Method and apparatus for controlling electronic device using touch input

• US 9,823,762 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Bo-Kun, Cheong, Cheol-Ho, Lee, Sun-Kee, Jeong, Jin-Hong, Cho, Joon-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherman, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/748,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1809, 178 1811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic device for controlling at least one function based on a user input, and a control method for the electronic device are provided. According to various example embodiments, an electronic device that operates based on a user input may acquire a gesture through an input area of a display unit functionally connected to the electronic device. The electronic device may perform at least one function of the electronic device, based on various variables (for example, a time period for which the gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the gesture is sensed, a direction in which the gesture moves, or intensity at which the gesture is sensed, through the input area) corresponding to the acquired gesture. Various other example embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A control method for an electronic device, the method comprising:

acquiring a first gesture through a display unit functionally connected to the electronic device and determining an input area corresponding to the first gesture acquired;

determining a second gesture in at least one part included in the input area;

controlling at least one function of the electronic device according to at least one of a time period for which the second gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the second gesture is sensed, intensity at which the second gesture is sensed, or a movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture, in the at least one part of the input area; and

displaying result data according to control of the at least one function of the electronic device,

wherein said determining the input area comprises determining the input area based on the first gesture, when the first gesture is maintained for a predetermined time period.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein said controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device to a first degree, when the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a first time period, a first size of an area, a first movement direction, or first intensity; and

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device to a second degree, when the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a second time period, a second size, a second movement direction, or second intensity.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

determining whether text is displayed on the display unit; and

selecting a word, a sentence, or a paragraph from the text, based on at least one of the time period, the size of the area, the intensity, or the movement direction.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device according to the time period for which the second gesture is sensed comprises:

zooming in/out content of an application to a first degree when the time period is a first time period; and

zooming in/out the content to a second degree when the time period is a second time period.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device according to the movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture comprises:

moving a menu or content of an application in a first direction when the movement direction is a first movement direction; and

moving the menu or the content in a second direction when the movement direction is a second movement direction.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the display unit includes a first sub area and a second sub area, and

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

performing a first function as the function when the second gesture is acquired from the first sub area; and

performing a second function as the function when the second gesture is acquired from the second sub area.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises determining a direction of a user'"'"'s line of sight with respect to the electronic device, based on the determined first gesture or the determined second gesture.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein determining the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight comprises:

displaying an object that is to be output through the display unit, in a first direction, when the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight is a first direction of a line of sight; and

displaying the object in a second direction, when the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight is a second direction of a line of sight.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a display; and

one or more processors functionally connected to the display,

wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to;

acquire a first gesture through the display and determine an input area corresponding to the first gesture,

determine a second gesture in at least one part included in the input area,

control at least one function of the electronic device, according to at least one of a time period for which the second gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the second gesture is sensed, intensity at which the second gesture is sensed, or a movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture, in the at least one area of the input area, and

display result data according to control of the at least one function of the electronic device,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the input area based on the first gesture, when the first gesture is maintained for a predetermined time period.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to control the at least one function of the electronic device to a first degree, when the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a first time period, a first size of an area, a first movement direction, or first intensity;

and

control the at least one function of the electronic device to a second degree, when the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a second time period, a second size of an area, a second movement direction, or second intensity.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to display a cursor corresponding to the first gesture in at least one area of the display.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to:

move the cursor in a first direction of the display when the movement direction is a first movement direction; and

move the cursor in a second direction of the display when the movement direction is a second movement direction.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein one or more processors is/are configured to display the input area as a user interface on the display.

14. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein one or more processors is/are configured to adjust speed at which a function of an application of the electronic device is controlled, based on the at least one of the time period, the size of the area, the intensity, or the movement direction.

15. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to stop controlling the function, or restores controlled function to a previous state before the function has been adjusted when the second gesture corresponds to the first gesture.

16. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to control scroll speed, page turning speed, or zoom in/out speed, based on the time period.

17. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to rotate content of an application in at least one direction of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, based on the movement direction.

18. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to adjust the volume of the electronic device or an application, based on the movement direction.