ELECTRONIC READER DEVICE AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110181603A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Koobe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Koobe, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Chin-Lung, Liang, Wei-Young
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions
• 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 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• 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: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

An electronic reader device with a physical control disposed on a surface of the device housing. The physical control is operable to initiate a first function. A display disposed on the surface of the housing is operable to show a virtual control that initiates a second function. A sensor detects a drag operation moving the virtual control to a position on a border of the display adjacent to the physical control. A processor associates the second function with the physical control in response to the drag operation and performs the second function upon activation of the physical control.

Claims

1. An electronic reader device, comprising:

a housing;

a physical control disposed on a surface of the housing and operable to initiate a first function in response to activation of the physical control according to association of the first function and the physical control;

a display disposed on the surface of the housing and operable to show a virtual control operable to initiate a second function in response to activation of the virtual control;

a sensor operable to detect a drag operation of moving the virtual control to a position on a border of the display, close to the physical control; and

a processor operable to associate the second function with the physical control to replace the association of the first function and the physical control in response to the drag operation and perform the second function in response to activation of the physical control according to the association of the second function and the physical control.

2. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a lamp array, wherein the physical control comprises a key with the lamp array, and the virtual control is represented as an icon on the display.

3. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor controls the lamp array to show a first icon corresponding to the first function before detection of the drag operation and a second icon corresponding to the second function to replace the first function after detection of the drag operation.

4. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a second sensor operable to detect an end point of the drag operation, wherein the processor associates the second function with the physical control if the end point of the drag operation is in proximity to the physical control.

5. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor cancels the association between the second function and the physical control in response to a fourth operation of dragging the second icon from the physical control to the display.

6. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor changes status of the second icon from an original state to an animation state in response to event or message notification from a program associated with the second icon.

7. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processor issues a message of the program associated with the second icon in response to a contact operation on the second icon.

8. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processor brings the program associated with the second icon to the foreground of the display in response to a fourth operation of dragging the second icon from the physical control to the display.

9. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processor cancels message notification from the program associated with the second icon and restores status of the icon to the original status thereof in response to a drag operation on the second icon in the animation status from the physical control to a border thereof.

10. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical control forms a portion of a frame enclosing the display.

11. The electronic reader device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display comprises a reflective display.

12. A graphical user interface control method, executed by an electronic reader device comprising a display and a physical control disposed on a surface of the electronic reader device, wherein the physical control is operable to initiate a first function in response to activation of the physical control according to association of the first function and the physical control, and a virtual control shown on the display is operable to initiate a second function in response to activation of the virtual control, comprising:

detecting a drag operation of the virtual control to a position on a border of the display, close to the physical control;

associating the second function with the physical control to replace the association of the first function and the physical control in response to the drag operation; and

performing the second function in response to activation of the physical control according to the association of the second function and the physical control.

13. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising controlling the physical control to show a first icon corresponding to the first function before detection of the drag operation and a second icon corresponding to the second function after detection of the drag operation.

14. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising detecting an end point of the drag operation, wherein the second function is associated with the physical control if the end point of the drag operation is in proximity to the physical control.

15. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising cancelling the association between the second function and the physical control in response to a fourth operation of dragging the second icon from the physical control to the display.

16. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising changing status of the second icon from an original state to an animation state in response to event or message notification from a program associated with the second function.

17. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising prompting a message of the program associated with the second icon in response to a contact operation on the second icon.

18. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising bringing the program associated with the second icon to the foreground of the display in response to a fourth operation of dragging the second icon from the physical control to the display.

19. The graphical user interface control method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising cancelling message notification from the program associated with the second icon and restoring status of the icon to the original status thereof in response to a drag operation on the second icon in the animation status from the physical control to a border thereof.