METHOD FOR OPERATING TOUCH SCREEN AND MOBILE TERMINAL INCLUDING SAME

• US 20100273533A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHO, Young Ho
• Application Number:
  US12/765,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273533A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 method for operating a touch screen and a mobile terminal including the same are provided. A virtual touch map, which corresponds in a one-to-one manner to a display unit and a touch panel disposed on the display unit, is generated. A predetermined region of the virtual touch map is divided into valid touch event regions and an invalid region, and specified index information is allocated to the valid touch event regions to provide rapid touch event processing.

Claims

1. A method for operating a touch screen for a mobile terminal having a touch panel and a display unit, comprising:

dividing the display unit into at least one of;

a plurality of pixels constituting resolution of the display unit and a predetermined number of pixel units;

mapping the selected pixels or predetermined number of pixel units onto at least one lattice unit constituting a matrix of the touch panel in a one-to-one manner; and

generating a virtual touch map based on information mapped in the one-to-one manner.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

detecting position information that corresponds to the touch event based on a position in the virtual touch map; and

setting the virtual touch map as at least one of at least one valid touch event region in which an input signal according to a touch event is generated and an invalid region in which the input signal according to the touch event is not generated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the valid touch event region is a looped curve region of which a part or the whole includes at least one of a straight line and a curve.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

allocating specified index information to the at least one valid touch event region.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transferring the allocated index information to the control unit if the touch event has occurred in the valid touch event region.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of index information from a plurality of valid touch event regions;

calculating weight values of the received index information; and

determining the touch event as that index information having a largest weight value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

making the virtual touch map correspond to at least one of at least one valid touch event region and an invalid region included in a specified screen user interface; and

storing the virtual touch map to which the specified screen user interface has been applied in a memory as a map image.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising activating the virtual touch map stored in the memory when the specified screen user interface is activated.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the valid touch event region included in the virtual touch map is a looped curve region of which includes a curve.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising at least one of:

making the virtual touch map correspond to at least one of at least one valid touch event region and an invalid region included in a specified screen user interface, and storing position information of at least one of at least one valid touch event region and an invalid regions included in the virtual touch map as text information; and

setting the virtual touch map in the memory based on the text information when the specified screen user interface is activated.

11. A mobile terminal having a touch screen comprising:

a display unit capable of;

being dividing into predetermined regions in pixel units; and

displaying a display screen according to an activation of an application program;

a touch panel capable of;

being divided in the form of a matrix and generating a touch event that corresponds to the touched point when a predetermined point is touched;

a control unit generating a virtual touch map by mapping pixels or pixel units having a predetermined number of pixels in at least one lattice unit constituting a matrix of the touch panel in a one-to-one manner; and

a storage unit storing the virtual touch map.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit detects position information that corresponds to the generated touch event based on a position in the virtual touch map.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit sets respective regions of the virtual touch map as at least one of:

at least one valid touch event region in which an input signal according to the touch event is generated; and

an invalid region in which the input signal according to the touch event is not generated.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the valid touch event region is a looped region of which a part or the whole includes at least one of a straight line and a curve.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the virtual touch map includes index information that is allocated to the at least one valid touch event region.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the control unit detects the allocated index information of the touch event which has occurred in the valid touch event region.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein if a plurality of index information is received from a plurality of valid touch event regions, the control unit calculates weight values of the received index information, and determines the touch event as that index information having a largest weight value.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the storage unit stores at least one of:

a map image corresponding to a virtual touch map in which at least one valid touch event region and an invalid region, which are included in the specified screen interface, is set; and

text information indicating at least one position information of the valid touch event region and the invalid region included in the virtual touch map.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the control unit activates the stored map image and sets the virtual touch map in a memory based on the text information when the screen user interface is activated.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the valid touch event region included in the virtual touch map is a looped region of which at least a part includes a curve.