Apparatus and method for providing user interface based on hand-held position of the apparatus

• US 9,983,767 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ho, Kwon, Zion, Kim, Hyewon, Seo, Jungeui, Yang, Changmo, Jeon, Hayoung, Chung, Jinkyo, Choi, Bonghak, Choi, Joonhyuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US14/705,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20150324070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a method for providing a user interface are provided. The electronic apparatus includes a sensor module configured to detect sensor data, a touch screen configured to display a control menu related to content that is displayed, and a control module configured to determine a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data, to configure the control menu, based on the determined hand-held position, and to display the configured control menu, based on the determined hand-held position.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a sensor module configured to detect sensor data;

a touch screen configured to display a control menu related to content that is displayed and receive a touch input; and

a control module configured to;

determine a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data;

determine whether a touch position of the touch input belongs to a left area or a right area with respect to a central line of the touch screen; and

in response to determination that the hand-held position belongs to a different area from the determined area of the touch position, assign a priority to the hand-held position and the touch position, configure the control menu according to the priority, based on the determined hand-held position and the touch position, and control to display the configured control menu according to the priority, based on the determined hand-held position and the touch position.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is at least one of a gyro-sensor, an acceleration sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an illuminance sensor, an image sensor, and an earth magnetic field sensor.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, in response to determination that the position according the priority corresponds to a left hand, the control module is further configured to configure a left-hand mode control menu, and

wherein, in response to determination that the position according the priority corresponds to a right hand, the control module is further configured to configure a right-hand mode control menu.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to:

control to configure a display area, where the configured control menu is to be displayed, to be centered in the touch position; and

when a portion of the display area is included in a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, display a portion of the configured control menu, which is included in the viewing area, on the touch screen.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to:

control to change a size of the configured control menu, based on a size of the touch input; and

display a size-changed control menu on the touch screen.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when a touch input on the configured control menu moves to a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, the control module is further configured to control to remove the configured control menu from the viewing area.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control module is further configured to control to display another control menu related to the content after removing the configured control menu.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content that is displayed is one of text data, audio data, and video data, such that items of the control menu are configured based on whether the displayed content is one of the text data, the audio data, and the video data.

9. A method for providing a user interface in an electronic apparatus including a touch screen, the method comprising:

detecting, by the electronic apparatus, sensor data using a sensor;

receiving a touch input on a touch screen;

determining a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data;

determining whether a touch position of the touch input belongs to a left area or a right area with respect to a central line of the touch screen; and

in response to determination that the hand-held position belongs to a different area from the determined area of the touch position, assigning a priority to the hand-held position and the touch position, configuring a control menu related to content displayed on the touch screen according to the priority, based on the determined hand-held position and the touch position, and displaying the configured control menu according to the priority, based on the determined hand-held position and the touch position.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting of the sensor data comprises detecting the sensor data using at least one of a gyro-sensor, an acceleration sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an illuminance sensor, an image sensor, and an earth magnetic field sensor.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the configuring of the control menu comprises:

in response to determination that the position according to the priority corresponds to a left hand, configuring a left-hand mode control menu; and

in response to determination that the position according to the priority corresponds to a right hand, configuring a right-hand mode control menu.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the displaying of the one of the left-hand mode control menu and the right-hand mode control menu at the determined touch position comprises:

configuring a display area, where the configured control menu is to be displayed, to be centered in the touch position; and

when a portion of the display area is included in a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, displaying a portion of the configured control menu, which is included in the viewing area, on the touch screen.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the displaying of the one of the left-hand mode control menu and the right-hand mode control menu at the determined touch position comprises:

changing a size of the configured control menu, based on a size of the touch input; and

displaying a size-changed control menu on the touch screen.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising, when a touch input on the configured control menu moves to a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, removing the configured control menu from the viewing area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying another control menu related to the content displayed on the touch screen after removing the configured control menu.