Terminal and method for providing see-through input

• US 8,875,018 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: JEONG, Wookyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): IPAKCHI, MARYAM M
• Application Number:
  US12/938,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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

Abstract

A terminal and a method for providing a see-through input provide intuitive control of a plurality of applications. The terminal may include a touchscreen to display a first application and a second application and to sense occurrence of a touch and generate a touch signal; and a control unit to determine whether the touch signal is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application and to execute a function of an application corresponding to the general input or the see-through input.

Claims

1. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display a first application, to sense occurrence of a touch, and generate a touch signal in response to a sensed touch; and

a control unit to determine whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for a second application according to the generated touch signal, the general input being different from the see-through input,

wherein the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application,

wherein a partial portion of the second application associated with a function of the second application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the see-through input,

wherein a partial portion of the first application associated with a function of the first application and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the general input,

wherein the partial portion of the second application is overlapped with the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the first application is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the first application is not changed, and

wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the specific key input of the terminal is an input using a key of the terminal or an input using a touch sensor installed at a side of the terminal or a back of the terminal.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the transparency of the first application is varied such that the first application and the second application are both visible.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is a virtual keyboard and the second application is a web browser.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is an MP3 player program and the second application is a web browser.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is a program for transmitting a large-capacity mail and the second application is a picture viewing program.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is at least partially transparent such that the processing of the portion of the second application is displayed through the transparent first application if the sensed touch is the see-through input.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen displays the processing of the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touch screen receiving the sensed touch if the sensed touch is the general input.

9. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display an input user interface (UI) and an application, to sense occurrence of a touch, and to generate a touch signal in response to a sensed touch; and

a control unit to determine whether the sensed touch is a general input for the input UI or a see-through input for the application according to the generated touch signal, the general input being different from the see-through input,

wherein the input UI is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the application,

wherein a partial portion of the application associated with a function of the application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the see-through input,

wherein a partial portion of the input UI associated with a function of the input UI and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the general input,

wherein the partial portion of the application is overlapped with the partial portion of the input UI in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the input UI is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the input UI is not changed, and

wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

10. A method for providing a see-through input by a terminal with a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application on the touchscreen;

sensing occurrence of a touch and generating a touch signal in response to a sensed touch;

determining whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application according to the generated touch signal, the general input being different from the see-through input;

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the see-through input, processing a partial portion of the second application associated with a function of the second application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch; and

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the general input, processing a partial portion of the first application associated with a function of the first application and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application,

wherein the partial portion of the second application is overlapped with the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the first application is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the first application is not changed, and

wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the specific key input of the terminal is an input using a key of the terminal or an input using a touch sensor installed at a side of the terminal or a back of the terminal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first application is at least partially transparent such that the processing of the portion of the second application is displayed through the transparent first application if the sensed touch is the see-through input.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the touchscreen displays the processing of the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touch screen receiving the sensed touch if the sensed touch is the general input.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable media, the media including program instructions to implement a method embodied by a terminal with a touchscreen, the terminal for providing a see-through input, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application;

sensing occurrence of a touch and generating a touch signal in response to a sensed touch;

determining whether the sensed touch is a general input for the first application or a see-through input for the second application according to the generated touch signal, the general input being different from the see-through input;

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the see-through input, processing a partial portion of the second application associated with a function of the second application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch; and

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the general input, processing a partial portion of the first application associated with a function of the first application and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein the first application is displayed on the touchscreen to at least partially overlap the second application,

wherein the partial portion of the second application is overlapped with the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the first application is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the first application is not changed, and

wherein the see-through input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

15. A terminal to provide a see-through input, the terminal comprising:

a touchscreen to display a first application and a second application, the first application being at least partially transparent and at least partially overlapping the second application, and to generate a signal in response to a sensed touch; and

a control unit to determine whether the sensed touch is a first input for the first application or a second input for a second application according to the generated signal, the first input being different from the second input,

wherein a partial portion of the second application associated with a function of the second application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the second input,

wherein a partial portion of the first application associated with the function of the first application and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch is processed in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the first input,

wherein the partial portion of the second application is overlapped with the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the first application is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the first application is not changed, and

wherein the second input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the transparency of the first application is varied such that the first application and the second application are both visible.

17. (A method for providing a see-through input by a terminal with a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying a first application and a second application on the touchscreen, the first application being at least partially transparent and at least partially overlapping the second application;

generating a touch signal by the terminal in response to a sensed touch;

determining whether the sensed touch is a first input for the first application or a second input for the second application, the first input being different from the second input;

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the second input, processing a partial portion of the second application associated with a function of the second application and displayed on an area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch; and

in response to a determination that the sensed touch is the first input, processing a partial portion of the first application associated with a function of the first application and displayed on the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein the partial portion of the second application is overlapped with the partial portion of the first application in the area of the touchscreen receiving the sensed touch,

wherein a transparency of the partial portion of the first application is changed based upon the sensed touch while a transparency of another partial portion of the first application is not changed, and

wherein the second input is one of a pressure-based touch greater than a specific pressure, a long touch where the touch is maintained for longer than a specific period of time, and a combination touch including a specific key input of the terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second input is the see-through input.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the transparency of the first application is varied such that both the first application and the second application are visible.