Apparatus and method for manipulating a touch-sensitive display panel

• US 6,958,749 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1999
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi, Ayatsuka, Yuji, Matsushita, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US09/699,757
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 345/863, 345/864, 345/837, 345670-672, 345/173, 345/650, 345/661, 345/174, 345/676, 715/864, 715/863, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention enables to easily perform a graphic processing even when a touch panel is used. When a resistance film unit is pressed with a pen or a finger, output voltages associated with the X coordinate and the Y coordinate position are changed and these output voltages are transmitted as the X coordinate data and the Y coordinate data to a touch panel driver. According to the output from the resistance film unit, the touch panel driver generates an event for supply to a GUI handler. The touch panel driver includes a two-point specification detector which detects two point specifications and causes to calculate coordinates of the two points. The GUI handler generates a message corresponding to the GUI according to the event and supplies the message to an application. The GUI handler includes a processing mode modification block which differently interprets the event when a single point is specified and when two points are specified, thereby modifying the graphic processing mode.

Claims

1. A coordinate position input apparatus comprising:

a touch panel for outputting a coordinate data of a middle point when two points are simultaneously touched;

storage means for retaining coordinate position of the two points detected previously;

detection means for detecting a coordinate position of a current middle point; and

calculation means for calculating a coordinate of one of the two touch points assumed to be a moving point by subtracting a coordinate position of a previous fixed point from a current middle point coordinate multiplied by 2.

2. The coordinate input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a second point is touched while a first point is touched, the touch point of the second point is calculated according to a current middle point coordinate position and a previous first point touch position coordinate position.