Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Stylus
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-03
2004-03-09
Liang, Regina (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Stylus
C345S173000, C178S019010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06704006
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to methods and systems for increasing the input efficiency of personal digital assistants and other handheld stylus-engagable computing devices.
BACKGROUND
With the increased mobility of people in today's workforce, the demand for mobile computing and communication capabilities outside of the office has also increased. Those inside the office, as well as those who typically work outside the office such as salespeople and field professionals, often require the ability to communicate with others and access various data files. In response to this demand, handheld computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) have been developed.
A PDA is a compact device that can serve various functions including a cellular phone, facsimile transmitter, personal organizer, and the like. PDAs typically include a stylus and a touch screen for user input, and may include a keyboard. PDAs can be used for such things as sending and retrieving e-mail, Web browsing, and data-sharing applications over the Internet, intranet or corporate networks.
FIG. 1
shows an exemplary PDA
100
including a stylus
102
. PDA
100
includes a housing
104
that defines a display area
106
that supports a touch screen
108
. Various user-engagable buttons
110
are provided and enable a user to interact with the PDA. To interact with the PDA, the user can either use buttons
110
to make various menu selections that are displayed on the touch screen
108
, or they can use stylus
102
to physically engage the touch screen.
Because of the compact nature of PDAs, there are some fundamental issues that have evolved with respect to their input efficiency. Specifically, the input fidelity in PDAs is typically very low. There is a stylus that will allow a user to touch on various places on the screen. There typically is not a keyboard per se, so if a user wishes to enter a large volume of information rapidly, they really don't have that capability.
There have been attempts in the past directed to solving the input fidelity issues regarding PDAs.
One such attempt provides character recognition technology whereby a user can write on the touch screen using the stylus, or have a small keyboard pop up on the display that can then be used to touch-select letters. This attempt can be slow and cumbersome. For example, due to the small screen real estate area, it is often inconvenient and difficult to write large amounts of information on the touch screen. In addition, the small screen real estate can adversely affect the visual resolution of the displayed keyboard, thus making input activities more difficult.
Another attempt to solve the input fidelity issues regarding PDAs places a large number of buttons on the PDA and/or screen for the user to engage. This attempt is limited by the form factor or size of the PDA. Consider again FIG.
1
. There simply is not a great deal of space available to accommodate a large number of additional buttons.
Yet another attempt to solve the input fidelity issues regarding PDAs provides a “drill down” functionality that allows a user to drill down to various lower level menus which, in turn, display additional and different menu options. One way of doing this is to have the stylus physically engage the screen for a predetermined time period (e.g. 3 seconds), whereupon a second menu can pop up and be displayed. This attempt requires extra time and effort on the user's part to drill down through the various menus. In addition, this attempt can be confusing to use and can result in the user following unintended menu branches. This drill down problem is similar the drill down problem that exists in cells phones having drill down capabilities. Anyone who has ever attempted to use the drill down capabilities in a cell phone has probably experienced at least one unintended frolic through menu selections that they were not looking for.
Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns associated with improving the input fidelity of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other handheld computing devices.
SUMMARY
Methods and systems for enhancing the input fidelity of personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other hand-held, stylus-engagable computing devices are described. In some embodiments, this can be done by associating input commands with different user-input activities, including different combinations of user-input activities. By using different combinations of user-input activities to designate particular input commands, a more robust collection of commands can be provided to a user in a manner that is simple, straight-forward and easy to understand.
In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that associate one or more input commands for use with a stylus-engagable, hand-held computing device, with a combination of user-input activities. The computing device comprises a touch screen that is engagable with a stylus. A combination of user-input activities is detected and an input command is generated that is associated with the detected combination of user-input activities. The generated command is then performed.
In other embodiments, methods and systems are provided that display a selectable area on a touch screen of a hand-held computing device. The selectable area is touch-selectable by a stylus that is associated with the handheld computing device. A first command is executed if only a stylus engages the selectable area. A second different command is executed if the stylus engages the selectable area and the user provides at least one additional user-input activity.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5596656 (1997-01-01), Goldberg
patent: 5764224 (1998-06-01), Lilja et al.
patent: 5973677 (1999-10-01), Gibbons
patent: 6094197 (2000-07-01), Buxton et al.
patent: 6262684 (2001-07-01), Stewart et al.
Cherry Darrel
Clough James
Hewlett--Packard Development Company, L.P.
Liang Regina
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