Touch-sensitive electronic apparatus for media applications, and methods therefor

• US 20060022956A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubinstein, Jonathan Jake, Lengeling, Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

An electronic apparatus, such as an electronic mixing apparatus and an electronic keyboard apparatus, and associated methods are disclosed. The electronic mixing apparatus or the electronic keyboard apparatus is provided on a touch screen that provides user input and display capabilities. In one embodiment, the touch screen is a multipoint touch screen so that multiple user touch inputs can be simultaneously acquired. In another embodiment, surface guides can be provided on the touch screen to assist with user input.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive apparatus operating as a media mixer, said apparatus comprising:

a touch screen having a display area that also operates as a touch input area; and

a plurality of media mixing controls being displayed in the display area of said touch screen and being interactive with a user through interaction with the touch input area of said touch screen.

2. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the media mixing controls include a plurality of sliders.

3. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the media mixing controls include at least one button, at least one dial and at least one slider.

4. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said touch screen is a multipoint touch screen.

5. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the display area displays a plurality of slider graphics including slider elements, and a user can touch and move at least one of the slider elements of the slider graphics.

6. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the slider graphics associated with the at least one of the slider elements being displayed are modified concurrently with the movement of the at least one of the slider elements.

7. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said touch-sensitive device further comprises:

a processor operatively connected to said touch screen, said processor operable to receive touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area, and to display the media mixing controls on the display area.

8. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein said processor causes the display of the media mixing controls to be altered based on the touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area.

9. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the alteration of the media mixing controls based on the touch input is performed in real time.

10. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the media mixing controls include at least one slider graphic, and

wherein, based on the touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area, said processor controls dynamic alteration of the at least one slider graphic.

11. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said touch screen is capable of detecting multiple touches that occur at the same time.

12. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said touch screen displays a plurality of separate objects, and wherein each of the multiple touches that occur at the same time respectively correspond to a different one of the separate objects.

13. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the display area displays a plurality of slider graphics including slider elements, and a user can concurrently touch and move at least two of the slider elements of the slider graphics.

14. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least two of the slider elements of the slider graphics being displayed are modified concurrently with the movement of the at least two of the slider elements.

15. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said touch-sensitive device further comprises:

surface guides provided on or over the touch input area of said touch screen to assist with the touch input.

16. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said surface guides correspond to the media mixing controls being displayed in the display area of said touch screen.

17. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein configurations of said surface guides correspond to configurations of the media mixing controls being displayed in the display area of said touch screen.

18. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 16,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one slider control being displayed in the display area of said touch screen, and

wherein said surface guides include at least one slider guide.

19. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 16,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one button control being displayed in the display area of said touch screen, and

wherein said surface guides include at least one button guide.

20. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 16,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one dial control being displayed in the display area of said touch screen, and

wherein said surface guides include at least one dial guide.

21. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 16,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one slider control and at least one dial control being displayed in the display area of said touch screen, and

wherein said surface guides include at least one slider guide and at least one dial guide.

22. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 21,

wherein the media mixing controls further include at least one button control being displayed in the display area of said touch screen, and

wherein said surface guides further include at least one button guide.

23. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said touch-sensitive device further comprises:

an overlay provided on the touch input area of said touch screen to assist with the touch input, said overlay including said surface guides.

24. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein said overlay is capable of being removably coupled to said touch screen.

25. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the display area and the touch input area of said touch screen are integrally formed internal to a common touch screen housing.

26. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 1,

wherein said touch-sensitive device further comprises:

a processor operatively connected to said touch screen, said processor operable to receive touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area, and to display the media mixing controls on the display area, and

wherein said touch-sensitive apparatus has a housing, and said touch screen and said processor are integrally formed internal to the housing.

27. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said touch-sensitive apparatus is a computer, and wherein the housing is a computer housing for the computer.

28. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer is a tablet computer.

29. A method for operating a computing device having a touch screen, said method comprising:

displaying a mixing console Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the touch screen, the mixing console GUI having a plurality of GUI objects;

determining whether at least one touch input has been detected;

identifying the one or more GUI objects that are associated with the at least one touch input;

determining modifications to the one or more identified GUI objects based on the at least one touch input;

updating the one or more identified GUI objects of the mixing console GUI to reflect the modifications; and

determining input data based on the at least one touch input and the one or more identified GUI objects.

30. A method as recited in claim 29, wherein said method further comprises:

processing the input data at the computing device.

31. A method as recited in claim 29, wherein the touch screen includes surface guides that correspond to the mixing console GUI displayed on the touch screen.

32. A method as recited in claim 31,

wherein the GUI objects include media mixing controls, and

wherein the surface guides correspond to the media mixing controls being displayed in the display area of said touch screen.

