PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20100087228A1
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: WOOD, Todd, YACH, David Paul, MAJOR, Harry Richmond, LAZARIDIS, Mihal, GRIFFIN, Jason T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method of controlling a portable electronic device that has a touch screen display includes providing a graphical user interface including an area defined by a boundary, detecting a touch event at a touch location within the area defined by the boundary on the touch screen display, determining if the touch location has moved to a new location outside of the area defined by the boundary; and performing an action in response to detecting the touch event at the touch location within the area defined by the boundary and determining that the touch location has moved from the area defined by the boundary to the new location outside of the area defined by the boundary.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a portable electronic device having a touch screen display, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface on the touch screen display, the graphical user interface including an area defined by a boundary;

detecting a touch event at a touch location within the area defined by the boundary on the touch screen display;

determining if the touch location has moved to a new location outside of the area defined by the boundary; and

performing an action in response to detecting the touch event at the touch location within the area defined by the boundary and determining that the touch location has moved from the area defined by the boundary to the new location outside of the area defined by the boundary.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises rendering a new screen within the area.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising determining a direction of change of the touch location, and wherein rendering comprises rendering the new screen based on the direction of change of the touch location.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein rendering a new screen within the area comprises scrolling based on the direction of change of the touch location.

5. The method according to claim 2, comprising determining if there is a change in the touch location prior to determining if the touch location has moved to said new location outside of said area defined by the boundary and, if the touch event ends absent a change in the touch location, selecting a feature in the area based on the touch location.

6. The method according to claim 2, comprising determining if there is a further change in the touch location and, if so, repeating determining if the touch location has moved to a new location outside the area defined by the boundary and, rendering a new screen within the area in response to determining that the touch location has moved to the new location outside of the area defined by the boundary.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein rendering the new screen comprises scrolling.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising repeating rendering while touch contact is maintained at said location outside the area defined by the boundary, thereby continuing scrolling.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a speed of said scrolling is dependent on a distance of said new touch location from said boundary.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said speed increases with distance of said new touch location from said boundary.

11. The method according to claim 7, comprising determining a distance of said new location from said boundary and determining a delay time based on said distance prior to rendering.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said delay time decreases with an increase in said distance to thereby increasing a scrolling speed.

13. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch screen display; and

functional components including a processor connected to the touch screen display, and a memory device for storage of computer-readable program code executable by the processor for providing a graphical user interface including an area defined by a boundary, detecting a touch event at a touch location within the area defined by the boundary on the touch screen display, determining if the touch location has moved to a new location outside of the area defined by the boundary, and performing an action in response to detecting the touch event at the touch location within the area defined by the boundary and determining that the touch location has moved from the area defined by the boundary to the new location outside of the area defined by the boundary.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for execution by a processor for providing a graphical user interface on a touch screen display, the graphical user interface including an area defined by a boundary, detecting a touch event at a touch location within the area defined by the boundary on the touch screen display, determining if the touch location has moved to a new location outside of the area defined by the boundary, and performing an action in response to detecting the touch event at the touch location within the area defined by the boundary and determining that the touch location has moved from the area defined by the boundary to the new location outside of the area defined by the boundary.