Touch screen selection

• US 9,519,369 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Huck, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Joseph G
• Application Number:
  US14/112,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20140049499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to touch screen selection. A device displays a plurality of touch elements on a touch-enabled display. The device receives a touch input via the touch-enabled display. Further, the device determines an ambiguity based on the touch selection input. The device magnifies an area associated with the touch selection input based on the ambiguity determination. Moreover, the area includes a set of the touch elements associated with the ambiguity termination. The device receives another touch input at the area via the touch-enabled display. Then, the device determines one of the touch elements based on the other touch input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a plurality of selection elements on a touch-enabled display;

receiving a first touch selection input via the touch-enabled display;

determining an ambiguity based on the first touch selection input;

magnifying a region associated with the first touch selection input based on the ambiguity determination, wherein the region includes a set of the selection elements associated with the ambiguity determination;

determining a blot area of the touch-enabled display activated by the first touch selection input, the blot area having a size smaller than a size of each selection element of the selection elements in the set, and the size of the blot area defined by a user profile;

determining sizing information about the selection elements in the set that correspond to the blot area, wherein the magnifying of the region is determined based on a size of the blot area and the sizing information about the selection elements in the set, and the magnifying increases a size of a first selection element of the selection elements in the set to be at least a specified percentage of the size of the blot area;

receiving a second touch selection input at the magnified region via the touch-enabled display; and

selecting one of the selection elements in the set based on the second touch selection input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch selection input and the second touch selection input correspond to direct touches of at least one of the plurality of selection elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnifying of the region maintains a scaled spatial orientation of the region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnifying of the region displays the region to a full screen of the touch-enabled display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second touch selection input is unambiguous; and

de-magnifying the magnified region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selection elements include at least one of:

a link, a soft key, a drawing tool, a content box, and a search box.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second touch selection input is ambiguous in selecting one of the selection elements in the set;

further magnifying to a further portion of the magnified region based on the second touch selection input; and

receiving a third touch selection input at the further portion,

wherein selecting the one selection element is further based on the third touch selection input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the size of the first selection element as part of the magnifying of the region comprises increasing the size of a smallest selection element of the selection elements in the set.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selection element has a first relative size to the size of the blot area prior to the magnifying, and the first selection element has a second, larger relative size to the size of the blot area after the magnifying.

10. A device comprising:

a processor;

a touch screen to display a plurality of touch elements;

a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the processor to;

detect a touch input via the touch screen;

determine that a first touch input is ambiguous in selecting one of the touch elements;

magnify a region of interest of the touch screen associated with the first touch input, wherein the region includes a set of the touch elements;

determine a blot area associated with the first touch input, the blot area having a size smaller than a size of each selection element of the selection elements in the set, and the size of the blot area defined by a user profile;

determine sizing information about the touch elements in the set;

determine a scaling of the magnifying of the region based on the blot area and the sizing information about the touch elements in the set, the magnifying increasing a size of a first selection element of the selection elements in the set to be at least a specified percentage of a size of the blot area;

receive a second touch input at the magnified region; and

select one of the selection elements in the set based on the second touch input.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first touch input and the second touch input are direct touches of at least one of the plurality of touch elements.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of touch elements are associated with a drawing tool that includes a pointer that is smaller than the blot area, and wherein the magnifying magnifies the region to a level where the pointer is within a threshold ratio of the blot area.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the first selection element is a smallest selection element of the selection elements in the set.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the first selection element has a first relative size to the size of the blot area prior to the magnifying, and the first selection element has a second, larger relative size to the size of the blot area after the magnifying.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a device to:

cause display of a plurality of touch elements on a touch-enabled display;

determine a blot area associated with a first touch input received via the touch-enabled display, the blot area having a size smaller than a size of each selection element of the plurality of selection elements, and the size of the blot area defined by a user profile;

determine ambiguity in the first touch input selecting one of the touch elements;

magnify a region of interest surrounding the blot area in response to determining the ambiguity, wherein the magnified region maintains a scaled spacing of the region;

determine a set of the touch elements that may be selected based on the blot area;

determine sizing information of the touch elements in the set, wherein a scale for the magnifying is based on a size of the blot area and the sizing information, and the magnifying increases a size of a first selection element of the touch elements in the set to be at least a specified percentage of the size of the blot area;

determine a second blot area associated with a second touch input received in the magnified region via the touch-enabled display; and

determine selection of one of the touch elements in the set based on the second blot area.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the magnifying is further based on the user profile.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first selection element is a smallest selection element of the selection elements in the set.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first selection element has a first relative size to the size of the blot area prior to the magnifying, and the first selection element has a second, larger relative size to the size of the blot area after the magnifying.