33. A method as recited in claim 32,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one slider control being displayed on the touch screen, and

wherein the surface guides include at least one slider guide.

34. A method as recited in claim 32,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one button control being displayed on the touch screen, and

wherein the surface guides include at least one button guide.

35. A method as recited in claim 32,

wherein the media mixing controls include at least one dial control being displayed on the touch screen, and

wherein the surface guides include at least one dial guide.

36. A method as recited in claim 29, wherein said updating is performed substantially concurrently with said determining of whether the at least one touch input has been detected.

37. A method as recited in claim 29, wherein the touch screen is a multipoint touch screen.

38. A method as recited in claim 37,

wherein said determining whether at least one touch input has been detected operates to determine whether a plurality of touch inputs are concurrently provided to the touch screen,

wherein said identifying operates to identify the one or more GUI objects that are associated with the plurality of touch inputs, and

wherein said determining operates to determine modifications to the one or more identified GUI objects based on the plurality of touch inputs.

39. A method as recited in claim 38,

wherein the touch screen includes surface guides that correspond to the mixing console GUI displayed on the touch screen,

wherein the GUI objects include media mixing controls, and

wherein the surface guides correspond to the media mixing controls being displayed in the display area of said touch screen.

40. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein said method further comprises:

processing the input data at the computing device.

41. An electronic media mixer, said media mixer comprising:

a multi-touch touch screen capable of concurrently receiving multiple touch inputs; and

a computing device operatively connected to said multi-touch touch screen, said computing device configured to;

display a mixing console Graphical User Interface (GUI) on said multi-touch touch screen, the mixing console GUI having a plurality of GUI objects;

determine whether at least one touch input has been detected;

identify the one or more GUI objects that are associated with the at least one touch input;

determine modifications to the one or more identified GUI objects based on the at least one touch input;

update the one or more identified GUI objects of the mixing console GUI to reflect the modifications; and

determine input data based on the at least one touch input and the one or more identified GUI objects.

42. A touch-sensitive apparatus operating as an electronic keyboard, said apparatus comprising:

a touch screen having a display area that also operates as a touch input area; and

a plurality of keyboard keys being displayed in the display area of said touch screen and being interactive with a user through interaction with the touch input area of said touch screen.

43. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 42, wherein said touch screen is a multipoint touch screen.

44. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 43, wherein said touch-sensitive device further comprises:

a processor operatively connected to said touch screen, said processor operable to receive touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area, and to display the keyboard keys on the display area.

45. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 44, wherein said processor causes the display of the keyboard keys to be altered based on the touch input from interaction by the user with the touch input area.

46. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 45, wherein the alteration of the keyboard keys based on the touch input is performed in real time.

47. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 42, wherein said touch-sensitive apparatus concurrently detects multiple ones of the keyboard keys.

48. A touch-sensitive apparatus as recited in claim 47, wherein the multiple ones of the keyboard keys being detected are used to signify a chord.

49. A method for operating a computing device having a touch screen, said method comprising:

displaying a keyboard Graphical User Interface (GUI) having a plurality of keys on the touch screen;

determining whether at least one touch input has been detected;

identifying the one or more keys that are associated with the at least one touch input;

determining modifications to the one or more identified keys based on the at least one touch input;

updating the one or more identified keys of the keyboard GUI to reflect the modifications; and

determining input data based on the at least one touch input and the one or more identified keys.

50. A method as recited in claim 49, wherein said method further comprises:

processing the input data at the computing device.

51. A method as recited in claim 49, wherein the touch screen includes surface guides that correspond to the keys of the keyboard GUI displayed on the touch screen.

52. A method as recited in claim 49, wherein said updating is performed substantially concurrently with said determining of whether the at least one touch input has been detected.

53. A method as recited in claim 49, wherein the touch screen is a multipoint touch screen.

54. A method as recited in claim 53,

wherein said determining whether at least one touch input has been detected operates to determine whether a plurality of touch inputs are concurrently provided to the touch screen,

wherein said identifying operates to identify the one or more keys that are associated with the plurality of touch inputs, and

wherein said determining operates to determine modifications to the one or more keys based on the plurality of touch inputs.

55. A method as recited in claim 54,

wherein the touch screen includes surface guides that correspond to the keys of the keyboard GUI displayed on the touch screen, and

wherein the surface guides correspond to the keys being displayed on said touch screen.

56. A method as recited in claim 49, wherein said determining of the input data comprises determining at least one input characteristic of the one or more touch inputs which are associated with the one or more identified keys.

57. A method as recited in claim 56, wherein the at least one input characteristic is pressure or speed.

58. A method as recited in claim 56, wherein said method further comprises:

processing the input data at the computing device to produce an audio output.