Touch screen device and operating method thereof

• US 20070273673A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• 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 8,169,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• 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 method of operating a touch screen device in portable electronic equipment, the touch screen device having a touch screen having a predetermined viewing area configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the touch screen and generate a signal corresponding to the touch, and a controller configured to receive signals from and send signals to the detector, the method comprising:

detecting a signal input from a switch;

determining whether the input signal is a holding signal and then changing the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are prevented from being transferred to the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal;

determining whether the input signal is an activation signal and then changing the touch screen device from the holding mode to an activation mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are allowed to be transferred to the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

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 method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch is mounted on an earphone.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the earphone is a wireless earphone employing short range wireless communications.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the short range wireless communication signal is a wireless signal employing ZigBee™

or Bluetooth™

method.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

8. A method of operating portable digital electronic equipment mounted with a touch screen device, comprising the method of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable digital electronic 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 for portable electronic equipment, comprising:

a touch screen having a predetermined viewing area configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the touch screen and generate a signal corresponding to the touch;

a controller configured to receive signals from and send signals to the detector; and

a switch in communication with the controller, wherein when the detector detects a signal input from a switch, the controller determines whether the input signal is a holding signal and then changes the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are prevented from being transferred to the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal, and determines whether the input signal is an activation signal and then changes the touch screen device from the holding mode to an activation mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are allowed to be transferred to the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the switch is mounted within a stylus housing.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, 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.

13. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the switch is mounted on an earphone.

14. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the earphone is a wireless earphone employing short range wireless communications.

15. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the short range wireless communication signal is a wireless signal employing ZigBee™

or Bluetooth™

method.

16. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

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

18. The digital equipment of claim 17, wherein the portable digital electronic equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

19. A method of operating a touch screen device in portable electronic equipment, the touch screen device having a touch screen having a predetermined viewing area configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the touch screen and generate a signal corresponding to the touch, and a controller configured to receive signals from and send signals to the detector, the method comprising:

detecting a signal input from the detector;

determining whether the input signal is a holding signal and then changing the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are ignored by the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal;

determining whether the input signal is an activation signal and then changing the touch screen device from the holding mode to an activation mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are not ignored by the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

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

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

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

or Bluetooth™

method.

23. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

24. A method of operating portable digital electronic equipment mounted with a touch screen device, comprising the method of claim 19.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the portable digital electronic equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.

26. A touch screen device for portable electronic equipment, comprising:

a touch screen having a predetermined viewing area configured to display images thereon and a detector configured to detect a touch on the touch screen and generate a signal corresponding to the touch; and

a controller configured to receive signals from and send signals to the detector, wherein when the detector detects a signal input from the detector, the controller determines whether the input signal is a holding signal and then changes the touch screen device to a holding mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are ignored by the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the holding signal, and determines whether the input signal is an activation signal and then changes the touch screen device from the holding mode to an activation mode in which signals generated by the detector in response to a touch on the touch screen are not ignored by the controller if it is determined that the input signal is the activation signal.

27. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the switch is mounted on an earphone.

28. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 27, wherein the earphone is a wireless earphone employing short range wireless communications.

29. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 28, wherein the short range wireless communication signal is a wireless signal employing ZigBee™

or Bluetooth™

method.

30. The touch screen device as claimed in claim 26, wherein at least one of the holding and activation signals is defined and set by a user.

31. Digital equipment comprising the touch screen device of claim 26.

32. The digital equipment of claim 31, wherein the portable digital electronic equipment comprises a MP3 player, a PDA, a portable media player, a portable terminal, a navigation system, or a notebook computer.