User input device for electronic device

• US 20060238495A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,692,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A user input device for controlling the movement of a cursor in a graphical user interface (GUI) includes a touch sensitive surface arranged to provide a pre-defined number of touch sensitive surface areas substantially continuous with one another each of which is associated with a corresponding pre-defined functionality. Touching contact with the given surface area causes the cursor to move in the corresponding direction or to stop. The speed of the cursor is controlled by the touching contact which may be a sliding, tapping, pressure or other suitable contact.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a user input device comprising;

a touch sensitive surface being arranged to provide a pre-defined desired number of touch sensitive surface areas each of said touch sensitive areas being associated with a corresponding pre-defined functionality;

appropriate control circuitry responsive to touching contact with said touch sensitive surface for controlling the movement of a cursor in a display graphic shown on a screen carried by the electronic device wherein;

in a first pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a first pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding first direction;

in a second pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a second pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding second direction; and

in a third pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a third pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to stop movement.

2. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 further comprising said first, second and third pre-defined surface areas being arranged such that said first pre-defined surface area is juxtaposed and substantially continuous with said third pre-defined surface area and said third pre-defined surface area is juxtaposed and substantially continuous with said second pre-defined surface area.

3. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a sliding motion touching contact in a first direction with said first pre-defined surface area for accelerating the cursor movement in said corresponding first direction.

4. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a sliding motion touching contact in a second direction opposite said first direction with said first pre-defined surface area for slowing the cursor movement in said corresponding first direction.

5. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a sliding motion touching contact in a first direction with said second pre-defined surface area for accelerating the cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

6. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a sliding motion touching contact in a second direction with said second pre-defined surface area for slowing the cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

7. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cursor movement in said corresponding first direction is opposite to said cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

8. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a tapping touching contact for moving the cursor a first pre-defined desired distance in said corresponding first direction in response to a tapping touching contact with said first pre-defined surface area and a second pre-defined desired distance in said corresponding second direction in response to a tapping touching contact with said second pre-defined surface area.

9. The electronic device as defined in claim 8 wherein the cursor moves said respective first and second pre-defined desired distance each time said tapping touching contact is made with said respective first pre-defined surface area and said second pre-defined surface area.

10. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said touching contact further comprises a continued pressing touching contact against said touch sensitive surface.

11. The electronic device as defined in claim 10 wherein the cursor moves until said continued pressing touching contact is removed from said touch sensitive surface.

12. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein a touching contact with said third pre-defined surface area activates a corresponding operation identified at a given cursor location in the display graphic.

13. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is portable and pocket sized and for handheld usage.

14. The electronic device is defined in claim 13 wherein the electronic device is a mobile cellular telephone.

15. The electronic device as defined in claim 13 wherein the electronic device is a gaming device.

16. The electronic device as defined in claim 1 wherein said screen carried by said portable electronic device is a touch sensitive screen and said touch sensitive surface comprises at least a portion of said touch sensitive screen.

17. A user input device comprising:

a touch sensitive surface, said touch sensitive surface being arranged to provide a pre-defined desired number of touch sensitive surface areas each of said touch sensitive areas being associated with a corresponding pre-defined functionality;

appropriate control circuitry responsive to touching contact with said touch sensitive surface for controlling the movement of a cursor in a display graphic wherein;

in a first pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a first pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding first direction;

in a second pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a second pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding second direction; and

in a third pre-defined functionality a touching contact with a third pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to stop movement.

18. The user input device as defined in claim 17 further comprising said first, second and third pre-defined surface areas being arranged such that said first pre-defined surface area is juxtaposed and substantially continuous with said third pre-defined surface area and said third pre-defined surface area is juxtaposed and substantially continuous with said second pre-defined surface area.

19. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein a sliding motion touching contact in a first direction with said first pre-defined surface area accelerates the cursor movement in said corresponding first direction.

20. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein a sliding motion touching contact in a second direction opposite said first direction with said first pre-defined surface area slows the cursor movement in said corresponding first direction.

21. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein a sliding motion touching contact in a first direction with said second pre-defined surface area accelerates the cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

22. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein a sliding motion touching contact in a second direction with said second pre-defined surface area slows the cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

23. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said cursor movement in said corresponding first direction is opposite to said cursor movement in said corresponding second direction.

24. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein the cursor moves a first pre-defined desired distance in said corresponding first direction in response to a touching contact with said first pre-defined surface area and a second pre-defined desired distance in said corresponding second direction in response to a touching contact with said second pre-defined surface area.

25. The user input device as defined in claim 24 wherein the cursor moves said respective first and second pre-defined desired distance each time said touching contact is made with said respective first pre-defined surface area and said second pre-defined surface area.

26. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said touching contact further comprises a continued pressing contact against said touch sensitive surface.

27. The user input device as defined in claim 26 wherein the cursor moves until said continued pressing contact is removed from said touch sensitive surface.

28. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein a touching contact with said third pre-defined surface area activates a corresponding operation identified at a given cursor location in the display graphic.

29. The user input device as defined in claim 17 for use with a portable electronic device wherein the portable electronic device is pocket sized and for handheld use.

30. The user input device is defined in claim 17 for use with a portable electronic device wherein the portable electronic device is a gaming device.

31. The user input device as defined in claim 17 for use with a portable electronic device wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile cellular telephone.

32. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said first element touch sensitive surface is a resistive touch sensitive surface.

33. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said first element touch sensitive surface is a capacitive touch sensitive surface.

34. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said first element touch sensitive surface is an inductive touch sensitive surface.

35. The user input device as defined in claim 17 wherein said touching contact is a sliding touching contact for causing the cursor to move with an increasing speed proportional to the speed of the sliding touching contact movement along a touch sensitive surface area.

36. The user input device as defined in claim 35 wherein successive sliding touching contact movement causes the cursor to move correspondingly faster with each successive sliding touching contact movement.

37. Method, comprising the steps of:

controlling the movement of a cursor in a display graphic using a user input device comprising a touch sensitive surface arranged to provide a number of adjacent touch sensitive surface areas, each of said touch sensitive surface areas being associated with a corresponding cursor movement direction and functionality;

touching a touch sensitive surface area;

responding to the touching of touch sensitive surface areas, and, moving the cursor in the direction associated with the touch sensitive area being touched.

38. The method as defined in claim 37 wherein the step of touching further comprises sliding touching contact in a direction for moving the cursor in a direction corresponding to the direction of the sliding touching contact.

39. The method as defined in claim 37 wherein the step of moving the cursor further comprises moving the cursor at an increasing or decreasing speed corresponding to the speed and direction of the sliding touching contact on the corresponding touch sensitive surface area.

40. A touch sensitive element for moving a cursor in a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

a touch sensitive surface arranged to provide a desired number of adjacent touch sensitive surface areas, each of said areas being associated with a corresponding pre-defined cursor movement direction and functionality, each of said areas being responsive to a touching contact to control the movement of the cursor in accordance with the pre-defined direction and functionality associated with said respective touch sensitive surface areas.

41. The touch sensitive element as defined in claim 40 wherein said touching contact is a sliding touching contact for moving the cursor in a direction corresponding to the direction of the sliding touching contact.

42. The touch sensitive element as defined in claim 41 further comprising the cursor moving at an increasing or decreasing speed corresponding to the speed and direction of the sliding touching contact on said touch sensitive surface area.

43. The touch sensitive element as defined in claim 40 wherein said touching contact is a tapping touching contact.

44. Computer program carried on a storage medium and executable by a processor in an electronic device for controlling the movement of a cursor in a display graphic shown on a screen carried by the electronic device having a user input device comprising a touch sensitive surface arranged to provide a pre-defined desired number of touch sensitive surface areas each of said touch sensitive areas being associated with a corresponding cursor movement direction and functionality wherein touching contact in a first pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding first direction, touching contact in a second pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to move in a corresponding second direction, and touching contact in a third pre-defined surface area causes the cursor to stop movement.