Apparatus and method for touch screen user interface for handheld electric devices part II

• US 9,213,477 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Original Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Inventors: Singhal, Tara Chand
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/456,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,379 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1907, 345173-178, 715700-866
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A system of touch screen user interface in a touch screen equipped handheld electronic device has a bounded control area on a touch screen that is used for touch control in lieu of the entire touch screen surface. The control area is able to provide touch control user interface functions of scroll, zoom, action item selection, and other control functions. The control area may be minimized enabling the entire touch screen to resume its touch screen control function in lieu of the control area control and maximized enabling only the bounded control area to be used for touch screen control depending upon a user'"'"'s preference. The bounded control area for selection control functions may be used in conjunction with unique type of hop-cursors, for different types of displays that change automatically when the display content changes.

Claims

1. A system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device comprising:

a. the handheld device is of a type of a smart phone or a tablet computer and has a CPU, a memory, a storage, and a logic stored in the memory, the logic executing in the CPU simulates a bounded touch control area on a part of a touch screen display of the handheld device, the bounded touch control area is used for touch control in lieu of an entire touch screen display surface of the device;

b. the logic simulates the bounded touch control area as an overlay over the part of the touch screen display for exclusive use as a touch control interface and does not display digital content from the device on the area;

c. the logic enables the bounded touch control area to provide touch control user interface functions that include a sequence of at least one touch and slide-touch actions to control operation of the device, thereby enabling the device to be touch controlled from the bounded touch control area alone and the logic enables the bounded touch control area to be minimized for then the entire touch screen to be used for touch control.

2. The system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

a. the logic simulates a size of the bounded touch control area that is substantially 7.5% to 15% space from the entire touch screen display surface;

b. the bounded touch control area, operated by a thumb tip touch actions of slide and touch, provides touch control user interface functions of scroll, zoom and action item selection.

3. The system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

the logic maximizes the bounded touch control area enabling only the bounded touch control area to be used as a touch screen control, thereby enabling switching between these two modes of touch control, bounded touch control area alone and the entire touch screen display.

4. The system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

the logic positions the bounded touch control area on any part of the touch screen display surface based on user preference, and is operable from either a left hand or a right hand thumb while the handheld device is held in either hand.

5. The system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

the logic display the bounded touch control area as transparent that enables the display screen content to be visible under the bounded touch control area.

6. The system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

a. a hop-cursor logic displays a window-cursor on an icon from a group of icons of, a grid item, a list item, a map area, a webpage link, and a blank-space in a document to highlight that icon;

b. the hop-cursor logic automatically changes shape of the window-cursor to match the display contents from the group of, grid items, list items, a map, a webpage with links and a document with blank-spaces.

7. The system as in claim 6, further comprising:

a. the hop-cursor logic hops the window-cursor to rest on an icon, a list item, a map area, a webpage link and a document blank-space, when the window-cursor is scrolled;

b. the hop-cursor logic adjusts the size of the window-cursor to match the scaling of the display contents.

8. The system as in claim 6, further comprising:

a. a webpage cursor logic that detects a webpage display, for a link cursor hops the cursor from link to link and rests only on a link and highlights the link location on a web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, enabling a link to be quickly selected;

b. the webpage cursor logic hops a space cursor from embedded space to space and rests only on a blank space and highlights the space location on a web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, enabling location on a webpage to be selected for enabling a scaling operation;

c. the webpage cursor logic switches back and forth from the display of the link cursor to display of the blank space cursor on a user action.

9. A system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device of a type of a smart phone or a tablet computer that has a display screen overlaid with a touch screen, comprising:

a. a touch screen logic stored in a memory of the device and executing in a CPU of the device partitions the touch screen into a bounded touch control area that is set aside for touch screen control, the bounded touch control area provides for multiple touch control commands;

b. the touch screen logic simulates the bounded touch control area as an overlay over a part of the touch screen display for exclusive use as a touch control interface and does not display digital content from the device on the area;

c. the touch screen logic enables touch commands on the bounded control area to provide touch control types to include slide and touch that are used to control user interface functions of scroll and zoom and action item selection, thereby enabling only the bounded control area of the touch screen to provide user interface functions of the handheld device and the touch screen logic enables the bounded control area to be minimized, for the entire touch screen then to be used for touch control.

10. The system as in claim 9, further comprising:

the touch screen logic positions the bounded touch control area on any part of the display screen, to include, a top, a bottom, a left and a right of the display screen based on a user preference.

11. The system as in claim 9, further comprising:

the touch screen logic maximizes the display of the bounded touch control area when the display screen content requires user interface functions using the bounded touch control area.

