Method and apparatus for providing touch interface

• US 10,564,759 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kwang-Yong, Jung, Woo-Jin, Cho, Beom-Soo, Park, Yong-Gook
• Primary Examiner(s): Balaoing, Ariel A
• Application Number:
  US13/335,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,980 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-176
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An apparatus performs a method for providing a touch interface. The method includes receiving a touch input from a touch detection unit, detecting touch characteristics according to the touch input, and generating events different from each other according to the detected touch characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for providing a touch interface, the method comprising:

receiving a touch input from a touch detection unit in a display, wherein the display displays a screen including a plurality of objects displayed on a main display area;

determining whether the touch input is a finger touch or a hand knife touch by an edge of a palm of a hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, based on a size and shape of a contact region of the touch input;

receiving a swipe gesture continued from the touch input;

if the touch input is the finger touch, performing a first operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the finger touch; and

if the touch input is the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm of the hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, performing a second operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm while the hand substantially vertically stands on the screen,

wherein the first operation by the finger touch affects only a portion of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area, and the second operation by the hand knife touch affects the screen including all of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area regardless the contact region of the touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second operation is further based on when an eccentricity of the contact region is greater than a second threshold value, and an angle of the contact region is within a first range of angle values.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

calculating the eccentricity of the contact region.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

calculating the angle of the contact region.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting a coordinate of the contact region; and

calculating a variance of the detected coordinate, wherein performing the second operation comprises generating the second operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a third threshold value.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating a movement amount of the detected coordinate; and

generating a third operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a third threshold value and the calculated movement amount exceeds a fourth threshold value.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a number of touch points associated with the touch input; and

generating a fourth operation upon a determination that a number of the touch input exceeds a fifth threshold value and an area of the contact region exceeds a sixth threshold value greater than a first threshold value for the finger touch.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a coordinate of the contact region; and

calculating a variance of the detected coordinate,

wherein the generating of the fourth operation comprises generating the fourth operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a seventh threshold value.

21. The method of claim 6, wherein the third operation is generated upon a determination that the angle of the contact region is within a second range of angle values different than a first range of angle values.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the first operation upon a determination that an eccentricity of the contact region is less than a second threshold value.

9. An apparatus for providing a touch interface, the apparatus comprising:

a touch detection unit configured to receive a touch input and receive a swipe gesture continued from the touch input in a display, wherein the display displays a screen including a plurality of objects displayed on a main display area; and

a control unit configured to;

determine whether the touch input is a finger touch or a knife hand touch by an edge of a palm of a hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, based on a size and shape of a contact region of the touch input;

if the touch input is the finger touch, perform a first operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the finger touch; and

if the touch input is the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm of the hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, perform a second operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm while the hand substantially vertically stands on the screen,

wherein the first operation by the finger touch affects only a portion of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area, and the second operation by the hand knife touch affects the screen including all of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area regardless the contact region of the touch input.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second operation is further based on when an eccentricity of the contact region is greater than a second threshold value, and an angle of the contact region is within a first range of angle values.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the eccentricity of the contact region.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the angle of the contact region based on a certain direction.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to detect a coordinate of the contact region to calculate a variance of the detected coordinate, and generate the second operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a third threshold value.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate a movement amount of the detected coordinate, and generate a third operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a third threshold value and the calculated movement amount exceeds a fourth threshold value.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to detect a number of touch points associated with the touch input, and generate a fourth operation upon a determination that the number of the touch inputs exceeds a fifth threshold value and an area of the contact region exceeds a sixth threshold value greater than a first threshold value.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control unit is configured to detect a coordinate of the contact region to calculate a variance of the detected coordinate, and generate a fourth operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a seventh threshold value.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the third operation upon a determination that the angle of the contact region is within a second range of angle values different than a first range of angle values.

24. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the first operation upon a determination that an eccentricity of the contact region is less than a second threshold value.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that when executed cause one or more processors to:

receive a touch input from a touch detection unit in a display, wherein the display displays a screen including a plurality of objects displayed on a main display area;

determine whether the touch input is a finger touch or a hand knife touch by an edge of a palm of a hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, based on a size and shape of a contact region of the touch input;

receive a swipe gesture continued from the touch input;

if the touch input is the finger touch, perform a first operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the finger touch; and

if the touch input is the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm of the hand substantially vertically standing on the screen, perform a second operation corresponding to the swipe gesture of the hand knife touch by the edge of the palm while the hand substantially vertically stands on the screen,

wherein the first operation by the finger touch affects only a portion of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area, and the second operation by the hand knife touch affects the screen including all of the plurality of objects displayed on the main display area regardless the contact region of the touch input.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the second operation is further based on when an eccentricity of the contact region is greater than a second threshold value, and an angle of the contact region is within a first range of angle values.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform:

calculating the eccentricity of the contact region; and

calculating the angle of the contact region,

wherein the executable instructions cause the one or processors to generate the second operation by generating the second operation according to the calculated angle upon determination that the eccentricity of the contact region exceeds a second threshold value.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform:

detecting a coordinate of the contact region;

calculating a variance of the detected coordinate;

calculating a movement amount of the detected coordinate; and

generating a third operation upon a determination that the calculated variance exceeds a third threshold value and the calculated movement amount exceeds a fourth threshold value.