Apparatus and method for controlling key input

• US 9,563,357 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong-Jun, Park, Chul-Hui, Lee, In-Ho, Jeong, Hye-Soon, Hong, Sun-Yeal
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US15/082,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20160210043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715/863, 715764-862
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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

A key input control apparatus includes a gesture recognizing unit which detects whether or not an input of a touch event generated on a screen corresponds to a predetermined gesture. A gesture area identifying unit which identifies a predetermined area where the input of the touch event corresponding to the predetermined gesture is generated. A key input recognizing unit which recognizes a hardware key allotted to the predetermined area and performs an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized hardware key.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a key input of a portable terminal, comprising:

a touch screen;

a plurality of keys comprising hardware keys and touch keys,

the hardware keys including at least one of a volume key and a power key,

the touch keys including at least one of a home key, a menu key, and a back key; and

a controller, configured to;

detect an input of a touch event generated on the touch screen,

identify an area among a plurality of areas of the touch screen where the input of the touch event is generated, and

recognize a key among the plurality of keys corresponding to the area of the touch screen, and perform an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized key,

wherein the plurality of areas of the touch screen correspond to the plurality of keys, respectively.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller identifies a drag input of the touch event having a predetermined first length or longer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller identifies a drag input, which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged to an area to which the key is assigned.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller identifies a drag input, which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged from an area to which the key is assigned.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area corresponds to one of regions divided along a lengthwise direction of the screen.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the input of the touch event is dragged outside of the screen.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area corresponds to an area which is assigned by dividing the screen by a total number of the key.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of areas is exclusive areas for detecting the input of a touch event, and the plurality of areas are divided into each area by a number of corresponding keys for performing operations.

9. A method for controlling a key input of a portable terminal, comprising:

detecting an input of a touch event generated on a screen of the portable terminal;

identifying an area among a plurality of areas of the screen where the input of the touch event is generated;

recognizing a key among a plurality of keys corresponding to the identified area of the screen,

the plurality of keys comprising hardware keys and touch keys,

the hardware keys including at least one of a volume key and a power key,

the touch keys including at least one of a home key, a menu key, and a back key; and

performing an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized key,

wherein the plurality of areas of the screen correspond to the plurality of keys, respectively.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the input of the touch event corresponds to a drag input of the touch event having a predetermined first length or longer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the input of the touch event corresponds to a drag input which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged to an area to which the key is assigned.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the input of the touch event corresponds to a drag input which has a predetermined second length or longer, and is dragged from an area to which the key is assigned.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the area corresponds to one of regions divided along a lengthwise direction of a screen.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the area corresponds to an area which is allotted by dividing lengthwise the screen with respect to the key by a number corresponding to the key.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of areas is exclusive areas for detecting the input of a touch event, and the plurality of areas are divided into each area by a number of corresponding keys for performing operations.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a portion of the input of the touch event is dragged outside of the screen.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the area corresponds to an area which is assigned by dividing the screen by a total number of the key.