TOUCH INPUT DISAMBIGUATION

• US 20120144298A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Karlsson, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,405,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A user device may display content items in a content area on a touch screen display of the user device. The user device may detect a touch and determine a location of a contact area corresponding to the touch. If the contact area includes more than one target, the user device may request further user input, with respect to the selection, and defer performing a function corresponding to the selection.

Claims

1. A method performed in a user device, the method comprising:

displaying content via a touch screen display of the user device;

detecting a touch, of the touch screen display, from a user of the user device;

determining a location of the touch;

determining whether the location is associated with a plurality of targets, wherein the plurality of targets includes an intended target;

determining, when the location is associated with the plurality of targets, a relative value for each of the targets;

determining whether more than one of the relative values exceeds a particular threshold;

modifying, when more than one of the relative values exceeds a particular threshold, particular targets, of the plurality of targets, associated with the more than one of the relative values; and

presenting, via the touch screen display, the particular targets to the user for selection of the intended target.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the location is associated with a single target, the method further comprises:

performing, without requesting further input from the user, a function corresponding to the single target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when a single one of the relative values exceeds the particular threshold, the method further comprises:

performing, without requesting further input from the user, a function corresponding to a particular target of the plurality of targets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when none of the relative values exceeds the particular threshold, the method further comprises:

modifying each of the plurality of targets; and

presenting, via the touch screen display, the modified plurality of targets to the user for selection of the intended target of the plurality of targets.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a contact area associated with the touch, wherein, when none of the relative values exceeds the particular threshold, the method further comprises;

zooming in with respect to the contact area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, when none of the relative values exceeds the particular threshold, the method further comprises:

performing, without requesting further input from the user, a function corresponding to a particular target, of the plurality of targets, having a relative value that is greater than the relative value of any other target of the plurality of targets.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the particular targets comprises:

providing an overlay over each of the particular targets to increase an effective touch-activated area of the particular targets for the selection of the intended target.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the overlays includes a reference element, and the selection of the intended target comprises receiving input, via a keypad, corresponding to the reference element included in the overlay of the intended target.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a contact area associated with the touch, wherein providing the overlay over each of the particular targets comprises configuring the overlays to have an area equal to or greater than the contact area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the particular targets comprises:

modifying at least one visual characteristic of the particular targets.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein modifying the at least one visual characteristic comprises modifying, based on the relative values, one or more dimensions of the particular targets.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a contact area associated with the touch, wherein modifying the one or more dimensions of the particular targets comprises determining the one or more dimensions based on the contact area.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

modify, based on a size of the contacted area, a display characteristic of the plurality of second selectable elements prior to display via the touch screen.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the plurality of second selectable elements includes the user-preferred selectable element, and the processor is further configured to:

receive, via the touch screen, a user input selecting the user-preferred selectable element from the plurality of second selectable elements, and

perform an operation related to the user-preferred selectable element.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on the one or more parameters, a particular modification for each of the second selectable elements, and

perform the particular modifications prior to display via the touch screen.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

superimpose a touch-selectable graphic over each of the second selectable elements prior to display via the touch screen, and

receive, via one touch-selectable graphic, a user selection of the user-preferred selectable element from the plurality of second selectable elements.

13. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen to display content; and

a processor to;

determine a contacted area of the touch screen, wherein the contacted area includes a portion of the content,

determine that the portion of the content includes a plurality of first touch-selectable elements, wherein the plurality of first selectable elements includes a user-preferred selectable element,

identify, from the plurality of first touch-selectable elements, a plurality of second selectable elements based on one or more parameters indicative of the user-preferred selectable element, wherein the plurality of second selectable elements includes fewer than all of the first selectable elements, and

display, via the touch screen, the plurality of second selectable elements.

18. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

automatically initiate a disambiguation mode in a mobile communication device;

determine, in the disambiguation mode, that an ambiguity exists with respect to interpreting a first user input received via contact with a content portion of a display of the mobile communication device;

modify the content portion;

present, via display, the modified content portion;

receive, via contact with the modified content portion, a second user input to resolve the ambiguity; and

perform a function, in the mobile communication device, based on the second user input.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

modify the content portion by altering an area of the content portion, with respect to other displayed content, to provide an effective area in which to receive the second input, wherein the effective area is greater than the area of the content portion.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

determine at least one of a zoom level with respect to the content portion, a text size with respect to the content portion, an image size with respect to the content portion, dimensions of the display, or resolution associated with the display; and

automatically initiate the disambiguation mode based on the at least one of the zoom level, the text size, the image size, the dimensions, or the resolution.