Input method, input system, and program for touch panel

• US 20030052866A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 6,850,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

To provide input means by which a mouse position can be accurately pointed to in a touch panel input system that does not have a pointing device capable of accurate pointing such as a mouse. Input events, which are mouse events (touches of a touch panel display) or keyboard events, are registered to be hooked, and a mouse pointer window is generated. An event hook section is notified of an occurrence of an input event, and the event is processed. In processing the event, a click event of the mouse event is disabled, and the mouse pointer window is displayed at the mouse position. When a mouse movement is selected on a tool window or a keyboard, the mouse position and the mouse pointer window are moved to that direction. When a click event is selected on the tool window or the keyboard, the click event is generated and issued.

Claims

1. An input method for a touch panel display in an information processing system that detects a touching of the touch panel display or a depression of a key on a keyboard as an input event, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a mouse pointer window in response to an input mode being switched;

receiving and hooking an input event;

if the input event is a mouse event, disabling the mouse event following a mouse movement event; and

displaying the mouse pointer window at a position where the touch panel display is touched in the input event.

2. The input method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating a tool window to control mouse events and displaying the tool window on the touch panel display;

if the hooked input event is a mouse event, making a first determination whether the mouse position is within the area of the tool window;

disabling the mouse event and displaying the mouse pointer window if the result of the first determination is false;

making a second determination whether the mouse position is within the area of a mouse movement button in the tool window if the result of the first determination is true; and

moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned by the mouse movement button and displaying the mouse pointer window if the result of the second determination step is true.

3. The input method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

making a third determination whether the mouse position is within the area of a speed change button for changing a moving speed of the mouse pointer window in the tool window if the result of the second determination is false; and

changing a setting of moving distance of the mouse pointer window if the result of the third determination is true.

4. The input method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

making a fourth determination whether the mouse position is within the area of a mouse event issuing button in the tool window if the result of the second determination is false; and

issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing button if the result of the fourth determination is true.

5. The input method according to claim 2, further comprising, if the result of the second determination is false and if the mouse position is not within any one of the areas of buttons in the tool window, the step of moving the tool window to a mouse position where a next mouse event occurs and displaying the tool window.

6. The input method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if the hooked input event is a keyboard event, making a fifth determination whether a pressed key in the keyboard event is a mouse movement key; and

moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned to the mouse movement key and displaying the mouse pointer window if the result of the fifth determination is true.

7. The input method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

making a sixth determination whether a pressed key in the keyboard event is a speed change key for changing a moving speed of the mouse pointer window; and

changing a setting of moving distance of the mouse pointer window if the result of the sixth determination is true.

8. The input method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if the hooked input event is a keyboard event, making a seventh determination whether a pressed key in the keyboard event is a mouse event issuing key; and

issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing key if the result of the seventh determination is true.

9. An input system for a touch panel display in an information processing system that detects a touching of the touch display panel or a press of a key of a keyboard as an input event, comprising:

means for generating a mouse pointer window in response to an input mode being switched;

means for receiving and hooking an input event;

means for, if the input event is a mouse event, disabling the mouse event following a mouse movement event; and

means for displaying the mouse pointer window at a position where the touch panel display was touched in the input event.

10. An input system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for generating a tool window to control mouse events and displaying the tool window on the touch panel;

means for, if the mouse position is within the tool window, determining whether the mouse position is within an area of a mouse movement button, or within an area of a speed change button for changing a moving speed of the mouse pointer window, or within the area of a mouse event issuing button in the tool window, or within none of the areas of the buttons; and

means for moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned by the mouse movement button and displaying the mouse pointer window if the mouse position is within the area of the mouse movement button, or changing a setting of moving distance of the mouse pointer window if the mouse position is within the area of the speed change button, or issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing button if the mouse position is within the area of the mouse event issuing button, or moving the tool window to a mouse position where a next mouse event occurs and displaying the tool window if the mouse position is within none of the areas of the buttons.

11. An input system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for, if a hooked input event hooked by the means for hooking is a keyboard event, determining whether a pressed key in the keyboard event is a mouse movement key, or a speed change key for changing a mouse movement speed, or a mouse event issuing key; and

means for moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned to the mouse movement key if the pressed key is the mouse movement key, or changing a moving distance of the mouse pointer window if the pressed key is the speed change key, or issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing key if the pressed key is the mouse event issuing key.

12. In a computer system that generates an input event in response to a touch of a touch panel display or a press of a key of a keyboard, a program product that causes a computer to execute the procedures of:

a) generating a mouse pointer window in response to an input mode being switched;

b) receiving and hooking an input event;

c) if the input event is a mouse event, disabling the mouse event following a mouse movement event; and

d) displaying the mouse pointer window at a position where the touch panel display was touched in the input event.

13. The program product according to claim 12, further causing the computer to execute the procedures of:

e) generating a tool window to control mouse events and displaying the tool window on the touch panel;

f) if the hooked input event is a mouse event, making a first determination whether the mouse position is within the tool window;

g) disabling the mouse event and displaying the mouse pointer window if said first determining procedure determines that the mouse position is not within the tool window;

h) making a second determination whether the mouse position is within an area of a mouse movement button in the tool window if the said result of the first determination procedure is true;

i) moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned by the mouse movement button and displaying the mouse pointer window if the result of the second determination procedure is true;

j) making a third determination whether the mouse position is within the area of a mouse event issuing button in the tool window if the result of the second determination procedure is false; and

k) issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing button if the result of the third determination procedure is true.

14. The program product according to claim 12, further causing the computer to execute the procedures of:

if the hooked input event is a keyboard event, making a fourth determination whether a pressed key in the keyboard event is a mouse movement key;

moving the mouse pointer window in a direction assigned to the mouse movement key and displaying the mouse pointer window if the result of the fourth determination procedure is true;

making a fifth determination whether the pressed key in the keyboard event is a mouse event issuing key if the result of the fourth determination procedure is false; and

issuing a mouse event assigned to the mouse event issuing key if the result of the fifth determination procedure is true.