Item navigation and selection methods

• US 20080079698A1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Kao, Yih-Feng, Chen, Hsi-Kun
• Application Number:
  US11/882,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20080079698A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Item navigation and selection methods are provided. Scrolling navigation and item selection can be initiated on a list of items by contact with a specific zone on a touch-sensitive mechanism. Contact movement along the touch-sensitive mechanism allows scrolling and selection of specific items.

Claims

1. An item navigation and selection method, comprising:

detecting contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

in response to the contact, determining a first group from a sequence of item groups according to a contact position on the touch-sensitive mechanism, and selecting a first item as a selected item from items in the first group;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains; and

if the contact remains and moves toward a direction, re-selecting a second item as the selected item from the items according to the direction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the contact is detected,

in response to the contact, displaying part or all of the items in a display unit; and

highlighting the selected first item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a schematic diagram of the touch-sensitive mechanism in a display unit, where the schematic diagram comprises a plurality of regions corresponding to respective item groups; and

marking a contact position corresponding to the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism in the schematic diagram.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact is in a specific portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism, wherein the touch-sensitive mechanism comprises an elongated touch-sensitive surface, and the specific portion comprises one of two ends of the elongated touch-sensitive surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact is in any portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact is in any portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism and contacts for a predetermined interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact is detected by detecting signals corresponding to contact made with the touch-sensitive mechanism.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the contact remains and moves toward the direction, and the second item is the final item in the first group, re-determining a second group from the item groups according to the direction; and

re-selecting a third item as the selected item from items in the second group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the items are grouped into item groups according to letter, numeral, or date.

10. An item navigation and selection method, comprising:

detecting contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

determining a specific position from a sequence of a plurality of items according to a contact position on the touch-sensitive mechanism;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains;

and

if the contact remains and moves in a direction, the items are navigated from the specific position in the sequence according to the direction.

11. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed, causes a portable device to perform an item navigation and selection method, the method comprising:

detecting a contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

in response to the contact, determining a first group from a sequence of item groups, and selecting a first item as a selected item from items in the first group;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains; and

if the contact remains and moves toward a direction, re-selecting a second item as the selected item from the items according to the direction.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

when the contact is detected,

in response to the contact, displaying part or all of the items in a display unit; and

highlighting the selected first item.

13. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a schematic diagram of the touch-sensitive mechanism in a display unit, where the schematic diagram comprises a plurality of regions corresponding to respective item groups; and

marking a contact position corresponding to the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism in the schematic diagram.

14. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the contact is in a specific portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism, wherein the touch-sensitive mechanism comprises an elongated touch-sensitive surface, and the specific portion comprises one of two ends of the elongated touch-sensitive surface.

15. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the contact is in any portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism.

16. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the contact is in any portion of the touch-sensitive mechanism for a predetermined interval.

17. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the contact is detected by detecting signals corresponding to contact made with the touch-sensitive mechanism.

18. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

if the contact remains and moves toward the direction, and the second item is the final item in the first group, re-determining a second group from the item groups according to the direction; and

re-selecting a third item as the selected item from items in the second group.

19. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the items are grouped into item groups according to letter, numeral, or date.

20. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the portable device comprises a PDA, smart phone, global positioning device, or mobile phone.

21. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed, causes a portable device to perform an item navigation and selection method, the method comprising:

detecting contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

determining a specific position from a sequence of a plurality of items according to a contact position on the touch-sensitive mechanism;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains; and

if the contact remains and moves toward a direction, the items are navigated from the specific position in the sequence according to the direction.

22. An item navigation and selection method, comprising:

detecting a contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

in response to the contact, determining a specific position from a sequence of items, where the sequence comprises a plurality of item groups, each comprising at least one item;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains;

if the contact remains and moves toward a first direction, the items are navigated from the specific position according to the first direction;

determining whether the movement conforms to a condition; and

if the movement conforms to the condition, the item groups are navigated according to the first direction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein when the item groups are navigated according to the direction, further comprising:

if the contact does not remain, selecting a default item from a current navigated item group;

detecting contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism again; and

if the contact remains and moves toward a second direction, the items are navigated from the default item according to the second direction.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising determining whether the movement conforms to the condition by determining whether a movement speed or distance, or a contact time on the touch-sensitive mechanism reaches a predetermined threshold.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein when the item groups are navigated, further comprising displaying the item groups every predetermined interval in order for navigation.

26. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed, causes a portable device to perform an item navigation and selection method, the method comprising:

detecting contact on a touch-sensitive mechanism;

in response to the contact, determining a specific position from a sequence of items, where the sequence comprises a plurality of item groups, each comprising at least one item;

determining whether the contact on the touch-sensitive mechanism remains;

if the contact remains and moves toward a first direction, the items are navigated from the specific position according to the first direction;

determining whether the movement conforms to a condition; and

if the movement conforms to the condition, the item groups are navigated according to the first direction.