Apparatus and method for providing GUI interacting according to recognized user approach

• US 9,170,726 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jae-hwan, Cho, Seong-il, Kooh, Sung-wook
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/768,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178/18.06, 715/700, 715/862, 715/864, 715763-764
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An interface controlling method and an apparatus thereof are provided to control a user interface based on a proximity sensor and a touch pad. A number of items are displayed, an item approached by a user is identified by sensing an approach, information is provided regarding the identified item, contact by the user is sensed, and a function corresponding to the user contact is performed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of items on a display screen;

sensing an approach to the display screen by a user and identifying one item approached by the user from the plurality of items;

in response to the identifying the one item, displaying information regarding different types of user touch comprising at least two of magnifying, reducing and rotating, wherein the different types of user touch control the identified one item, the information is displayed in a size determined based on a distance of the user to the identified one item and the size of the information is changed based on the distance of the user to the identified one item while the information is displayed;

sensing a type of user touch input by the user to the identified one item; and

performing a function comprising at least one of magnifying, reducing, and rotating the item corresponding to the sensed type of user touch among the different types of user touch.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displayed information further comprises information regarding an action to be performed on the identified one item by each of the different types of user touch input.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identified item is an image, and wherein the different types of the user touch comprise at least gestures of said magnifying, said reducing and said rotating the image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the different types of the user touch comprise a symbol representing a form of each of the different types of user touch input.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the information regarding the action is presented by animation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

removing from the display screen the information regarding the one item based on no user touch input being sensed for a predetermined period of time.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing the type of the user touch input and the identifying said one item, further comprises:

identifying a path of user touch input on the display screen; and

identifying a command which executes a function corresponding to the identified path of the user touch input.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement by the user comprises an approach by the user and the user touch input is by a part of a body of the user.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information regarding said different types of user touch for controlling the identified one item further comprises information regarding hand gestures and corresponding functions executed by said hand gestures.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information comprises different types of user touch being displayed in a form of animations or arrows on the display screen of a television.

9. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display unit which displays a plurality of items;

a proximity sensor unit which senses an approach to the display unit by a user, and identifies one item, among the plurality of items, approached by the user;

a touch sensor unit which senses a type of user touch input by the user to the identified one item; and

a control unit which displays information regarding different types of user touch comprising at least two of magnifying, reducing, and rotation, wherein the different types of user touch touch control the identified one item, the information is displayed in a size determined based on a distance of the user to the identified one item and the size of the information is changed based on a movement of the user to the identified one item while the information is displayed, and which determines a gesture corresponding to the type of user touch sensed by the touch sensor, and which performs a function comprising at least one of magnifying, reducing, and rotating the item corresponding to the sensed type of user touch among the different types of user touch.

10. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to remove the information on the display unit corresponding to the one identified item based on no user contact being sensed for a predetermined period of time.

11. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to remove the information on the display unit corresponding to the one identified item based on a contact by the user being through the touch sensor unit.

12. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the different types of user touch comprise the magnifying, the reducing, and the rotating the identified item.

13. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the different types of user touch comprise a symbol representing a form of each of the different types of user touch input.

14. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the information regarding the action is presented by animation.

15. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the touch sensor unit transmits the information regarding a type of user contact from the different types of user contact to the control unit.