USER-TRACKABLE MOVING IMAGE FOR CONTROL OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY

• US 20150091811A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: HOMBERT, Jonas
• Granted Patent: US 10,234,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device and a method of operation thereof, in which accidental, careless or unintended user input is mitigated. A sequence of frames is displayed on a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device to depict an image moving in an image path over a time interval. A user touch path, generated in response to the moving image, is sensed over the time interval. The image path is compared with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy and the electronic device is controlled responsive to the determined path tracking accuracy. In this manner, unlocking an electronic device and selection of a device function may be achieved by a single user action.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display; and

a memory coupled to and in cooperative arrangement with the processor, the processor and memory configured to;

display a sequence of frames on the touch-sensitive display that depict an image moving in image path over a time interval;

receive data representative of a user touch path over the time interval in response to user contact with the touch-sensitive display;

compare the user touch path with the image path to determine a path tracking accuracy of the user touch path relative to the image path; and

control operation of the electronic device responsive to the path tracking accuracy.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the time interval begins when a user touch is detected within the image.

3. The device of claim 1, where the image comprises an icon selected from one or more icons displayed on the touch-sensitive display and where the device is controlled by the processor to perform a function associated with the selected icon if the path tracking accuracy exceeds an accuracy threshold.

4. The device of claim 1, where the device is operated in a locked mode until the path tracking accuracy exceeds an accuracy threshold and is operated in an unlocked mode if the path tracking accuracy exceeds the accuracy threshold.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising an audio transducer, where the processor is further operable to control an audio signal over the time interval dependent upon the image path and the user touch path.

6. The device of claim 5, where the audio signal comprises an alarm and where the level of the alarm is decreased in response to the user touch path substantially matching the image path.

7. The device of claim 5, where the audio signal comprises an alarm and where the alarm is silenced and the device is controlled to enable a snooze feature in response to the user touch path substantially matching the image path.

8. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a sequence of frames on a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device to depict an image moving in an image path over a time interval;

sensing a user touch path on the touch-sensitive display over the time interval;

comparing the image path with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy of the user touch path; and

controlling the electronic device responsive to the determined path tracking accuracy of the user touch path.

9. The method of claim 8, where the image path comprises a straight line path or a curved path.

10. The method of claim 8, where the rate of change of position with respect to time of the image varies over the time interval.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying an indicator of the image path during the time interval.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

for each frame of the sequence of frames, displaying an indicator of a direction of motion of the image.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

controlling an audio signal dependent upon the path tracking accuracy over the time interval.

14. The method of claim 8, where the electronic device is operable as an alarm clock, and where controlling the electronic device responsive to the determined path tracking accuracy of the user touch path comprises:

if the path tracking accuracy is sufficiently high;

silencing an alarm emitted by the electronic device; and

enabling a snooze feature.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a visual indicator of the path tracking accuracy over the time interval.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

beginning the time interval in response to a user touch of the image.

17. The method of claim 8, where comparing the image path with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy comprises:

determining if a user touch is outside the region of the image during the time period.

18. The method of claim 8, where comparing the image path with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy comprises:

determining a distance from a user touch position to an image position during the time period.

19. The method of claim 8, where comparing the image path with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy comprises:

determining a time integral of distance from a user touch position to an image position during the time period.

20. The method of claim 8, where the time interval is dependent upon the path tracking accuracy.

21. The method of claim 8, where the image comprises an image of a button or an icon.

22. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the image path at random.

23. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the image path from a predetermined set of image paths.

24. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting a complexity of the image path dependent upon user input.

25. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

in a locked mode of the electronic device;

displaying a plurality of images on a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device, each image associated with a selectable function of the electronic device;

in response to sensing a user touch of a selected image of plurality of images;

displaying a sequence of frames on the touch-sensitive display of the electronic device to depict an image moving in an image path over a time interval;

sensing a user touch path on the touch-sensitive display over the time interval;

comparing the image path with the user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy of the user touch path; and

if the path tracking accuracy is above an accuracy threshold;

unlocking the electronic device; and

performing the function associated with the selected image.

26. The method of claim 25, where an image of the plurality of images is associated with a telephone function.

27. The method of claim 26, where:

a ring tone level of an incoming telephone call is reduced over the time interval if the path tracking is sufficiently accurate; and

an incoming telephone call is answered if the path tracking accuracy is above the accuracy threshold.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of:

displaying a sequence of frames on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device to depict an image moving in an image path over a time interval;

sensing a user touch path on the touch-sensitive display over the time interval;

comparing the image path with a user touch path to determine a path tracking accuracy of the user touch path; and

controlling the electronic device responsive to the determined path tracking accuracy of the user touch path.