Method for controlling electronic device with touch screen and electronic device thereof

• US 9,280,276 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Hsieh, Yi-Kang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/938,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20150015493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715/238, 715/253, 715/835, 715/868, 726/7, 726/19, 177/180, 463/31, 382/114
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method for controlling an electronic device with a touch screen includes detecting a sequence of touch inputs within a predefined area on the touch screen; determining a sequence of dots and bars according to the sequence of touch inputs; and performing a predefined function on the electronic device when the sequence of dots and bars conforms to a predefined sequence of dots and bars.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device with a touch screen, comprising:

detecting a sequence of touch inputs within a predefined area on the touch screen;

determining a sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs according to at least one moving distance of the sequence of touch inputs without determining a position and moving direction of the sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area; and

performing a predefined function on the electronic device when the sequence of dots and bars conforms to a predefined sequence of dots and bars;

wherein the step of determining the sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs comprises;

determining a touch input to be a dot gesture when a moving distance of the touch input is smaller than a threshold, or a bar gesture when the moving distance of the touch input is greater than the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined function comprises unlocking the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a hint composed of the predefined sequence of dots and bars on the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined area comprises all display area of the touch screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting another sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area on the touch screen in response to detecting a restart gesture of a touch input on the touch screen.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the restart gesture comprises a crisscross gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined sequence of dots and bars conforms to a Morse code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein no indication of the predefined area is displayed on the touch screen.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in an electronic device with a touch screen, the program comprising:

code for detecting a sequence of touch inputs within a predefined area on the touch screen;

code for determining a sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs according to at least one moving distance of the sequence of touch inputs without determining a position and moving direction of the sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area; and

code for performing a predefined function on the electronic device when the sequence of dots and bars conforms to a predefined sequence of dots and bars;

wherein the code for determining the sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs comprises;

code for determining a touch input to be a dot gesture when a moving distance of the touch input is smaller than a threshold, or a bar gesture when the moving distance of the touch input is greater than the threshold.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predefined function comprises unlocking the electronic device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprises:

code for displaying a hint composed of the predefined sequence of dots and bars on the touch screen.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predefined area comprises all display area of the touch screen.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprises:

code for detecting another sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area on the touch screen in response to detecting a restart gesture of a touch input on the touch screen.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the restart gesture comprises a crisscross gesture.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predefined sequence of dots and bars conforms to a Morse code.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein no indication of the predefined area is displayed on the touch screen.

17. A touch-based electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen;

a processing means; and

a storage unit, for storing a program code indicating the processing means to perform the following steps;

detecting a sequence of touch inputs within a predefined area on the touch screen;

determining a sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs according to at least one moving distance of the sequence of touch inputs without determining a position and moving direction of the sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area; and

performing a predefined function on the electronic device when the sequence of dots and bars conforms to a predefined sequence of dots and bars;

wherein the step of determining the sequence of dots and bars forming the sequence of touch inputs comprises;

determining a touch input to be a dot gesture when a moving distance of the touch input is smaller than a threshold, or a bar gesture when the moving distance of the touch input is greater than the threshold.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the predefined function comprises unlocking the electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the program code further indicates the processing means to perform the following step:

displaying a hint composed of the predefined sequence of dots and bars on the touch screen.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the predefined area comprises all display area of the touch screen.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the program code further indicates the processing means to perform the following step:

detecting another sequence of touch inputs within the predefined area on the touch screen in response to detecting a restart gesture of a touch input on the touch screen.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the restart gesture comprises a crisscross gesture.

23. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the predefined sequence of dots and bars conforms to a Morse code.

24. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein no indication of the predefined area is displayed on the touch screen.