Method to lockout a touch screen interface

• US 9,985,629 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Schuh, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morales Fernande, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US13/958,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

A method for locking out a portion of a touch screen interface in response to an inadvertent touch comprises steps to detect multiple touches on the portion of the touch screen interface; determine that the multiple touches are incompatible; initiate a lockout time period in response to the determination and reinitiate the lockout time period in response to a subsequent touch during the lockout time period.

Claims

1. A method for locking out at least a portion of a touch screen interface in response to an inadvertent touch, the method comprises:

detect multiple touches on the portion of the touch screen interface;

determine that the multiple touches are incompatible touches, wherein the incompatible touches include touches that are not indicative of a user-selectable combination;

initiate a lockout time period in response to the determination; and

reinitiate the lockout time period in response to a subsequent touch during the lockout time period.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple touches occur within a predetermined time.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the multiple touches are simultaneous.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the incompatibility of the multiple touches is determined by the number of touches.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the number of touches exceeds a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the incompatibility of the multiple touches is determined by a current operation.

7. The method of claim 6 where the current operation is a cycle of operation for an appliance.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent touch comprises any touch.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent touch comprises any incompatible touch.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting multiple touches on the portion of the touch screen interface comprises detecting multiple touches in a first zone of touch keys on the touch screen interface.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the detecting multiple touches on the portion of the touch screen interface further comprises detecting multiple touches in a second zone of touch keys on the touch screen interface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first zone has a first lockout time period and the second zone has a second lockout time period.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first lockout time period is different than the second lockout time period.