Operating device for controlling electronic devices utilizing a touch panel

• US 6,795,059 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Endo, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/929,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20020067345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/178, 345/716, 345/727, 345/729, 345/773, 345/864-866, 345/179, 345/168-172, 345/810, 345/840, 341/21-23, 341/20
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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

Abstract

An operating device for controlling electronic devices that are controlled by displaying plural operation keys on a touch panel is shown. The operating device stores the correspondence of a key code with an area on the touch panel, and outputs the key code corresponding to the area including a designated point. When there is a key that invalidates an operation input to the key, the operating device expands the areas of the keys adjacent thereto. Even if a user presses a border area between a desired key and its adjacent key, the operating device will judge that the desired key has been pressed.

Claims

1. An operating device for a touch panel, comprising:

a plurality of operating keys displayed on said touch panel;

a plurality of key determination areas of said plurality of operating keys; and

a control unit operable to expand and reduce at least one of said plurality of key determination areas;

wherein said control unit reduces the key determination area of an operating key when said operating key is initially invalid.

2. An operating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch panel displays the operating keys and specific images.

3. An operating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit reduces the key determination area of the operating key that invalidates an operation input thereto.

4. An operating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control unit is able to further delete the key determination area of the operating key that invalidates an operation input thereto.

5. An operating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when there is an operating key that is invalid from a beginning when displayed on the touch panel, the control unit expands the key determination areas of the operating keys adjacent to the operating key.

6. An operating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when there is an operating key that is invalid from a beginning when displayed on the touch panel, the control unit is able to further delete the key determination area of the operating key.

7. An operating device for a touch panel, comprising:

a display unit operable to display a plurality of operating keys on said touch panel;

a designation point coordinate detecting unit in communication with said touch panel and operable to detect a location pressed on said touch panel;

a key determination unit in communication with said designation point coordinate detecting unit and operable to output key codes corresponding to key determination areas of operating keys;

a key area corresponding table in communication with said key determination unit and operable to store a correspondence between a key code and a key determination area on the said panel; and

a control unit in communication with said key area corresponding table and operable to reduce a key determination area of an operating key and expand key determination areas of operating keys adjacent to said operating key.

8. An operating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the designation point coordinate detecting unit outputs a coordinate data corresponding to a point on the touch panel pressed by a user.

9. An operating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, when there is the operating key that invalidates an operation input thereto depending on the state of the controlled device, the control unit is able to further delete the key determination area of the operating key.

10. A method of changing key determination areas on a touch panel comprising the acts of:

displaying a plurality of operating keys on said touch panel;

providing at least one key determination area corresponding with at least one of said plurality of operating keys;

identifying an invalid operating key;

reducing a key determination area that corresponds to said invalid operating key; and

expanding said at least one key determination area.

11. A method of changing key determination areas of an operating device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of reducing the key determination area of the operating key that invalidates an operation input thereto.

12. A method of changing key determination areas of an operating device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of deleting the key determination area of the operating key that invalidates an operation input thereto.

13. A method of changing key determination areas of an operating device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising, when there is an operating key that is invalid from a beginning when displayed on the touch panel, the step of expanding the key determination areas of the operating keys adjacent to the operating key.

14. A method of changing key determination areas of an operating device, as claimed in claim 10, further comprising, when there is an operating key that is invalid from a beginning when displayed on the touch panel, the step of reducing the key determination area of the invalid operating key.

15. A method of changing key determination areas of an operating device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising, when there is an operating key that is invalid from a beginning when displayed on the touch panel, the step of deleting the key determination area of the invalid operating key.