Electronic device including touch-sensitive input device and method of determining selection

• US 9,448,721 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Ken, Lowles, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US12/051,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20090237362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,107 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 of determining user-selections from at least one touch at a touch-sensitive input surface of an electronic device includes determining a first user-selection based on touch attributes, detecting changes in the touch attributes including a change in size and a change in the location, and determining a second user-selection based on a direction of the change in location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first selection based on touch attributes of a touch on a touch screen display;

detecting changes in the touch attributes including size of the touch;

when a change in size of the touch is detected,

determining a direction of change in location of the touch; and

determining a second selection corresponding to the closest option displayed in the direction of change in the location.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the first selection comprises determining a first selection of one of a plurality of selectable options displayed on the touch screen display.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining the second selection comprises determining a second selection of one of the plurality of selectable options.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second selection is adjacent the first selection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining a first selection comprises determining a first button of a plurality of buttons of a virtual keyboard on the touch screen display and determining a second selection comprises determining a second button of a plurality of buttons of the virtual keyboard.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein determining the second button comprises determining a button adjacent the first one of buttons.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving a touch signal and determining touch attributes based on the touch signal prior to determining the first selection.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein detecting the change in touch attributes comprises detecting a changed touch signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein detecting the change in touch attributes comprises determining touch attributes based on the changed touch signal.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the change in touch attributes comprises determining an increase in size and a change in location of the at least one touch.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive input device overlying a display;

a processor operably coupled to the touch-sensitive input device and configured to determine a first selection based on touch attributes of at least one touch on the touch-sensitive input device, detect changes in the touch attributes including size of the at least one touch, when a change in size of the at least one touch is detected, determine a direction of change in location of the at least one touch and determine a second selection corresponding to the closest option displayed in the direction of the change in the location.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the touch sensitive input device comprises a touch-sensitive overlay and a controller connected to the touch-sensitive overlay and the processor.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the touch-sensitive input device comprises a capacitive touch-sensitive input device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein executable by a processor of an electronic device for causing the electronic device to determine a first selection based on touch attributes of at least one touch on a touch screen display of the electronic device, detect changes in the touch attributes including size of the at least one touch, when a change in the size of the at least one touch is detected, determine a direction of change in location of the at least one touch and determine a second selection corresponding to the closest option displayed in the direction of the change in location.

15. A method comprising:

determining a first selection of one of a plurality of selectable options displayed on a touch screen display based on touch attributes of at least one touch on the touch screen display;

detecting changes in the touch attributes including size of the at least one touch;

when a change in size of the at least one touch is detected,

determining a direction of change in location of the at least one touch and

determining a second selection of the plurality of selectable options corresponding to the closest option displayed in the direction of change in the location.