Computer device with touch screen and method for operating the same

• US 9,104,303 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Ying-Chen, Yen, Jacqueline Li-Ling, Chuang, Po Ya, Wang, Wendy Ping Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): JOSEPH, DENNIS P
• Application Number:
  US13/219,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20120050159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345173-179
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method for operating a computer device incorporating a touch screen is provided. The method includes pre-defining a first pointing device command and a second pointing device command, which are not related to directional pointing control, in the computer device. In response to a first touch, the touch screen generates a first touch signal. The first pointing device invokes a command in response to the first touch signal. In response to a second touch different from the first touch, the touch screen generates a second touch signal. The second pointing device command is invokes in response to the second touch signal.

Claims

1. A computer device, comprising:

a pointing device configured to, in response to different operations by a user, generate a first pointing device signal, a second pointing device signal, and a third pointing device signal;

a touch screen configured to, in response to a first human touch, generate a first touch signal, in response to a second human touch, generate a second touch signal, and in response to a third human touch, generate a third touch signal, wherein the first human touch, the second human touch, and the third human touch are different at least in pressure and duration of time applied by a user;

an operating system configured to pre-define a first command, a second command, and a third command, in response to the different operations by the user of the pointing device that generates the first pointing device signal, the second pointing device signal, and a the third pointing device signal, wherein the first command includes a first pointing device command, the second command includes a second pointing device command, and the third command includes a third pointing device command;

a processor configured to invoke the first pointing device command in response to the first touch signal land the first pointing device signal, the processor further configured to invoke the second pointing device command in response to the second touch signal and the second pointing device signal, the processor further configured to invoke the third pointing device command in response to the third touch signal and the third pointing device signal and

wherein the first pointing device command is a browsing command in a first browsing mode, the second pointing device command is a switching command to switch the first browsing mode to a second browsing mode, and the third command is a browsing command in the second browsing mode, wherein the third command is different from the first command, wherein the first browsing mode is a vertical read mode, and the second browsing mode is a horizontal read mode, and the third command is a command to jump to a particular page.

2. The computer device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute an application, the application runs a first process in response to the first pointing device command and runs a second process in response to the second pointing device command.

3. The computer device of claim 2, wherein the first human touch and the second human touch both target different positions on the touch screen.

4. The computer device of claim 2, wherein the application presents a graphic object on the touch screen, and the first human touch and the second human touch both target to the graphic object.

5. The computer device of claim 1, further comprising:

a multimedia file browsing application, providing the first browsing mode and the second browsing mode;

wherein the touch screen is configured to generate the first touch signal in response to the first human touch on a multimedia file presented on the touch screen by the multimedia file browsing application, and generate the second touch signal in response to the second human touch on the multimedia file.

6. The computer device of claim 5, wherein the touch screen is resistive type or inductive type.

7. The computer device of claim 5, wherein the first browsing mode and the second browsing mode are a page locking mode and a page dragable mode.

8. The computer device of claim 5, wherein the first browsing mode and the second browsing mode are a read-only mode and a highlight and notation mode.

9. The computer device of claim 5, wherein the first browsing mode and the second browsing mode are a full page mode and a column mode.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program code to be executed on a computer for causing the computer to perform operations including:

receiving different pointing device operations by a user;

generating, in response to the different pointing device operations by the user, a first pointing device signal, a second pointing device signal, and a third pointing device signal;

predefining a first command in response to the different pointing device operations by the user of the pointing device that generates the first pointing device signal, the second pointing device signal and the third pointing device signal, wherein the first command includes a first pointing device command, and the second command includes a second pointing device command, and the third command includes a third pointing device command;

in response to a first human touch on a touch screen of the computer and the first pointing device signal, invoking the first pointing device command;

in response to a second human touch on the touch screen and the second pointing device signal, invoking the second pointing device command;

in response to a third human touch on the touch screen and the third pointing device signal, invoking a third command;

wherein the first human touch, the second human touch and the third human touch are different at least in pressure and duration of time applied by the user, and wherein the first pointing device command is a browsing command in a first browsing mode, the second pointing device command is a switching command to switch the first browsing mode to a second browsing mode, and the third command is a browsing command in the second browsing mode, wherein the third command is different from the first command, wherein the first browsing mode is a vertical read mode, and the second browsing mode is a horizontal read mode, and the third command is a command to jump to a particular page.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising program code for:

executing an application;

in response to the first pointing device command, the application running a first process; and

in response to the second pointing device command, the application running a second process.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer code for:

executing a multimedia file browsing application to present a multimedia file on the touch screen and provide the first browsing mode and the second browsing mode;

in the first browsing mode, in response to the first human touch on the multimedia file, invoking the first command;

in response to the second human touch on the multimedia file, invoking the second command.

13. A computer device, comprising:

a pointing device configured to, in response to different operations by a user, generate a first pointing device signal, a second pointing device signal, and a third pointing device signal;

a touch screen configured to, in response to a first human touch in a first position, generate a first touch signal, in response to a second human touch in a second position, generate a second touch signal, and in response to a third human touch in a third position, generate a third touch signal, wherein the first position, the second position, and the third position are different locations on the touch screen, wherein the first human touch, the second human touch and the third human touch are different in at least pressure and duration of time applied by the user;

an operating system configured to pre-define a first command, a second command, and a third command, in response to the different operations by the user of the pointing device that generates the first pointing device signal and the second pointing device signal and a third command, wherein the first command includes a first pointing device command, and the second command includes a second pointing device command and the third command includes a third pointing device command; and

a processor configured to invoke the first pointing device command in response to the first touch signal and the first pointing device signal, the processor further configured to invoke the second pointing device command in response to the second touch signal and the second pointing device signal, the processor further configured to invoke the third pointing device command in response to the third touch signal and the third pointing device signal invoke the third command, wherein the first pointing device command is a browsing command in a first browsing mode, and the second pointing device command is a switching command to switch the first browsing mode to a second browsing mode, and the third command is a browsing command in the second browsing mode, wherein the third command is different from the first command, wherein the first browsing mode is a vertical read mode, and the second browsing mode is a horizontal read mode, and the third command is a command to jump to a particular page.