Touch screen control

• US 20060117108A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Thermoteknix Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: The Thermoteknix Systems Limited
• Inventors: Salisbury, Richard, Haigh, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,489,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A digital imaging device is provided with a touch sensitive display screen 10. The screen 10 displays an image 12 captured by the imaging device. Along one side of the screen is a toolbar 14 upon which is provided a plurality of individual icons 16. The icons 16 represent particular control functions that may be selected by a user. Examples of such control functions represented by the icons 16 include but are not limited to save, send, retrieve or discard image; rotate, reflect, crop, resize or edit image; compare images; process image (e.g. sharpen, blur, emboss, edge detect, pixelise, apply filter or similar); or vary image properties (e.g. brightness, colour balance, colour depth, contrast, convert to greyscale/black and white, effective surface temperature displayed (for infrared images) or similar). The user can select icons by touching the screen either directly or more preferably by tapping the screen with a suitable implement such as. a pen, a stylus or similar. Once a user has selected an icon, further icons may be displayed on the screen to allow the user to operate the selected function as desired.

Claims

1. A digital imaging device comprising means for capturing an image and means for displaying said captured image wherein the means for displaying the captured image is a touch sensitive display screen, said display screen displaying a plurality of icons in addition to the image, wherein a user may select an icon from the plurality of icons by touching the area of the screen upon which the icon is displayed, and thereby control or vary properties of the displayed image.

2. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the screen is adapted to be sensitive to being touched or tapped by a user.

3. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the screen is adapted to be sensitive to being touched or tapped a pen or a stylus wielded by a user.

4. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of icons are provided on a toolbar.

5. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said toolbar is displayed along one side of the screen.

6. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each icon in the plurality of icons corresponds to a different image property.

7. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein touching or tapping an icon corresponding to a particular image property causes information relating to the image property and/or control icons to be provided on an action bar displayed at a side of the screen.

8. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 7 wherein information relating to the image properties is displayed until the action bar is touched or tapped at which point a control icon or icons are displayed.

9. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said control icons each have a plurality of different portions, each portion having a different function to the other portions of the control icon when touched or tapped.

10. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 9 wherein each control icon comprises a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion.

11. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 10 wherein touching the first end portion increases the value of a selected image property and touching the second end portion decreases the value of the selected image property.

12. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 10 wherein tapping the first or second end portions of the icon is used to increase or decrease the value of the image property incrementally.

13. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 10 wherein maintaining touching contact with the first end portion continuously increases the value of the selected image property and maintaining touching contact with the second end portion continuously decreases the value of the selected image property.

14. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the increase or decrease in the value of the image property is proportional to the duration of the contact.

15. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rate of increase or decrease in value of the value of the image property is proportional to the duration of the contact.

16. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 10 wherein by touching the intermediate portion of the control icon, the user defines an origin.

17. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 16 wherein if touching contact is maintained, the value of the image property is varied by dragging the point of contact towards either end portion of the icon.

18. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 17 wherein if the point of contact is dragged towards the first end of the icon, the value of the image property is increased and if the point of contact is dragged towards the second end of the icon, the value of the image property is decreased.

19. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 18 wherein the increase or decrease in the value of the image property is proportional to the overall displacement of the point of contact from the origin towards either end portion.

20. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 7 wherein if the control icon has not been touched for a predetermined time interval, the action bar reverts to displaying information on the selected image property.

21. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 7 wherein if the user touches or taps an area of the screen other than the action bar, the action bar reverts to displaying information on the selected image property.

22. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital imaging device is operable in the visible and/or the infrared regions of the spectrum.

23. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital imaging device is incorporated into another device

24. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital imaging device is a standalone device.

25. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the digital imaging device is provided with means for storing a plurality of captured images and with means for transferring stored images to an external device.

26. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the image properties that are controllable and variable include at least one of brightness, colour balance, colour depth, contrast, or effective surface temperature.

27. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the toolbar icons allow a user to perform any one of the following functions in relation to an image:

save, send, retrieve image, discard image;

rotate, reflect, crop, resize or edit image; and

compare images.

28. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the toolbar icons additionally allow a user to perform any one of the following image processing functions:

sharpen, blur, emboss, edge detect, pixelise, or apply filter.

29. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 7 wherein separate control icons are provided for the upper and lower limits of the value of an image property and a further icon is provided for the overall range of the value of the image property.

30. A digital imaging device as claimed in claim 29 wherein separate icons are provided for varying the value of an image property in relation to different colours.

31. A method of controlling the properties of an image displayed on a touch sensitive screen, comprising the steps of:

displaying a control icon on said screen; and

tapping and/or touching the area of the screen upon which the control icon is displayed wherein the control icon has at least two portions, each portion operative to vary the particular image property in a different manner.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein a plurality of control icons are provided, each control icon operative to control a different image property.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32 wherein said control icons each have a plurality of different portions, each portion having a different function to the other portions of the control icon when touched or tapped.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein each control icon comprises a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein touching the first end portion increases the value of a selected image property and touching the second end portion decreases the value of the selected image property.

36. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein tapping the first or second end portions of the icon is used to increase or decrease the value of the image property incrementally.

37. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein maintaining touching contact with the first end portion continuously increases the value of the selected image property and maintaining touching contact with the second end portion continuously decreases the value of the selected image property.

38. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein the increase or decrease in the value of the selected image property is determined by the duration of the touching contact.

39. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein the increase or decrease in the value of the image property is proportional to the duration of the contact.

40. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein the rate of increase or decrease in value of the value of the image property is proportional to the duration of the contact.

41. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein by touching the intermediate portion of the control icon, the user defines an origin.

42. A method as claimed in claim 41 wherein if touching contact is maintained, the value of the image property is varied by dragging the point of contact towards either end portion of the icon.

43. A method as claimed in claim 42 wherein if the point of contact is dragged towards the first end of the icon, the value of the image property is increased and if the point of contact is dragged towards the second end of the icon, the value of the image property is decreased.

44. A method as claimed in claim 43 wherein the increase or decrease in the value of the image property is proportional to the overall displacement of the point of contact from the origin towards either end portion.