Electronic device having touch-sensitive display and method of controlling same to identify touches on the touch-sensitive display

• US 8,994,670 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tong, Kuo-Feng, Dippel, Jeffrey John Paul, Timmerman, Kevin Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): JAVED, MAHEEN I
• Application Number:
  US13/187,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method includes detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from the previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, identifying the second touch as a new touch.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting a previous touch at a previous touch location prior to detecting the first touch at the first location;

determining a time between receipt of a first report of the first touch from a controller of the touch-sensitive display and receipt of a second report of the second touch from the controller;

comparing the time to a time threshold;

when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location is greater than a distance threshold and the time is less than the time threshold;

identifying the second touch as a separate touch from the first touch when a second distance from the previous touch location to the first touch location is less than the distance threshold; and

identifying the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the second distance is greater than the distance threshold;

wherein a previous report of the previous touch, the first report, and the second report are received from the controller in consecutive reports from the controller.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the second touch as new when the first distance is greater than the distance threshold and the time is greater than the time threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the first distance is less than the distance threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the previous touch, the first touch, and the second touch are detected in three consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the first touch as ended when the second touch is identified as the separate touch.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the electronic device to perform the method of claim 1.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display and configured to;

detect a first touch at a first touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

detect a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

detect a previous touch at a previous touch location prior to detecting the first touch;

determine a time between receipt of a first report of the first touch from a controller of the touch-sensitive display and receipt of a second report of the second touch from the controller;

compare the time to a time threshold;

when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location is greater than a distance threshold and the time is less than the time threshold;

identify the second touch as a separate touch from the first touch when a second distance from a previous touch location to the first touch location is less than the distance threshold; and

identify the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the second distance is greater than the distance threshold;

wherein a previous report of the previous touch, the first report, and the second report are received from the controller in consecutive reports frOm the controller.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the processor identifies the second touch as new when the first distance is greater than the distance threshold and the time is greater than the time threshold.

9. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the processor identifies the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the first distance is less than the distance threshold.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the previous touch, the first touch, and the second touch are detected in three consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

11. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the processor determines that the first touch has ended when the second touch is identified as the separate touch.

12. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting a third touch at a third touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

determining a time between receipt of a second report of the second touch and receipt of a third report of the third touch;

comparing the time to a time threshold;

when a first distance from the second touch location to the third touch location is greater than a distance threshold and the time is less than the time threshold;

identifying the second touch as ended and the third touch as a separate touch from the second touch when a second distance from the first touch to the second touch is less than the distance threshold; and

identifying the second touch and the third touch as one touch when the second distance is greater than the distance threshold;

wherein a first report of the first touch, the second report, and the third report are received from the touch-sensitive display in consecutive reports.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising identifying the third touch as new when the first distance is greater than the distance threshold and the time is greater than the time threshold.

14. The method according to claim 12, identifying the second touch and the third touch as one touch when the first distance is less than the distance threshold.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are detected in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

16. The method according to claim 12, comprising reporting, by a controller of the touch-sensitive display, the first touch location, the second touch location, and the third touch location.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first touch and the second touch are detected in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.