Portable electronic device including contact sensors, and method for controlling same

• US 9,710,080 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Katayama, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELSEN, NATHAN ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/443,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20150309602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A portable electronic device provided with a detection section for detecting a contact pattern of a contact object to a housing; a storage section capable of storing an operating state of the portable electronic device and the contact pattern in association with each other; a judgment section for judging whether or not a contact pattern corresponding to the detected contact pattern has been stored in the storage section; a control section for controlling the portable electronic device to enter the operating state associated with the contact pattern and stored in the storage section when the corresponding contact pattern is judged to have been stored in the storage section; and a learning section for storing in the storage section the detected contact pattern and an operating state of the portable electronic device executed by a user when or immediately after the contact pattern is detected in association with each other.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a storage configured to store in advance a plurality of instruction operations to be performed on a touch panel on a display provided on a surface of the portable electronic device in association with a plurality of different contact patterns, respectively; and

at least one processor configured to implement;

a detector configured to detect, by a contact sensor of the touch panel and another contact sensor provided on another surface different from the surface provided with the touch panel, a contact pattern of a contact object to a housing;

a determiner configured to make a determination regarding whether or not a contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected by the detector has been stored in the storage;

a controller configured to control the portable electronic device to execute an instruction operation stored in the storage in association with the corresponding contact pattern when the determiner determines that the corresponding contact pattern has been stored in the storage,

wherein the controller is further configured, in response to the determiner determining that the contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected by the detector has not been stored in the storage, to store, in the storage, the contact pattern detected by the detector in association with an instruction operation performed by a user, the performed instruction operation caused by contact detected by the contact sensor of the touch panel when or immediately after the contact pattern is detected; and

, in response to the determiner determining that the contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected by the detector has been stored in the storage, to update the corresponding contact pattern based on the contact pattern detected by the detector, and store the updated corresponding contact pattern in the storage.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the storage stores an instruction operation in association with a prescribed contact pattern in advance.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determiner makes the determination when the corresponding contact pattern stored in the storage exceeds predetermined accuracy.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction operation is related to an application activated in the portable electronic device.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction operation is related to an application serving as an activation target in the portable electronic device.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction is related to a scrolling event.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction operation is related to a pinch-in or pinch-out event.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction operation is related to a flick event.

9. A method for controlling a portable electronic device comprising:

a storage step storing in advance, in a storage, a plurality of instruction operations to be performed on a touch panel on a display provided on a surface of the portable electronic device in association with a plurality of different contact patterns, respectively;

a detection step of detecting, by a contact sensor of the touch panel and another contact sensor provided on another surface different from the surface provided with the touch panel, a contact pattern of a contact object to a housing;

a judgment step of judging whether or not a contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected in the detection step has been stored in the storage;

a control step of controlling the portable electronic device to execute an instruction operation stored in the storage in association with the corresponding contact pattern when the corresponding contact pattern is judged to have been stored in the storage in the judgment step; and

a learning step of, in response to the judgment step judging that a contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected by the detection step has not been stored in the storage, storing, in the storage, the contact pattern detected in the detection step in association with an instruction operation performed by a user, the performed instruction operation caused by contact detected by the contact sensor of the touch panel when or immediately after the contact pattern is detected; and

, in response to the judgment step judging that a contact pattern corresponding to the contact pattern detected by the detection step has been stored in the storage, updating the corresponding contact pattern based on the contact pattern detected by the detection step, and stores the updated corresponding contact pattern in the storage.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a computer of a portable electronic device to actualize functions comprising:

storing in advance, in a storage, a plurality of instruction operations to be performed on a touch panel on a display provided on a surface of the portable electronic device in association with a plurality of different contact patterns, respectively;

detecting, by a contact sensor of the touch panel and another contact sensor provided on another surface different from the surface provided with the touch panel, a contact pattern of a contact object to a housing;

judging whether or not a contact pattern corresponding to the detected contact pattern has controlling the portable electronic device to execute an Instruction operation stored in association with the corresponding contact pattern, when the judging judges that the corresponding contact pattern has been stored in the storage; and

in response to determining that a contact pattern corresponding to the detected contact pattern has not been stored, storing the detected contact pattern in association with an Instruction operation performed by a user, the performed instruction operation caused by contact detected by the contact sensor of the touch panel when or immediately after the contact pattern is detected; and

in response to determining that a contact pattern corresponding to the detected contact pattern has been stored, updating the corresponding contact pattern based on the detected contact pattern, and storing the updated corresponding contact pattern.