Touch screen device and operating method thereof

• US 20070273665A1
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bae, Seung Jun, Park, Ho Joo, Kang, Seong Cheol, Koo, Yoon Hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/10 Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H

Abstract

A touch screen device and an operating method thereof are provided. More specifically, a touch screen device is provided which allows a user to selectively restrict input through a touch screen. The touch screen device includes a screen that includes a display configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the display and convert the touch into an electrical signal, and a controller configured to cause images to be displayed on the display and receive and process signals from the detector. Further, a user may determine whether the controller is operated according to the signal input into the detector. The determination may be made either by a switch separately installed on an earphone or by inputting a signal into the detector by a user.

Claims

1. A touch screen device, comprising:

a screen comprising a display configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the screen;

a controller configured to control an operation of the touch screen device in accordance with the screen touch detected by the detector; and

a switch configured to selectively allow or prevent a signal of the detector to be or from being transmitted to the controller.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch is mounted within a stylus housing.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the stylus is removed from the housing, the switch allows the signal of the detector to be transmitted to the controller, and when the stylus is returned to the housing, the switch prevents the signal of the detector from being transmitted to the controller.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch is mounted on an earphone.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switch allows an on/off signal for blocking or connecting a signal output by the detector to be transmitted to the controller through an output terminal of the earphone.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the earphone is a wireless earphone employing short range wireless communications and the on/off signal is a short range wireless communication signal.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the short range wireless communication signal is a wireless signal employing a ZigBee™

or Bluetooth™

method.

8. Digital equipment comprising the touch screen device of claim 1.

9. The digital equipment of claim 8, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

10. A touch screen device, comprising:

a screen comprising a display configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the screen; and

a controller configured to control operation of the touch screen device in accordance with the screen touch detected by the detector, wherein the controller ignores signals input from the detector until an activation signal is input to the controller, if a holding signal is input to the controller.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a stylus housing.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the stylus is removed from the housing, the activation signal is input to the controller, and when the stylus is returned to the housing, the holding signal is input to the controller.

13. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals can be input or changed by a user.

14. Digital equipment comprising the touch screen device of claim 10.

15. The digital equipment of claim 14, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

16. A touch screen device, comprising:

a screen comprising a display configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the screen;

a controller configured to control an operation of the touch screen device in accordance with the screen touch detected by the detector; and

a switch configured to deactivate or reactivate functions of the touch screen device.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the switch is mounted within a stylus housing.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein when the stylus is removed from the housing, the switch activates functions of the touch screen device, and when the stylus is returned to the housing, the switch deactivates functions of the touch screen device.

19. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the switch is mounted on an earphone.

20. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the earphone is a wireless earphone employing short range wireless communications.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the short range wireless communication signal is a wireless signal employing a ZigBee™

or Bluetooth™

method.

22. Digital equipment comprising the touch screen device of claim 16.

23. The digital equipment of claim 22, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

24. A touch screen device, comprising:

a touch panel configured to detect a screen touch by a user;

a touch panel controller configured to signalize the touch detected on the touch panel and control the touch panel;

a display configured to display images;

a user command storage device configured to store types of the touch and corresponding user commands; and

a main controller configured to control operations of the touch panel controller and the display.

25. The device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the user command information includes a holding command for terminating inputs from the touch panel and an activation command for canceling a holding mode.

26. The device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the user command information includes a partial holding command for terminating inputs from only some functions and a partial activation command for canceling only the holding mode of some functions.

27. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the user command storage device comprises a NOR flash memory.

28. The device as claimed in claim 27, further comprising:

a USB port connected to an external device configured to update or modify the user command information stored in the user command storage device.

29. The device as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

a data storage device configured to store data of the touch screen device; and

a RAM configured to drive the touch screen.

30. The device as claimed in claim 29, wherein a portion of the data storage device is configured into the user command storage device.

31. A method of operating a touch screen device, comprising:

detecting a signal input from a switch;

determining whether the input signal is a holding signal and then switching the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals input through a touch screen are prevented from being transferred to a controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal; and

determining whether the input signal is an activation signal and then switching the touch screen from the holding mode to an activation mode if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising:

transferring the input signal to the controller and then processing the signals input through a touch screen if the touch screen is in the activation mode and the input signal is a signal other than the holding signal.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

34. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

35. A method of operating digital equipment mounted with a touch screen device, comprising the method of claim 31.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

37. A method of operating a touch screen device, comprising:

detecting a signal input from a touch screen;

determining whether the input signal is a holding signal and then switching the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals input through a touch screen are ignored by a controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal; and

determining whether the input signal is an activation signal and then switching the touch screen from the holding mode to an activation mode if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

38. The method as claimed in claim 37, further comprising:

transferring the input signal to the controller and then processing the signals input through a touch screen if the touch screen is in the activation mode and the input signal is a signal other than the holding signal.

39. The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

40. The method as claimed in claim 37, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

41. A method of operating digital equipment mounted with a touch screen device, comprising the method of claim 37.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

43. A method of operating a touch screen device, comprising:

detecting a signal input from a switch;

determining whether the input signal is a holding signal and then switching the touch screen to a holding mode in which functions of the touch screen device are deactivated if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal; and

determining whether the input signal is an activation signal and then switching the touch screen from the holding mode to an activation mode in which the functions of the touch screen device are reactivated if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

44. The method as claimed in claim 43, further comprising:

transferring the input signal to the controller and then processing the signals input through the touch screen if the touch screen is in the activation mode and the input signal is a signal other than the holding signal.

45. The method as claimed in claim 44, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

46. The method as claimed in claim 43, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

47. A method of operating digital equipment mounted with a touch screen device, comprising the method of claim 43.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the digital equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.