ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING TOUCH-SENSITIVE INPUT SURFACE AND METHOD OF DETERMINING USER-SELECTED INPUT

• US 20090267904A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: HO, Colin, LEE, Jong-Suk, TONG, Kuo-Feng, BELLS, Matthew, GRIFFIN, Jason T., RIDER, Douglas, LANGLOIS, Michael, MAK-FAN, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A method of determining input at a touch-sensitive input surface of a portable electronic device includes detecting a touch event at the touch-sensitive input surface, sampling touch attributes during the touch event, determining an actual touch location and determining at least one shift in touch location based on the touch attributes sampled during the touch event, and determining an input based on the actual touch location and the direction of shift of the touch location.

Claims

1. A method of determining input at a touch-sensitive input surface of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a touch event at the touch-sensitive input surface;

sampling touch attributes during the touch event;

determining an actual touch location and determining at least one shift in touch location based on the touch attributes sampled during the touch event; and

determining an input based on the actual touch location and the direction of shift of the touch location.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the input comprises determining a target touch location different from said actual touch location based on the actual touch location and the direction of shift of the touch location.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining the target location is further based on a size of said shift of the touch location.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining at least one shift in the touch location comprises at least one of determining a first shift direction during pressing and determining a second shift direction during release of pressure on the touch-sensitive input surface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining at least one shift in the touch location comprises determining a first shift direction during pressing and determining a second shift direction during release of pressure on the touch-sensitive input surface.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein determining an actual touch location comprises determining an approximate point of change from said first shift direction to said second shift direction and setting a touch location at the approximate point of change as the actual touch location.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining an actual touch location comprises determining the actual touch location based on at least one of said touch attributes sampled during the touch event and confirming the actual touch location based on at least one other of the touch attributes sampled during the touch event.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein confirming the actual touch location comprises confirming the actual touch location based on at least one of an area of contact and a contact pressure at the determined actual touch location.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein sampling the touch attributes during the touch event comprises obtaining touch attributes at regular intervals between detecting the touch event and ending the touch event.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein sampling the touch attributes during the touch event comprises receiving touch signals and determining X and Y locations of contact from the touch signals during the touch event.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising storing the touch attributes after each sample is taken.

12. The method according to claim 1, comprising detecting actuation of a button at said touch-sensitive input surface during the touch event.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein determining an actual touch location comprises determining a location of touch based on the touch attributes sampled at about a time of detecting actuation of the button at said touch-sensitive input surface.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein determining the at least one shift in the touch location comprises at least one of determining a first shift based on the touch attributes sampled prior to actuation of the button and determining a second shift based on the touch attributes sampled after actuation of the button.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein determining the first shift comprises determining a shift direction based on a limited number of samples taken up to the actuation of the button.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein determining the second shift comprises determining a shift direction based on a limited number of samples taken after actuation of the button.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a display device exposed by the housing;

a touch-sensitive input device overlying the display device; and

functional components in the housing comprising a memory device and a processor operably connected to the display device the touch-sensitive input device, and the memory device for executing a program stored in the memory device to cause the electronic device to detect a touch event at the touch-sensitive input device, sample touch attributes during the touch event, determine an actual touch location and determine at least one shift in touch location based on the touch attributes sampled during the touch event, and to determine an input based on the actual touch location and the direction of shift of the touch location.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for execution by a processor for detecting a touch event at a touch-sensitive input surface, sampling touch attributes during the touch event, determining an actual touch location and determining at least one shift in touch location based on the touch attributes sampled during the touch event, and determining an input based on the actual touch location and the direction of shift of the touch location.