Portable electronic device and method of controlling same

• US 9,395,901 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hirsch, Alexander Samson
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHEWS, CRYSTAL
• Application Number:
  US13/369,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• 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 3/0488 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method includes detecting, on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device, a touch. When no secondary input to the electronic device is detected during the touch, a first function associated with the touch is performed according to a first event handling process. When a secondary input is detected that overlaps at least partially in time with the touch, a second function associated with the touch is performed according to a second event handling process.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch in a first region of a touch-sensitive display, at a location of a selectable element comprising a hyperlink on the touch-sensitive display of an electronic device;

when no secondary input to the electronic device is detected during the first touch at the location of the selectable element, performing a first function associated with the selectable element by selecting the selectable element, which first function is performed according to a first event handling process;

in response to detecting a secondary input comprising a second touch in a second region of the touch-sensitive display, which second touch overlaps at least partially in time with the first touch at the location of the selectable element, identifying a location of the second touch and performing a second function associated with the selectable element, which second function is dependent on the location of the second touch within the second region;

wherein when the second touch is determined to be in a first area of the second region, the second function comprises displaying information relating to the hyperlink, wherein the second function is performed according to a second event handling process in which the touch is processed as a rollover command; and

when the second touch is determined to be in a second area of the second region, the second function comprises indicating selection of text associated with the location of the selectable element, wherein the second function is performed according to another second event handling process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event handling process is one of a set of first event handling processes.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

detecting termination of the secondary input;

performing a function associated with a subsequent touch according to one of the set of first event handling processes.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second region is a non-display area.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second touch is a touch and hold gesture.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second event handling process is one of a set of second event handling processes.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

detecting a subsequent touch while the secondary input is maintained;

performing a function associated with the subsequent touch according to one of the set of second event handling processes.

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

9. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

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

detect a first touch in a first region of a touch-sensitive display, at a location of a selectable element comprising a hyperlink on the touch-sensitive display of the electronic device;

when no secondary input to the electronic device is detected during the first touch at the location of the selectable element, perform a first function associated with the selectable element by selecting the selectable element, which first function is performed according to a first event handling process;

in response to detecting a secondary input comprising a second touch in a second region of the touch-sensitive display, which second touch overlaps at least partially in time with the first touch at the location of the selectable element, identify a location of the second touch and perform a second function associated with the selectable element, which second function is dependent on the location of the second touch within the second region;

wherein when the second touch is determined to be in a first area of the second region, the second function comprises displaying information relating to the hyperlink, wherein the second function is performed according to a second event handling process in which the touch is processed as a rollover command; and

when the second touch is determined to be in a second area of the second region, the second function comprises indicating selection of text associated with the location of the selectable element, wherein the second function is performed according to another second event handling process.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the first event handling process is one of a set of first event handling processes.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect termination of the secondary input;

perform a function associated with a subsequent touch according to one of a set of first event handling processes.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the second region is a non-display area.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the second touch is a touch and hold gesture.

14. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the second event handling process is one of a set of second event handling processes.

15. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a subsequent touch while the secondary input is maintained;

perform a function associated with the subsequent touch according to one of the set of second event handling processes.