Graphical functions by gestures

• US 20050237308A1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jarvio, Jami Jarkko Juhani, Autio, Markku Tapio
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method for operating a computer through a touch sensitive display interface includes displaying a computer generated graphical image on a touch sensitive display using display software. The display software includes programs used to display the graphical image (e.g., display driver and web browser), and is responsive to inputs at a first, active portion (e.g., coinciding with toolbars, hyperlinks) of the touch sensitive display when the graphic image is displayed, and is non-responsive to a second, inactive portion. In the method, an input character is received at the second, inactive portion of the touch sensitive display, and is compared to a stored command character that is associated with a separate corresponding computer command. The separate corresponding computer command is executed if the input character matches the command character. In one embodiment, one particular input character results in emulating a right mouse button by displaying a submenu of shortcut icons, and the method is implemented by operation of a computer program in a mobile station.

Claims

1. In an electronic device for displaying a graphical image at a touch sensitive user interface using a displaying software program, and for storing a separate computer command apart from the displaying software program, the improvement comprising a computer program embodied in a computer readable medium comprising instructions to cause a computer to:

receive an input at a portion of the touch sensitive user interface that is not recognized as active by the display program;

compare said received input to a stored command character that is associated with the separate computer command; and

execute the separate computer command only if the received input matches the stored command character.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said separate computer command is to display a submenu at the touch sensitive user interface, said submenu comprising a plurality of shortcut links each to a different executable command.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein each of said executable commands are commands that operate on said graphical image.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the input comprises a touchdown point and a series of substantially contiguous and continuous input points along said touch sensitive user interface that defines a character input.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein comparing said received character input to a stored command character comprises comparing a shape and a position of a touchdown point relative to said shape of the received character input to a shape and initial point of said command character, and wherein the character input matches the stored command character when said shapes match and the position of the touchdown point relative to the shape matches said initial point.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein comparing said received character input to a stored command character comprises comparing a shape and a direction of substantially contiguous and continuous input points of the received character input to a shape of said command character and a direction of formation associated with said command character, and wherein the character input matches the stored command character when said shapes match and the direction of substantially contiguous and continuous input points matches the direction of formation associated with the command character.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein, in response to receiving the touchdown point at a portion of the touch sensitive user interface that is not recognized as active by the display program, the improvement further comprises computer instructions for rendering the entire touch sensitive user interface as inactive to the display program until the input is terminated.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the input is terminated at least when the series of contiguous and continuous input points ceases to be continuous for a minimum threshold of time.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the input is terminated at least when the series of contiguous and continuous input points ceases to move among distinct contiguous portions of the touch sensitive user interface for a minimum threshold of time.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the input is terminated at least when the series of contiguous and continuous input points match the stored command character.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the separate computer command is a computer command executed by a second mouse button when said displaying software program is embodied to receive an input from a mouse having a first and second button.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a mobile station.

13. A method to operate a computer through a touch sensitive display interface comprising:

displaying a computer generated graphical image on a touch sensitive display using a displaying software program, said displaying software program being responsive to inputs at only a first active portion of the touch sensitive display when said graphical image is displayed, and non-responsive to a second inactive portion of the display;

receiving an input character at the second inactive portion of said touch sensitive display;

comparing said input character to a stored command character that is associated with a separate corresponding computer command; and

executing the separate corresponding computer command if said input character matches said command character.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said separate corresponding computer command is to display a submenu at the touch sensitive display, said submenu comprising a plurality of shortcut links each to a different executable command.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each of said executable commands is a command that operates on said computer generated graphical image.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the input character comprises a touchdown point and a series of substantially contiguous and continuous input points along said touch sensitive user interface.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein comparing said input character to a stored command character comprises comparing a shape and a position of a touchdown point relative to said shape of the character input to a shape and initial point of said command character, and wherein the input character matches the stored command character when said shapes match and the position of the touchdown point relative to the shape matches said initial point.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein comparing said input character to a stored command character comprises comparing a shape and a direction of substantially contiguous and continuous input points of the received character input to a shape of said command character and a direction of formation associated with said command character, and wherein the input character matches the stored command character when said shapes match and the direction of substantially contiguous and continuous input points matches the direction of formation associated with the command character.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein, in response to receiving the touchdown point at a portion of the touch sensitive user interface that is not recognized as active by the display program, the improvement further comprises computer instructions for rendering the entire touch sensitive user interface as inactive to the display program until the input character is terminated.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the separate corresponding computer command is a computer command executed by a second mouse button when said displaying software program is embodied to receive an input from a mouse having a first and second button.

21. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch sensitive display;

a display software program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying a graphical image at said touch sensitive display that is responsive to inputs at only a first active portion and non-responsive to a second inactive portion of the touch sensitive display when said graphical image is displayed;

a separate computer command embodied on a computer readable medium; and

computer instructions embodied on a computer readable medium for receiving an input character at the second inactive portion of said touch sensitive display;

for comparing said input character to a stored command character that is associated with the separate computer command; and

for causing the separate corresponding computer command to be executed if said input character matches said command character.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 21 wherein the device comprises a mobile station.

23. A method of operating a touch sensitive display interface of a computer comprising:

receiving an input at a touch sensitive display screen;

interpret the input into a character that is previously stored in a memory;

store a starting coordinate of the input;

map the character to a command; and

execute the command using the stored starting coordinate as a parameter of the command.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the character comprises at least one of a Unicode character and a ASCII character.

25. A method of operating a touch sensitive display interface comprising:

displaying a graphical image on at least a portion of a touch sensitive display;

sensing a set of contiguous pixels on at least the portion of the touch-sensitive that are highlighted by a user;

analyzing the set of contiguous pixels to determine a two-dimensional input pattern;

correlating the input pattern to one of at least two command characters stored in a memory;

executing a command associated with the one command character; and

changing the display in accordance with the command.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein changing the display comprises displaying a menu over only a portion of the graphical image.