Portable electronic device and method of controlling input operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10860136-B2
Application number	US-42981509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2009
Priority date	Jun 3, 2004
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a portable electronic device including an operation surface for inputting an operating action of a user, detecting means for detecting the coordinates of a point of contact of a user's finger with said operation surface, a memory for storing information representing a deviation between the coordinates of a point on said operation surface where the user desires the user's finger to touch said operation surface and the detected coordinates of the point of contact, and correcting means for correcting said deviation based on the stored information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a display device configured to display a cursor;
an operation surface divided into at least a first area and a second area, wherein
said operation surface is configured to receive an input corresponding to a touch operation of a user finger on each of said first area and said second area, and
said first area is associated with a first operation button of a plurality of operation buttons and said second area is associated with a second operation button of said plurality of operation buttons;

a peripheral area that surrounds both said first area and said second area,
wherein said peripheral area is at periphery of said operation surface; and circuitry configured to:
measure, repeatedly at a time interval, a magnitude of electrostatic capacitance corresponding to said first operation button;
detect whether each of said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds a specific threshold value;
determine a number of times said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds said specific threshold value;
detect a first touch operation of said user finger on said first area based on said determined number of times is greater than a specific number;
set a first hypothetical area frame outside said first area based on said first touch operation, wherein a first portion of said first hypothetical area frame overlaps a second portion of said peripheral area;
detect a first movement of said user finger from said first portion of said first hypothetical area frame to a third portion of said peripheral area, wherein said third portion of said peripheral area is adjacent to said second area;
determine, based on said first movement, that said user finger is not in contact with each of said first area, said second area, and said first hypothetical area frame;
expand said second area by a fourth portion based on said determination, wherein
an area of said fourth portion is equal to an area of said first portion, and
said fourth portion overlaps said third portion of said peripheral area;

detect a second movement of said user finger in said fourth portion of said expanded second area;
determine a second touch operation of said user finger in said fourth portion, based on said detection of said second movement; and
control said display device to display said cursor in said second area based on said determination of said second touch operation.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said circuitry is further configured to:
detect a third touch operation of said user finger on said first area;
set a second hypothetical area frame outside said first area touched by said user finger, wherein said second hypothetical area frame surrounds said first area; and
detect a fourth touch operation of said user finger on said first area, based on a third movement of said user finger from said first area to said peripheral area and a determination that said user finger is in contact with both said peripheral area and said second hypothetical area frame.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said circuitry is further configured to:
set a third hypothetical area frame along a border of said operation surface with respect to said peripheral area; and
identify no touch of said user finger on said operation surface, based on a third movement of said user finger from said peripheral area to said operation surface and a determination that said user finger is in contact with both said operation surface and said third hypothetical area frame.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said circuitry is further configured to:
measure a time required for said user finger to move from said first area to said second area; and
regard said user finger as unmoved from said first area to said second area based on said measured time that is equal to or larger than a threshold time.

5. A method, comprising:
in a portable electronic device comprising an operation surface:
measuring, repeatedly at a time interval, a magnitude of electrostatic capacitance corresponding to a first operation button of said operation surface;
detecting whether each of said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds a specific threshold value;
determining a number of times said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds said specific threshold value;
detecting a first touch operation of a user finger on a first area of said operation surface of said portable electronic device, based on said determined number of times is greater than a specific number, wherein
said first area is associated with said first operation button of a plurality of operation buttons and a second area of said operation surface is associated with a second operation button of said plurality of operation buttons;

setting a first hypothetical area frame outside said first area based on said first touch operation, wherein
a first portion of said first hypothetical area frame overlaps a second portion of a peripheral area that surrounds both said first area and said second area, and
said peripheral area is at periphery of said operation surface;

detecting a first movement of said user finger from said first portion of said first hypothetical area frame to a third portion of said peripheral area, wherein said third portion of said peripheral area is adjacent to said second area;
determining, based on said first movement, that said user finger is not in contact with each of said first area, said second area, and said first hypothetical area frame;
expanding said second area by a fourth portion based on said determination, wherein
an area of said fourth portion is equal to an area of said first portion, and
said fourth portion overlaps said third portion of said peripheral area;

detecting a second movement of said user finger in said fourth portion of said expanded second area;
determining a second touch operation of said user finger in said fourth portion, based on said detection of said second movement; and
controlling a display device to display a cursor in said second area based on said determination of said second touch operation.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause said processor to execute operations, said operations comprising:
measuring, repeatedly at a time interval, a magnitude of electrostatic capacitance corresponding to a first operation button of an operation surface of a portable electronic device;
detecting whether each of said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds a specific threshold value;
determining a number of times said repeatedly measured magnitude exceeds said specific threshold value;
detecting a first touch operation of a user finger on a first area of said operation surface of said portable electronic device, based on said determined number of times is greater than a specific number, wherein
said first area is associated with said first operation button of a plurality of operation buttons and a second area of said operation surface is associated with a second operation button of said plurality of operation buttons;

setting a first hypothetical area frame outside said first area based on said first touch operation, wherein
a first portion of said first hypothetical area frame overlaps a second portion of a peripheral area that surrounds both said first area and said second area, and
said peripheral area is at periphery of said operation surface;

detecting a first movement of said user finger from said first portion of said first hypothetical area frame to a third portion of said peripheral area, wherein said third portion of said peripheral area is adjacent to said second area;
determining, b

Assignees

• Sugimoto Kayo
• Sato Makoto
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sugimoto Kayo
• Sato Makoto

Classifications

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  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 · CPC title

• G06F3/04186

  Touch location disambiguation · CPC title

• G06F3/0418 Primary

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title