Graphical user interface touch screen with an auto zoom feature

• US 6,211,856 B1
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Choi, Sung M., van Ee, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAID, MANSOUR M
• Application Number:
  US09/062,364
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 345/123, 345/130, 345/156, 345/158, 345/169, 345/173, 345/352, 345/327, 345/348-351, 345/339, 345/179, 345/168, 345/439, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/666
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/25 Remote control device with display

Abstract

A graphical user interface “touch screen” having an entire collection of icons displayed at a scale in which the individual function of each icon is recognizable, but too small to easily access features of the function, and wherein upon touching the screen area accommodating an area of the icon, the screen provides a zoomed in version of that area so that the user can select a desired feature.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface touch screen, for displaying a user-controllable function of an electronic device, comprising:

means for displaying the function as an icon, the function corresponding to a plurality of figures, and displayed at a scale size in which the function is recognizable by a user but too small to easily select features of the plurality of features; and

means for providing a magnified version of a subset of features of the plurality of features upon the user touching an area of the icon, thereby facilitating a selection of a select one of the subset of features.

2. The graphical user interface touch screen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface touch screen further comprises:

means for causing the magnified version of the subset of features to scroll across the icon such that a new subset of features of the plurality of features is magnified.

3. The graphical user interface touch screen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface touch screen further comprises:

means for displaying the icon at the first scale size after selection of a feature.

4. The graphical user interface touch screen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface touch screen further comprises:

means for indicating that the select one of the subset of features has been selected by the user.

5. The graphical user interface touch screen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the a size of icon has a size is the same as a size of the magnified version of the subset of the features.

6. The graphical user interface touch screen as claimed in claim 5, wherein the area of the icon has a corresponding location on the touch screen, and the magnified version of the subset of features is displayed at the same location on the touch screen upon the user touching the area of the icon.

7. A portable data device, comprising:

a graphical user interface touch screen that is configured to display a plurality of functions of the portable data device in the form of icons, at least one function corresponding to a plurality of features, and displayed at a scale size in which the at least one function is recognizable but too small to easily access select features of the plurality of features; and

a controller that is configured to provide a magnified version of a subset of features of the plurality of features upon a user touching an area of the icon, such that the subset of features becomes large enough for the user to easily select a feature of the subset of features and thereby control the portable data device.

8. The portable data device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one function is a keyboard function, and the plurality of features for the keyboard function corresponds to a plurality of selectable alphanumeric keys.

9. The portable data device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller includes means for, upon the user touching an edge of the magnified version of the subset of features, providing a magnified version of another subset of features of the plurality of features.

10. The remote control as claimed in claim 9, wherein the icon depicts a remote control device for a particular type of consumer electronic device, the plurality of features corresponding to individual controls of the remote control device for the particular type of consumer electronic device.

11. A remote control for controlling a consumer electronics device, comprising:

a graphical user interface touch screen which displays at least one function of the remote control in the form of an icon, the function corresponding to a plurality of features, and displayed at a scale size in which the function of an icon is recognizable but too small to easily access select a select feature of the plurality of features corresponding to the function; and

a controller that is configured to provide a magnified version of a subset of features of the plurality of features upon a user touching an area of the icon, such that the magnified version of the subset of features becomes large enough for the user to easily select one of the subset of features by touching the touch screen.

13. The method of operating an electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step:

scrolling the magnified version such that new subsets of the plurality of features become magnified.

12. A method of operating an electronic device, comprising the steps:

displaying, on a graphical user interface touch screen, a function of the electronic device in the form of an icon, the function corresponding to a plurality of features, and displayed at a scale size in which the function is recognizable by a user but too small to easily select a feature of the plurality of features of the function; and

providing a magnified version of a subset of features of the plurality of features upon the user touching an area of the icon such that the magnified version becomes large enough for the user to easily access the subset of features by touching the touch screen.