Portable terminal, input control program, and input control method

• US 9,417,782 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Horiuchi, Keiji, Izumi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sitta, Grant
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOGALE, AMEN W
• Application Number:
  US13/580,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,001 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A portable terminal including a touch-sensitive first input device and a touch-sensitive second input device that receive input when contact is made thereto, the portable terminal comprising: a first execution unit configured to execute processing that is in accordance with input received by the first input device; a second execution unit configured to execute processing that is in accordance with input received by the second input device; and a control unit that controls whether or not to inhibit the execution of the second processing by the second execution unit according to which position on the first input device is contacted.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a first input device configured to receive a first input thereon, and comprising a plurality of regions thereon;

a plurality of second input devices, wherein each of the plurality of second input devices is configured to receive a second input thereon, and wherein each of the plurality of second input devices corresponds to one of the plurality of regions of the first input device on a one-to-one basis; and

a processor configured to, upon receiving the first input,

determine a position of the first input on the first input device,

determine whether or not the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device, and,

upon a determination that the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device,

determine one of the plurality of second input devices that corresponds to one of the regions of the first input device within which the position of the first input is located of the first input device, and

inhibit execution of processing in accordance with any second input received by the determined one of the plurality of second input devices for at least a time period, while executing processing in accordance with any second input received by any others of the plurality of second input devices that correspond to one of the plurality of regions that does not include the position of the first input.

2. The portable terminal of claim 1, further comprising a position storage module configured to store one or more coordinate values corresponding to each of the plurality of regions of the first input device, wherein determining whether or not the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device comprises determining whether or not a coordinate value of the position of the first input is included in one of the one or more coordinate values stored in the position storage module.

3. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the first input device comprises a touch panel.

4. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second input devices comprises a touch key.

5. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the position of the first input comprises a position estimated based on a movement of the first input.

6. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the first input device further comprises a first region that is different than any of the plurality of regions, wherein determining whether or not the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device comprises determining that the position of the first input is not within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device when the position of the first input is within the first region.

7. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second input devices are arranged along one edge of the first input device, and wherein each of the plurality of regions of the first input device are positioned next to the one of the plurality of second input devices that corresponds to that region.

8. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to not inhibit execution of any of the plurality of second input devices, regardless of the position of an input received by the first input device, whenever the portable terminal is in a state in which the one edge of the first input device, along which the plurality of second input devices are arranged, corresponds to a substantially horizontal direction.

9. An input control method for a portable terminal, the input control method comprising:

receiving a first input on a first input device comprising a plurality of regions thereon;

receiving a second input on one of a plurality of second input devices that are each different than the first input device, wherein each of the plurality of second input devices is configured to receive an input thereon, and wherein each of the plurality of second input devices corresponds to one of the plurality of regions of the first input device on a one-to-one basis;

determining a position of the first input on the first input device in response to receiving the first input;

determining whether or not the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device; and

,

upon a determination that the position of the first input is within one of the plurality of regions of the first input device,

determining one of the plurality of second input devices that corresponds to one of the regions of the first input device within which the position of the first input is located of the first input device, and

inhibiting execution of processing in accordance with any input received by the determined one of the plurality of second input devices, for at least a time period, while executing processing in accordance with any input received by any others of the plurality of second input devices that correspond to one of the plurality of regions that does not include the position of the first input.