Portable electronic device and method of controlling same

• US 9,218,125 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc. (Blackberry Limited), Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lazaridis, Mihal, Dodge, Daniel Thomas, Lindsay, Donald James
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Chun-Nan
• Application Number:
  US13/243,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-184
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method includes displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes, determining when the touch is a first gesture type based on the touch attributes, and when the touch is determined to be the first gesture type, forwarding information related to the touch to a second application, otherwise forwarding the information related to the touch to the first application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display including a non-display area and a display area, wherein a boundary is disposed between the display area and the non-display area, and a buffer area extends around the boundary between the display area and the non-display area, the buffer area having a predetermined width;

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes including a start location of the touch;

determining whether the touch is a meta-navigation gesture associated with a second application or a non-meta-navigation gesture associated with the first application based on whether the start location is in the buffer area by;

when the detected touch has the start location outside the buffer area and in the non-display area and travels through the buffer area and across the boundary, determining that the touch is the meta-navigation gesture;

when the detected touch has a start location in the buffer area and travels across the boundary, determining that the touch is the non-meta-navigation gesture; and

when the touch is determined to be the meta-navigation gesture, displaying information associated with the second application on the touch-sensitive display, otherwise forwarding touch data to the first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture is further based on gesture speed when the touch is detected.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture is further based on gesture direction when the touch is detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture is further utilizing a heuristic algorithm responsive to the touch attributes.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch attributes comprise a start location, and at least one of a distance travelled, a speed, or a direction of the touch.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined width of the buffer area is equivalent to a predetermined number of pixels of the touch-sensitive display.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined width of the buffer area is equivalent to a predetermined number of touch sensors of the touch-sensitive display.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the information associated with the second application comprises displaying for a predetermined period of time.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying information associated with the second application comprises discontinuing displaying the information associated with the first application.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying information associated with the second application comprises overlaying the information associated with the first application.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying information comprises displaying information from one of a system level navigation interface, a configuration interface, a notification interface, a status interface, or an interface associated with a further application.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting a touch comprises detecting multiple touches that overlap in time on the touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes for each touch.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein determining comprises determining that the multiple touches comprise a meta-navigation gesture when at least one of the touches has an origin point outside the boundary and crosses the boundary.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the portable electronic device to perform:

displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display including a non-display area and a display area, wherein a boundary is disposed between the display area and the non-display area, and a buffer area extends around the boundary between the display area and the non-display area, the buffer area having a predetermined width;

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes;

determining whether the touch is a meta-navigation gesture associated with a second application or a non-meta-navigation gesture associated with the first application based on whether the start location is in the buffer area by;

when the detected touch has the start location outside the buffer area and in the non-display area and travels through the buffer area and across the boundary, determining that the touch is the meta-navigation gesture;

when the detected touch has a start location in the buffer area and travels across the boundary, determining that the touch is the non-meta-navigation gesture; and

when the touch is determined to be the meta-navigation gesture, displaying information associated with the second application on the touch-sensitive display, otherwise forwarding touch data to the first application.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display including a non-display area and a display area, wherein a boundary is disposed between the display area and the non-display area, and a buffer area extends around the boundary between the display area and the non-display area, the buffer area having a predetermined width;

memory;

one or more processors coupled to the touch-sensitive display and the memory and configured to;

display information associated with a first application on the touch-sensitive display;

detect a touch on the touch-sensitive display and determine touch attributes;

determine whether the touch is a meta-navigation gesture associated with a second application or a non-meta-navigation gesture associated with the first application based on whether the start location is in the buffer area by;

when the detected touch has the start location outside the buffer area and in the non-display area and travels through the buffer area and across the boundary, determine that the touch is the meta-navigation gesture;

when the detected touch has a start location in the buffer area-and travels across the boundary, determine that the touch is the non-meta-navigation gesture; and

when the touch is determined to be the meta-navigation gesture, display information associated with the second application on the touch-sensitive display, otherwise forwarding touch data to the first application.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the touch-sensitive display comprises a display and at least one touch-sensitive input device that is disposed on a display area and a non-display area of the display.

17. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein a density of touch sensors disposed on the display area differs from a density of touch sensors disposed on the non-display area.

18. The electronic device according to claim 15, comprising a touch-sensitive bezel adjacent the touch-sensitive display.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein the meta-navigation gesture comprises a gesture with a start location on the touch-sensitive bezel.

20. A method comprising:

displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes;

determine whether the touch is a meta-navigation gesture associated with a second application or a non-meta-navigation gesture associated with the first application based on whether an origin point of the touch is in a buffer area of the touch-sensitive display, which buffer area extends around a boundary of a display area of the display, wherein the buffer area extends a predetermined distance from the boundary of the display area, by;

in response to determining that the touch has the origin point outside the display area of the touch-sensitive display and outside the buffer area of the touch-sensitive display, identifying the touch as the meta-navigation gesture;

in response to determining that the touch has the origin point inside the buffer area of the touch-sensitive display and travels from the buffer area to the display area of the touch-sensitive display, thereby crossing the boundary between the display area and the non-display area, identifying the touch as the non-meta-navigation gesture;

when the touch is identified as the meta-navigation gesture, displaying information associated with the second application on the touch-sensitive display, otherwise forwarding touch data to the first application.