Soft key interaction indicator

• US 20070146336A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran, Christie, Greg, Ording, Bas, Van Os, Marcel, Forstall, Scott, Anzures, Freddy, Lemay, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,649,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

An indication of interaction with a touch-sensitive display is provided. A soft key is displayed on the touch-sensitive display. Contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to interaction with the soft key is detected. The periphery of the soft key smoothly changes in optical intensity in response to detecting the contact.

Claims

1. A method of indicating interaction on a device comprising a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

displaying a soft key on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to interaction with the soft key; and

smoothly changing an optical intensity of a periphery of the soft key in response to detecting the contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein smoothly changing comprises smoothly changing the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein smoothly changing comprises smoothly increasing and decreasing the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the soft key comprises a band surrounding the soft key.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the optical intensity comprises smoothly increasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the contact.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting a release of the contact; and

smoothly decreasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the release of the contact.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

smoothly increasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the contact; and

smoothly decreasing the optical intensity in response to detecting a release of the contact.

8. A portable wireless electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to display a soft key on the touch-sensitive display;

to detect contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to interaction with the soft key; and

to smoothly change an optical intensity of a periphery of the soft key upon detection of the contact.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules include instructions to smoothly change the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules include instructions to smoothly increase and decrease the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the periphery of the soft key comprises a band surrounding the soft key.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules include instructions to smoothly increase the optical intensity upon detection of the contact.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more modules include instructions:

to detect a release of the contact; and

to smoothly decrease the optical intensity upon detection of the release of the contact.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more modules include instructions:

to smoothly increase the optical intensity upon detection of the contact; and

to smoothly decrease the optical intensity upon detection of a release of the contact.

15. A system for indicating interaction on a device comprising a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

means for displaying a soft key on the touch-sensitive display;

means for detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to interaction with the soft key; and

means for smoothly changing an optical intensity of a periphery of the soft key in response to detecting the contact.

16. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a portable wireless electronic device, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions for:

displaying a soft key on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to interaction with the soft key; and

smoothly changing an optical intensity of a periphery of the soft key in response to detecting the contact.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for smoothly changing comprise instructions for smoothly changing the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for smoothly changing comprise instructions for smoothly increasing and decreasing the optical intensity according to a periodic function.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the periphery of the soft key comprises an annular region surrounding the soft key.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for changing the optical intensity comprise instructions for smoothly increasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the contact.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

detecting a release of the contact; and

smoothly decreasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the release of the contact.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for:

smoothly increasing the optical intensity in response to detecting the contact; and

smoothly decreasing the optical intensity in response to detecting a release of the contact.

23. A graphical user interface on a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

a soft key with a periphery, wherein the periphery smoothly changes in optical intensity in response to detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display that corresponds to interaction with the soft key.