Apparatus and method for receiving touch input in an apparatus providing a touch interface

• US 9,886,183 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yohan, Kang, Jaehyeon, Na, Boyeon
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US14/294,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An input method of a terminal is provided. The method includes receiving a first input for displaying a selection User Interface (UI); displaying the selection UI on a display unit of the terminal according to the first input; receiving a second input for selecting one or more specific coordinates on the display unit; selecting the one or more specific coordinates among specific coordinates on the display unit based on the second input and the selection UI; and performing functions corresponding to the one or more selected coordinates.

Claims

1. An input method of a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a first input for displaying a selection User Interface (UI);

displaying the selection UI on a display unit of the terminal according to the first input;

receiving a second input for selecting one or more specific coordinates on the display unit;

selecting the one or more specific coordinates among specific coordinates on the display unit based on the second input and the selection UI; and

performing a function corresponding to the one or more selected coordinates,

wherein receiving the first input comprises receiving an input for initiating a display of the selection UI and an input for extending the selection UI, and

wherein displaying the selection UI comprises initiating the display of the selection UI based on the input for initiating the display of the selection UI and extending the displayed selection UI based on the input for extending the selection UI.

2. The input method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third input for moving the selection UI; and

moving the selection UI based on the third input.

3. The input method as claimed in claim 2, wherein receiving the third input comprises receiving a drag input in one or more directions, and wherein moving the selection UI comprises moving the selection UI based on at least one of a direction and a speed of the drag input.

4. The input method as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the input for initiating the display of the selection UI comprises a slide input in a first direction and the input for extending the selection UI comprises a hold input,

wherein displaying the selection UI comprises extending the selection UI during an input time of the hold input in a direction corresponding to the first direction,

wherein receiving the second input comprises receiving a release input, and

wherein receiving the third input comprises receiving a drag input in one or more directions, and further comprises stopping an extension or a movement of the selection UI when the third input has been received.

5. The input method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein displaying the selection UI comprises displaying a selection area inside or outside of the selection UI, and

wherein selecting the one or more specific coordinates comprises selecting one or more specific coordinates among specific coordinates on the display unit based on a position of the selection area.

6. The input method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an auxiliary UI informing that one of the one or more specific coordinates has been selected based on the second input.

7. The input method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the input for initiating the display of the selection UI comprises at least one of a slide input or a touch input applied two or more times, and the input for extending the selection UI comprises a hold input, and

wherein displaying the selection UI comprises displaying the selection UI based on a direction of the slide input, and extending the selection UI based on the direction of the slide input.

8. The input method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a sixth input for stopping an extension or a movement of the selection UI; and

displaying the selection UI in a fixed size based on the sixth input.

9. The input method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying only a part of the selection UI according to the second input; and

displaying the selection UI when a touch input has been received in the terminal within a preset time.

10. A terminal for receiving a user input, the terminal comprising:

a display configured to display an area corresponding to one or more coordinates;

an input device configured to receive a first input for displaying a selection User Interface (UI) on the display unit and a second input for selecting one or more coordinates among the coordinates; and

a controller configured to control the display unit to display the selection UI according to the first input, to select the one or more coordinates among the one or more coordinates based on the second input and the selection UI, and to perform a function corresponding to the one or more selected coordinates,

wherein receiving the first input comprises receiving an input for initiating a display of the selection UI and an input for extending the selection UI, and

wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to initiate the display of the selection UI based on the input for initiating a display of the selection UI and extend the displayed selection UI based on the input for extending the selection UI.

11. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the input unit is configured to receive a third input for moving the selection UI, and wherein the controller is configured to move the selection UI based on the third input.

12. The terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the third input includes a drag input in one or more directions, and wherein the controller is configured to move the selection UI based on at least one of a direction and a speed of the drag input.

13. The terminal as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the input for initiating the display of the selection UI includes a slide input in a first direction and the input for extending the displayed selection UI comprises a hold input,

wherein the second input includes a release input,

wherein the third input includes a drag input in one or more directions, and

wherein the controller is configured to extend the selection UI during a input time of the hold input in a direction which corresponds to the first direction, and to stop an extension or a movement of the selection UI when the third input has been received.

14. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to display a selection area inside or outside of the selection UI, and to select one or more icons corresponding to the selected coordinates based on a position of the selection area.

15. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to display an auxiliary UI informing that the selected coordinate has been selected based on the second input.

16. The terminal as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the input for initiating the display of the selection UI comprises includes at least one of a slide input or a touch input applied two or more times, and the input for extending the displayed selection UI comprises a hold input, and

wherein the controller is configured to display the selection UI based on a direction of the slide input, and to extend the selection UI based on the direction of the slide input.

17. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the input unit is configured to receive a sixth input for stopping an extension or a movement of the selection UI, and wherein the controller is configured to display the selection UI in a fixed size based on the sixth input.

18. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to display only a part of the selection UI according to the second input and to display the selection UI when a touch input has been received in the input unit within a preset time.