Apparatus and method for setting a two hand mode to operate a touchscreen

• US 9,342,214 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spreadtrum Communications USA
• Original Assignee: Spreadtrum Communications USA
• Inventors: Yin, Linna, Xia, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US14/118,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 715/811
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method for setting a two hand mode to operate a touchscreen includes: receiving, via the touchscreen, at least one point of contact on the touchscreen generated by one or more fingers of a user, the touchscreen including a plurality of icons; detecting, by at least one processing device, a total number of the points of contact on the touchscreen and respective coordinates of the points of contact; determining, based on the total number of the points of contact and the respective coordinates of the points of contact, whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen; and controlling the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons according to a result of the determining.

Claims

1. A method for setting a two hand mode to operate a touchscreen, comprising:

receiving, via the touchscreen, at least one point of contact on the touchscreen generated by one or more fingers of a user, the touchscreen including a plurality of icons;

detecting, by at least one processing device, a total number of the points of contact on the touchscreen and respective coordinates of the points of contact;

determining, based on the total number of the points of contact and the respective coordinates of the points of contact, whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen; and

controlling the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons according to a result of the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a dividing line in the middle of the touchscreen, and

wherein the determining whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen further comprises determining a relationship between the respective coordinates of the points of contact and the dividing line.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of one point of contact fall to the left side of the dividing line; and

the respective coordinates of the other three points of contact all fall to the right side of the dividing line.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of one point of contact fall to the right side of the dividing line; and

the respective coordinates of the other three points of contact all fall to the left side of the dividing Line.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of points of contact is four;

the coordinates of two points of contact fall to the left side of the dividing line; and

the coordinates of the other two points of contact fall to the right side of the dividing line.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen, the touchscreen to operate in the two hand mode; and

controlling the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons in a grid layout.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an interface screen notifying the user that the touchscreen is set in the two hand operation mode, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an interface screen notifying the user that the touchscreen is set in the two hand operation mode, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen.

8. An apparatus for setting a two hand mode to operate a touchscreen, comprising:

a storage module configured to store computer executable instructions; and

a processor, executing the computer executable instruction, configured to;

receive, via the touchscreen, at least one point of contact on the touchscreen generated by one or more fingers of a user, the touchscreen including a plurality of icons;

detect a total number of the points of contact on the touchscreen, and respective coordinates of the points of contact;

determine, based on the total number of the points of contact and the respective coordinates of the points of contact, whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen; and

control the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons according to a result of the determining.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a dividing line in the middle of the touchscreen; and

determine a relationship between the respective coordinates of the points of contact and the dividing line.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of one point of contact fall to the left side of the dividing line; and

the respective coordinates of the other three points of contact all fall to the right side of the dividing line.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of one point of contact fall to the right side of the dividing line; and

the respective coordinates of the other three points of contact all fall to the left side of the dividing line.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of two points of contact fall to the left side of the dividing line; and

the coordinates of the other two points of contact fall to the right side of the dividing line.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

set, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen, the touchscreen to operate in the two hand mode; and

control the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons in a grid layout.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for setting a two hand mode to operate a touchscreen, the method comprising:

receiving, via the touchscreen, at least one point of contact on the touchscreen generated by one or more fingers of a user, the touchscreen including a plurality of icons;

detecting a total number of the points of contact on the touchscreen and respective coordinates of the points of contact;

determining, based on the total number of the points of contact and the respective coordinates of the points of contact, whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen; and

controlling the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons according to a result of the determining.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising determining a dividing line in the middle of the touchscreen, and

wherein the determining whether the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen further comprises determining a relationship between the respective coordinates of the points of contact and the dividing line.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising determining the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of the points of contact is four;

the coordinates of one point of contact fall to one side of the dividing line; and

the respective coordinates of the other three points of contact all fall to the other side of the dividing line.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising determining the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen if:

the total number of points of contact is four;

the coordinates of two points of contact fall to the left side of the dividing line; and

the coordinates of the other two points of contact fall to the right side of the dividing line.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

setting, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen, the touchscreen to operate in the two hand mode; and

controlling the touchscreen to display the plurality of icons in a grid layout.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising generating an interface screen notifying the user that the touchscreen is set in the two hand operation mode, if a result of the determining is that the user intends to use two hands to operate the touchscreen.