Apparatus and method for determining input in computing equipment with touch screen

• US 9,465,474 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Ra-Mi, Jung, Jin-Woo, Lee, Chul-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDIN, SHAHEDA A
• Application Number:
  US12/571,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/326, 345/339, 345/340, 345/342, 395/893, 178 1802- 1809, 178/19, 178/20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

An apparatus and method for determining a key input in computing equipment having a touch screen are provided. The method for determining the key input in the computing equipment includes, upon occurrence of a touch input on the touch screen, determining an input type of the touch input, expanding a key input recognition region of at least one key when the input type is a finger touch input, and detecting the key input according to the expanded key input recognition region.

Claims

1. A method for determining a key input in computing equipment having a touch screen that is configured to display a graphical user interface comprising at least one key, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a touch input on the touch screen, determining an input type of the touch input;

defining a region over which an input is recognized for at least one key based on the determination of the input type of the touch input; and

detecting the key input according to the defined region over which the input is recognized,

wherein the region over which the input is recognized is defined so as to be associated with a corresponding key displayed on the graphical user interface and wherein the region over which the input is recognized varies based on the input type of the touch input, and

wherein the key displayed on the graphical user interface which corresponds to the defined region over which the input is recognized does not vary based on the input type of the touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating at least one of an input position, a pressure magnitude, and a press distribution of the touch input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the input type is performed by using at least one of the input position, the pressure magnitude, and the pressure distribution of the touch input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the input type comprises determining an input type according to an input type criterion depending on a preset pressure magnitude.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the input type comprises:

if the touch input has a pressure magnitude between an upper threshold and a lower threshold of the pressure magnitude of the stylus touch input, determining that the touch input is the stylus touch input; and

if the touch input has a pressure magnitude greater than the upper threshold or less than the lower threshold, determining that the touch input is the finger touch input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the defining of the region over which the input is recognized comprises:

expanding the region over which the input is recognized for the at least one key if the input type of the touch input is determined to be a finger touch.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the expanding of the region over which the input is recognized comprises:

defining the expanded region over which the input is recognized for the at least one key such that the region over which the input is recognized for the at least one key is greater than a corresponding display region of the at least one key.

8. An apparatus for determining a key input in computing equipment having a touch screen that is configured to display a graphical user interface comprising at least one key, the apparatus comprising:

a determination unit for determining an input type of a touch input upon occurrence of the touch input on the touch screen; and

a controller for defining a region over which an input is recognized for at least one key based on the determination of the input type of the touch input, and for detecting a key input according to the defined region over which the input is recognized,

wherein the region over which the input is recognized is defined so as to be associated with a corresponding key displayed on the graphical user interface and wherein the region over which the input is recognized varies based on the input type of the touch input, and

wherein the key displayed on the graphical user interface which corresponds to the defined region over which the input is recognized does not vary based on the input type of the touch input.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touch screen evaluates at least one of an input position, a pressure magnitude, and a press distribution of the touch input.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determination unit determines the input type by using at least one of the input position, the pressure magnitude, and the pressure distribution of the touch input.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the determination unit determines the input type according to an input type criterion depending on a preset pressure magnitude.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, if the touch input has a pressure magnitude between an upper threshold and a lower threshold of the pressure magnitude of the stylus touch input, the determination unit determines that the touch input is the stylus touch input, and if the touch input has a pressure magnitude greater than the upper threshold or less than the lower threshold, the determination unit determines that the touch input is the finger touch input.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller expands the region over which the input is recognized for the at least one key if the input type of the touch input is determined to be a finger touch.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the expanded region over which the input is recognized for the at least one key is defined so as to be greater than a corresponding display region of the at least one key.

15. A method for determining a key input in computing equipment having a touch screen that is configured to display a graphical user interface comprising at least one key, the method comprising:

upon occurrence of a touch input on the touch screen, determining an input type of the touch input;

defining a region where the input is recognizable for at least one key based on the determination of the input type of the touch input; and

detecting the key input according to the defined region where the input is recognizable,

wherein the region over which the input is recognized is defined so as to be associated with a corresponding key displayed on the graphical user interface and wherein the region over which the input is recognized varies based on the input type of the touch input, and

wherein the key displayed on the graphical user interface which corresponds to the defined region over which the input is recognized does not vary based on the input type of the touch input.