EXTENDED TOUCH-SENSITIVE CONTROL AREA FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20090278806A1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Skillman, Peter, Shiplacoff, Daniel Marc Gatan, Duarte, Matias Gonzalo, Lyon, Jeremy Godfrey, Mercer, Paul, Dominguez, Dianne Parry
• Application Number:
  US12/115,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Abstract

A touch-sensitive display screen is enhanced by a touch-sensitive control area that extends beyond the edges of the display screen. The touch-sensitive area outside the display screen, referred to as a “gesture area,” allows a user to activate commands using a gesture vocabulary. In one aspect, the present invention allows some commands to be activated by inputting a gesture within the gesture area. Other commands can be activated by directly manipulating on-screen objects. Yet other commands can be activated by beginning a gesture within the gesture area, and finishing it on the screen (or vice versa), and/or by performing input that involves contemporaneous contact with both the gesture area and the screen.

Claims

1. A device for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of the device, adapted to detect user contact and to display at least one directly-manipulable object;

a touch-sensitive gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device, adapted to detect user contact; and

a processor, coupled to the display screen and to the gesture area, adapted to interpret a plurality of gesture commands, the plurality of gesture commands comprising at least one command specified lo by user contact with both the touch-sensitive gesture area and the display screen.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one command is specified by combination of a gesture performed within the gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein:

the user contact with the touch-sensitive gesture area specifies an action to be performed; and

the user contact with the display screen specifies an object on which the action is to be performed.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein:

the user contact with the display screen specifies a command; and

the user contact with the touch-sensitive gesture area modifies the command.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the gesture and the direct manipulation are at least partially contemporaneous.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the gesture and the direct manipulation are substantially simultaneous.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the combination of the gesture and the direct manipulation comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one gesture performed within the gesture area followed by at least one direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen; and

at least one direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen followed by at least one gesture performed within the gesture area.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one command is specified by at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one gesture initiated within the gesture area and completed on the display screen; and

at least one gesture initiated on the display screen and completed within the gesture area.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gesture commands further comprises:

at least one command specified by direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen; and

at least one command specified by a gesture performed within the touch-sensitive gesture area.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gesture commands control operation of a software application running on the device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the gesture area is adjacent to the display screen.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the gesture area adjoins the display screen.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the gesture area surrounds the display screen.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the gesture area occupies substantially the entire portion of the front surface of the device not occupied by the display screen.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one physical button positioned within the front surface of the device;

wherein the gesture area surrounds the physical button.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the at least one physical button is touch-sensitive.

17. The device of claim 15, the display screen and the gesture area detect user contact by detecting changes in a capacitance field.

18. A method for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

displaying at least one directly-manipulable object on a touch-sensitive display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of a device;

detecting user gestures entered by contact with both the touch-sensitive display screen and a touch-sensitive gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device;

interpreting the detected user gestures; and

performing actions responsive to the interpreted gestures.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one gesture comprises at least one action performed within the touch-sensitive gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one user gesture comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one gesture initiated within the gesture area and completed on the display screen; and

at least one gesture initiated on the display screen and completed within the gesture area.

21. A computer program product for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, programmatically configured to perform the steps of;

displaying at least one directly-manipulable object on a touch-sensitive display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of a device;

detecting user gestures entered by contact with both the touch-sensitive display screen and a touch-sensitive gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device;

interpreting the detected user gestures; and

performing actions responsive to the interpreted gestures.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein at least one gesture comprises at least one action performed within the touch-sensitive gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein at least one user gesture comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

at least one gesture initiated within the gesture area and completed on the display screen; and

at least one gesture initiated on the display screen and completed within the gesture area.

24. A device for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

a display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of the device, adapted to detect user gestures and to display at least one directly-manipulable object;

a gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device, adapted to detect user gestures; and

a processor, coupled to the display screen and to the gesture area, adapted to interpret a plurality of gesture commands, the plurality of gesture commands comprising at least one command specified by user interaction with both the gesture area and the display screen.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein:

the display screen is adapted to detect user gestures performed proximate to the surface of the display screen; and

the gesture area is adapted to detect user gestures performed proximate to the surface of the gesture area.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein at least one command is specified by combination of a gesture performed proximate to the gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein:

a gesture performed proximate to the touch-sensitive gesture area specifies an action to be performed; and

a gesture performed proximate to the display screen specifies an object on which the action is to be performed.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein:

a gesture performed proximate to the display screen specifies a command; and

a gesture performed proximate to the touch-sensitive gesture area modifies the command.

29. A method for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

displaying at least one directly-manipulable object on a display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of a device, the display screen being adapted to detect user gestures;

detecting user gestures proximate to both the touch-sensitive display screen and a gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device, the gesture area being adapted to detect user gestures;

interpreting the detected user gestures; and

performing actions responsive to the interpreted gestures.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein at least one gesture comprises at least one action performed within the gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.

31. A computer program product for accepting gesture commands from a user, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, programmatically configured to perform the steps of;

displaying at least one directly-manipulable object on a display screen occupying a portion of a front surface of a device, the display screen being adapted to detect user gestures;

detecting user gestures proximate to both the touch-sensitive display screen and a gesture area occupying a portion of the front surface of the device, the gesture area being adapted to detect user gestures;

interpreting the detected user gestures; and

performing actions responsive to the interpreted gestures.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein at least one gesture comprises at least one action performed within the gesture area and a direct manipulation of at least one object displayed on the display screen.