TOUCH SCREEN WITH USER INTERFACE ENHANCEMENT

• US 20100214250A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillespie, David W., Grate, Leslie R., Hsu, Andrew C., Trent, Ray
• Application Number:
  US12/777,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present invention is a graphical user interface in a computing device having a processor running an operating system and a display. The graphical user interface comprises a touch screen and a driver coupling the touch screen to the operating system. The driver can display a plurality of icons on the touch screen, or a plurality of screen images having at least one icon, with each of the icons associated with operations on the display and/or the touch screen. Other embodiments include the touch screen having unactivated and activated states, as well as the presence of an application programming interface that enables an application to display at least one image on the touch screen.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a body;

a main display coupled to the body; and

a touch screen coupled to the body and separate from the main display, wherein the touch screen is configured to display an auxiliary image specific to a software application running on the computing system and having an associated image displayed on the main display.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is further configured to:

display a second auxiliary image specific to a second software application when the second software application has a second associated image displayed on the main display.

3. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is further configured to:

respond to user input motion occurring while the touch screen is displaying the auxiliary image in a way other than causing motion on the main display; and

respond to user input motion occurring while the touch screen is displaying a second auxiliary image different from the auxiliary image by causing motion on the main display.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary image includes an image of a control, and the touch screen responds to user input motion occurring while the touch screen is displaying the auxiliary image by causing action associated with the control.

5. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

displaying information about what is shown by the associated image displayed on the main display.

6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

displaying the auxiliary image in response to a full-screen presentation of the software application on the main display.

7. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

providing controls in response to at least one of a video software application and a music software application.

8. The computing system of claim 7 wherein the controls comprise at least one of a play control, a pause control, a fast forward control, and a reverse control.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

displaying an advertisement associated with the world wide web.

10. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary image comprises at least one of a table of contents and a set of thumbnail images.

11. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

displaying a dialog associated with the software application.

12. The computing system of claim 11 wherein user interaction with the dialog affects the associated image displayed on the main display.

13. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the dialog comprises a search dialog.

14. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the touch screen is configured to display the auxiliary image specific to the software application running on the computing system by:

displaying toolbar controls associated with the software application.

15. The computing system of claim 14 wherein the toolbar controls comprises at least one of an open file control, a save file control, a cut control, a copy control, and a paste control.

16. A method of operating a computing system comprising a body, a main display physically coupled to the body, and a touch screen physically coupled to the body and separate from the main display, the method comprising:

displaying an image on the main display, the image associated with a software application running on the computing system; and

displaying an auxiliary image on the touch screen, the auxiliary image specific to the software application.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

displaying a second image on the main display, the second image associated with a second software application running on the computing system; and

displaying a second auxiliary image on the touch screen, the second auxiliary image specific to the second software application.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the auxiliary image includes an image of a control, and further comprising:

causing an action associated with the control in response to user input occurring proximate to the control while the touch screen is displaying the image of the control.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of displaying the auxiliary image on the touch screen comprises:

displaying the auxiliary image in response to a full-screen presentation of the software application on the main display.

20. A computing device comprising:

a body

a main display rotatably coupled to the body; and

a touch screen integrated in the body and separate from the main display, wherein the touch screen is configured to;

activate a function associated with an icon displayed on the touch screen in response to a special user input near the icon.

21. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the touch screen is configured to activate the function associated with the icon displayed on the touch screen in response to the special user input near the icon by:

activating the function in response to sensing a double tap on the icon.

22. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the touch screen is configured to activate the function associated with the icon displayed on the touch screen in response to the special user input near the icon by:

activating the function in response to sensing touch by multiple input objects at the icon.

23. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the touch screen is configured to activate the function associated with the icon displayed on the touch screen in response to the special user input near the icon by:

activating the function in response to sensing an input object hovering over the icon, without touching the touch screen.