Radiotelephones having contact-sensitive user interfaces and methods of operating same

• US 6,278,888 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2000
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Thornton, Curtis Wayne, Hayes, John Joseph Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/625,674
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575, 455/90, 455/95, 455/550, 379/433, 379/428, 345/173, 345/156, 345/168, 345/184, 345/123
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A radiotelephone includes a housing, and a radiotelephone communications transceiver and display are attached to the housing. A contact-sensitive transducer such as a resistive transducer, a capacitive transducer or a semiconductive transducer, is attached to the housing and produces an output signal that characterizes contact with a contact-sensitive surface of the contact-sensitive transducer. A controller is responsive to the output signal and operatively associated with the display and the radiotelephone communications transceiver, and controls at least one of the display and the radiotelephone communications transceiver according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer. The controller, responsive to the contact-sensitive transducer, may determine a position of contact along an axis of the contact-sensitive transducer. A graphical object is selectively displayed based on the determined position of contact to thereby identify the graphical object, e.g., by highlighting one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects or by displaying a cursor that indicates one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects. In yet another embodiment, the controller is configured to cause the display or the radiotelephone communications transceiver to perform a plurality of actions. An action of the plurality of actions may be associated with an identified graphical object, and the controller may initiate the action associated with the identified graphical object in response to, for example, detection of a momentary contact of an object with the contact-sensitive transducer.

Claims

1. A radiotelephone, comprising:

a housing having a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side surfaces adjoining respective opposite edges of the front surface and extending from the respective opposite edges of the front surface to respective opposite edges of the rear surface, the housing configured to be held in a user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm;

a radiotelephone communications transceiver, supported by the housing;

a display, supported by the housing, that displays an image at the front surface of the housing;

a contact-sensitive transducer, supported by the housing and having a contact-sensitive surface disposed at at least one of the first and second side surfaces, which produces an output signal that characterizes contact of an object along the contact-sensitive surface of the contact-sensitive transducer; and

a controller, responsive to the output signal and operatively associated with the display and the radiotelephone communications transceiver, which controls at least one of the display and the radiotelephone communications transceiver according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

2. A radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the contact-sensitive surface, when the housing is held within the user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm, confronts a finger or a thumb of the holding hand.

3. A radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display an image on the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

4. A radiotelephone according to claim 3, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display a graphical object on the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

5. A radiotelephone according to claim 4, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display a row on the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

6. A radiotelephone according to claim 4, wherein the controller is operative to display a plurality of graphical objects on the display and to identify one of the displayed plurality of graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

7. A radiotelephone according to claim 4, wherein the controller is operative to determine a position of contact of an object along an axis of the contact-sensitive transducer responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer, and to selectively display a graphical object based on the determined position of contact to thereby identify the graphical object.

8. A radiotelephone according to claim 7, wherein the controller is operative to highlight one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

9. A radiotelephone according to claim 7, wherein the controller is operative display a cursor that indicates one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

10. A radiotelephone according to claim 7, wherein the controller is operative to cause at least one of the display or the radiotelephone communications transceiver to perform a plurality of actions, wherein an action of the plurality of actions is associated with the identified graphical object and wherein the controller is further operative, responsive to the contact-sensitive transducer, to initiate the action associated with the identified graphical object.

11. A radiotelephone according to claim 10, wherein the controller is operative, responsive to the contact-sensitive transducer to detect a momentary contact with the contact-sensitive transducer and to initiate the action associated with the identified graphical object responsive to detection of the momentary contact.

12. A radiotelephone according to claim 11, wherein the controller is operative to initiate the action in response to detection of a plurality of momentary contacts occurring within a predetermined time interval.

13. A radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises an elongate contact-sensitive strip disposed at at least one of the first and second side surfaces of the housing.

14. A radiotelephone according to claim 13, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer further comprises a first contact-sensitive strip mounted at the first side surface and a second contact-sensitive strip mounted at the second side surface.

15. A radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises one of a resistive transducer, a capacitive transducer and a semiconductive transducer.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side surfaces adjoining respective opposite edges of the front surface and extending from the respective opposite edges of the front surface to respective opposite edges of the rear surface, the housing configured to be held in a user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm;

a display, supported by the housing, that displays an image at the front surface of the housing;

a contact-sensitive transducer, supported by the housing and having a contact-sensitive surface disposed at at least one of the first and second side surfaces, which produces an output signal that characterizes contact of an object along the contact-sensitive surface of the contact-sensitive transducer; and

a controller, responsive to the output signal and operatively associated with the display, which is configured to control the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the contact-sensitive surface, when the housing is held within the user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm, confronts a finger or a thumb of the holding hand.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display an image on the display responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display a graphical object on the display responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controller is operative to selectively display a row on the display responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controller is operative to display a plurality of graphical objects on the display, and to identify one of the displayed plurality of graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

22. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controller is operative, responsive to the contact-sensitive transducer, to determine a position of contact along the axis of the contact-sensitive transducer, and to selectively display a graphical object based on the determined position of contact to thereby identify the graphical object.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the controller is operative to highlight one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the controller is operative to display a cursor that indicates one of a plurality of displayed graphical objects responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the controller is operative, responsive to the contact-sensitive transducer, to scroll displayed rows along an axis of the display responsive to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the controller is operative, responsive to the output signal of contact-sensitive transducer, to detect moving contact with the contact-sensitive transducer along the axis of the contact-sensitive transducer, and to scroll displayed rows along the axis of the display based on the detected moving contact.

27. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises an elongate contact-sensitive strip disposed at at least one of the first and second side surfaces of the housing.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises a first contact-sensitive surface mounted at the first side surface and a second contact-sensitive strip mounted at the second side surface.

29. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises one of a resistive transducer, a capacitive transducer and a semiconductive transducer.

30. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a display, supported by the housing, that displays an image at a front surface of the housing;

a contact-sensitive transducer, supported by the housing, which produces an output signal that characterizes contact of an object along the contact-sensitive surface of the contact-sensitive transducer; and

a controller, responsive to the output signal and operatively associated with the display, which scrolls displayed rows along an axis of the display based on the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a radiotelephone communications transceiver supported by the housing, and wherein the controller is operative to control the radiotelephone communications transceiver according to the output signal.

32. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the contact-sensitive transducer comprises a contact-sensitive strip disposed at side surface of the housing, the side surface disposed adjacent the front surface and inclined away from the front surface.

33. In an apparatus including a housing having a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side surfaces adjoining respective opposite edges of the front surface and extending from the respective opposite edges of the front surface to respective opposite edges of the rear surface, a display that displays an image at the front surface, and a controller that controls the display, a method of providing user input comprising the steps of:

holding the housing in a user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm and the display projects away from the user'"'"'s palm; and

providing user input to the controller using a contact-sensitive transducer having a contact-sensitive surface disposed at at least one of the first and second side surfaces of the housing, the transducer being operable to produce an output signal that characterizes contact with the contact-sensitive surface of the contact-sensitive transducer.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the step of providing comprises the step of contacting the contact-sensitive transducer with a thumb or finger of the holding hand while holding the housing in the user'"'"'s hand such that the rear surface confronts the user'"'"'s palm and the display projects away from the user'"'"'s palm.

35. A method according to claim 33, wherein the apparatus is a radiotelephone that further includes a radiotelephone communications transceiver, wherein the controller is operative to control the radiotelephone communications transceiver, and wherein the step of providing user input comprises the step of controlling at least one of the radiotelephone communications transceiver and the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.

36. A method according to claim 33, wherein the step of controlling comprises the step of selectively displaying an image or the display according to the output signal of the contact-sensitive transducer.