12. The system as in claim 11, further comprising:

the touch screen logic activates the entire touch screen control when the bounded control area is minimized enabling switching between the touch control area control and entire touch screen control.

13. The system as in claim 9, further comprising:

the touch screen logic segregates the bounded touch control area into multiple touch control areas that may be used for functions of scroll, action, zoom, mode control, and home.

14. A method of cursor display and control on a display screen of a handheld device, comprising the steps of:

a. displaying by a cursor logic, stored in a memory of the device and executing in a CPU of the device, a window-cursor on an icon from a group of icons of, a grid item, a list item, a map area, a webpage link, and a blank-space in a document to highlight that icon;

b. changing by the cursor logic automatically shape of the window-cursor to match the display contents from the group of, the grid item, the list item, the map area, the webpage, and the blank-space in a document;

c. detecting by a webpage cursor logic a webpage display, hopping by the webpage cursor logic, for a link cursor, from link to link and resting only on a link and highlighting the link location by size on a web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, for a link to be quickly selected and hopping by the webpage cursor logic for a space cursor from a blank space to a blank space and resting only on the blank space and highlighting the blank space location on the web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, enabling a space location on the webpage to be selected for a scaling operation.

15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting by the cursor logic the size of the window-cursor to match the scaling of the display contents.

16. The method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

hop-positioning by the cursor logic the window-cursor to one of the selectable, icons, list items, map areas, webpage for the embedded links and blank spaces on the display by scroll function keys.

17. A method of touch screen user interface navigation in a handheld device that has a display screen overlaid with a touch screen for touch screen control, comprising the steps of:

a. partitioning by a touch screen user interface logic stored in a memory of the device and executing in a CPU of the device the touch screen on a handheld touch screen equipped handheld device into a bounded touch control area set aside for touch screen control on the display screen and using the bounded touch control area for touch control commands;

b. simulating by the touch screen user interface logic the bounded touch control area as an overlay over a part of the touch screen display for exclusive use as a touch control interface and does not display digital content from the device on the area;

c. positioning by the touch screen user interface logic a window-cursor on the display screen that is displayed on the display content as a transparent window, and automatically varying the shape and size of the window-cursor to the format of the display content;

d. using scroll navigation functions by the touch screen user interface logic on the bounded control area to scroll the display screen contents, until the desired display choice is inside the window cursor and activating the item in the window cursor by touching the control area, whereby enabling only the bounded control area for user interface functions of the handheld device and minimizing the bounded touch control area, for the entire touch screen to be then used for touch control.

18. The method of user interface as in claim 17, further comprising:

a. making by the touch screen user interface logic the window-cursor shape, a square for icons, a rectangle for a list of items, a circle for graphical displays that are displayed on the display screen, and a highlight for webpage links and spaces;

b. changing by the touch screen user interface logic the shape and size of the window based on the display contents.

19. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

a. maximizing by the user the display of bounded control area when the display screen has display of information and when the display screen contents requires user interface functions;

b. switching by the touch screen user interface logic between using the bounded control area for user interface functions and the entire touch screen, based on user preference.

20. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

a. positioning by the touch screen user interface logic the bounded touch control area on any part of the display screen based on a user preference;

b. segregating by the touch screen user interface logic the control area is into multiple touch control areas that may be used for functions of scroll, action, zoom, mode control, and home.

21. A system of touch screen user interface in a handheld device, comprising:

a. a hop-cursor logic stored in a memory of the device and executing in a CPU of the device displays a window-cursor on an icon from a group of icons of, a grid item, a list item, a map area, a webpage link, and a blank-space in a document to highlight that icon;

b. the hop-cursor logic automatically changes shape of the window-cursor to match the display contents from the group of, grid items, list items, a map, a webpage with links and a document with blank-spaces;

c. a webpage cursor logic that detects a webpage display, for a link cursor hops from link to link and rests only on a link and highlights the link location by size on a web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, enabling a link to be quickly selected;

d. the webpage cursor logic hops a space cursor from a blank space to a blank space and rests only on the blank space and highlights the blank space location on a web page when the cursor keys are scrolled, enabling a location on a webpage to be selected for enabling a scaling operation.

22. The system as in claim 21, further comprising:

a. the hop-cursor logic hops the window-cursor to rest on an icon, a list item, a map area, a webpage link and a document blank-space, when the window-cursor is scrolled

b. the hop-cursor logic adjusts the size of the window-cursor to match the scaling of the display contents.

23. The system as in claim 21, further comprising:

the webpage cursor logic switches back and forth from the display of the link cursor to display of the blank space cursor on a user action.