User interface for diagnostic instrument

• US 20050073503A1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autologic LLC (Applus Services SA), Snap-On Technologies Incorporated (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autologic LLC (Applus Services SA), Snap-On Technologies Incorporated (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nicholson, William D., Raml, Timothy J., Fudali, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A user interface for a computing device is provided. The user interface includes a plurality of display elements. A display element includes an active region, a graphical representation, and a textual description. The active region is sized for enabling human finger tip selection of the display element on a touch sensitive display screen. A display module receives coordinate information from the display screen and determines whether the coordinate information corresponds to the active region. When a user touches the active region, an instrument interface module sends a command to a diagnostic instrument. Further features, such as language localization of the textual description, are also provided.

Claims

1. A user interface for invoking a function of a diagnostic instrument, the user interface comprising:

a first navigational menu including at least one display element, the at least one display element having a touch sensitive active region; and

a second navigational menu configured to be displayed responsive to contact on the touch sensitive active region of the at least one display element, the second navigational menu including a selection group related to a test suite of the diagnostic instrument.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the selection group includes a plurality of display elements, each of the plurality of display elements having a touch sensitive active region to enable user selection of the plurality of display elements.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the selection group includes fewer than ten display elements to permit discrete touch sensitive selection of each of the ten display elements.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the first navigational menu includes at least six display elements, each of the six display elements having a discrete touch sensitive active region sized to permit finger tip selection.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one display element comprises:

a graphical representation of functionality invoked by user selection of the display element; and

a textual description of functionality invoked by user selection of the display element.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive active region comprises an approximately circular shape with a diameter of at least {fraction (3/8)} inch.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive active region comprises an area having a polygonal shape of at least ¼

square inch.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive active region comprises an area of at least {fraction (1/10)} that of the screen area.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the first and the second navigational menus are displayed on a touch screen device sized and positioned so as to be responsive to a gloved finger.

10. A method for operating a diagnostic instrument, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface on a screen including a display element having an active region, the active region corresponding in size to a human finger tip contact area for enabling human finger tip selection of the display element;

receiving coordinate information responsive to user contact with the screen, the coordinate information indicating a location on the screen;

determining whether the location corresponds to the active region; and

sending a command to the diagnostic instrument responsive to the determining step.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a result from the diagnostic instrument; and

storing the result in a database.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the active region comprises an approximately circular shape with a diameter of at least {fraction (3/8)} inch.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the active region comprises an area having a polygonal shape of at least ¼

square inch.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the active region comprises an area of at least {fraction (1/10)} that of the screen area.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the screen comprises a touch screen device configured to be responsive to a gloved finger.

16. An apparatus for operating a diagnostic instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface module configured to provide a user interface on a screen including a display element having an active region, the active region corresponding in size to a human finger tip contact area for enabling human finger tip selection of the display element;

a display module configured to receive coordinate information responsive to user contact with the screen and determining whether the coordinate information corresponds to the active region; and

an instrument interface module configured to send a command to the diagnostic instrument responsive to a signal from the display module.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a language module configured to provide a textual description for the display element.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a database module configured to receive and to store a result from the diagnostic instrument.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the active region comprises an approximately circular shape with a diameter of at least {fraction (3/8)} inch.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the active region comprises an area having a polygonal shape of at least ¼

square inch.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the active region comprises an area of at least {fraction (1/10)} that of the screen area.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the screen comprises a touch screen device configured to be responsive to a gloved finger.

23. A computer readable medium including program code for operating a diagnostic instrument, the medium comprising:

a first program code module configured to provide a user interface on a screen including a display element having an active region, the active region corresponding in size to a human finger tip contact area for enabling human finger tip selection of the display element;

a second program code module configured to receive coordinate information responsive to user contact with the screen and determining whether the coordinate information corresponds to the active region; and

a third program code module configured to send a command to the diagnostic instrument responsive to a signal from the display module.

24. An apparatus for operating a diagnostic instrument, the apparatus comprising:

means for providing a user interface on a screen including a display element having an active region, the active region corresponding in size to a human finger tip contact area for enabling human finger tip selection of the display element;

means for receiving coordinate information responsive to user contact with the screen and determining whether the coordinate information corresponds to the active region; and

means for sending a command to the diagnostic instrument responsive to a signal from the display module.