fingertip-touched areas; and

the processor disabling the polygonal area on the touch screen.

17. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor receiving an input from a user identifying a specific time period as being dedicated to presenting video content on the touch screen;

the processor detecting that a text-processing program has been opened during the specific time period, wherein opening the text-processing program populates the touch screen with a touch-screen keyboard; and

the processor ignoring any touch screen inputs from the touch-screen keyboard during the specific time period.

18. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor detecting a cessation of the unintentional touching of the touch screen; and

the processor, in response to detecting the cessation of the unintentional touching of the touch screen, automatically re-enabling the predetermined region of the touch screen to receive touch inputs.

19. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor receiving a history of unintentional previous touchings of the touch screen;

the processor generating a pattern of unintentional previous touchings of the touch screen based on the history of unintentional touchings of the touch screen;

the processor generating a pattern of a current unintentional touching of a touch screen;

the processor comparing the pattern of the current unintentional touching of a touch screen with the pattern of unintentional previous touchings of the touch screen; and

the processor, in response to determining that the pattern of the current unintentional touching of a touch screen matches the pattern of unintentional previous touchings of the touch screen, disabling all of the touch screen to prevent touch inputs to any part of the touch screen.