TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SEE-THROUGH INPUT

• US 20110107212A1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: JEONG, Wookyung
• Granted Patent: US 8,875,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A terminal and a method for providing a see-through input provide intuitive control of a plurality of applications. The terminal may include a touchscreen to display a first application and a second application and to sense occurrence of a touch and generate a touch signal; and a control unit to determine whether the touch signal is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application and to execute a function of an application corresponding to the general input or the see-through input.

Claims

1. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display a first application and a second application, to sense occurrence of a touch, and generate a touch signal in response to a sensed touch; and

a control unit to determine whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application according to the generated touch signal, and to execute a function of the first application according to the general input or a function of the second application according to the see-through input according to the determination,

wherein a transparency of the first application is varied and the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the specific key input of the terminal is an input using a key of the terminal or an input using a touch sensor installed at a side of the terminal or a back of the terminal.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the transparency of the first application is varied such that each of the first application and the second application are visible.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is a virtual keyboard and the second application is a web browser.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is an MP3 player program and the second application is a web browser.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is a program for transmitting a large-capacity mail and the second application is a picture viewing program.

8. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display an input user interface (UI) and an application, to sense occurrence of a touch, and to generate a touch signal in response to a sensed touch; and

a control unit to determine whether the sensed touch is a general input for the input UI or a see-through input for the application according to the generated touch signal, and to execute a function of the input UI corresponding to the general input or a function of the application corresponding to the see-through input according to the determination,

wherein a transparency of the input UI is varied and the input UI is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the application.

9. A method for providing a see-through input by a terminal with a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application on the touchscreen;

sensing occurrence of a touch and generating a touch signal in response to a sensed touch;

determining whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application according to the generated touch signal;

executing a function of the first application if the touch signal is the general input; and

executing a function of the second application if the touch signal is the see-through input,

wherein a transparency of the first application is varied and the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the specific key input of the terminal is an input using a key of the terminal or an input using a touch sensor installed at a side of the terminal or a back of the terminal.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable media, the media including program instructions to implement a method embodied by a terminal with a touchscreen, the terminal for providing a see-through input, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application;

sensing occurrence of a touch and generating a touch signal in response to a sensed touch;

determining whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application according to the generated touch signal;

executing a function of the first application if the touch signal is the general input; and

executing a function of the second application if the touch signal is the see-through input,

wherein a transparency of the first application is varied and the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application.

13. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display a first application and a second application, the first application being at least partially transparent and at least partially overlapping the second application; and

a control unit to determine whether an input is a first input for the first application or a second input for a second application.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the control unit executes a function associated with the first application or a function associated with the second application according to the determination.

15. A method for providing a see-through input by a terminal with a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application on the touchscreen, the first application being at least partially transparent and at least partially overlapping the second application;

determining whether an input is a first input for the first application or a second input for the second application.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

executing a function of the first application or executing a function of the second application if the touch signal is the see-through input according to the determination.