Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Touch panel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2004-04-27
Hjerpe, Richard (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Touch panel
C345S157000, C345S179000, C345S180000, C345S215000, C345S901000, C178S018010, C178S019010, C178S019040
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727892
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to computer displays, and, more particularly to a method of allowing relatively small features displayed on the touch screen, particularly at the edges of the screen, to be selected more easily.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
shows a conventional computer
10
of the type that is adapted to be held in the hand H of an operator during use. Such computers
10
, known as “palmtop” computers, include a relatively large display screen
12
, and a few manually actuated keys, generally indicated as
14
. The display screen
12
is preferably a touch screen that primarily controls the operation of the computer
10
. More particularly, several icons
18
are displayed on the screen
12
, and programs or other functions are selected by touching the screen
12
on the icon
18
corresponding to the program or function to be selected.
The basic components of the computer
10
are shown in the system block diagram of FIG.
2
. The computer
10
includes a processor
20
of conventional design that is coupled through a processor bus
22
to a system controller
24
. The processor bus
22
generally includes a set of bidirectional data bus lines coupling data to and from the processor
20
, a set of unidirectional address bus lines coupling addresses from the processor
20
, and a set of unidirectional control/status bus lines coupling control signals from the processor
20
and status signals to the processor
20
. The system controller
24
performs two basic functions. First, it couples signals between the processor
20
and a system memory
26
via a memory bus
28
. The system memory
26
is normally a dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), but it may also be a static random access memory (“SRAM”). Second, the system controller
24
couples signals between the processor
20
and a peripheral bus
30
. The peripheral bus
30
is, in turn, coupled to a read only memory (“ROM”)
32
, a touch screen driver
34
, a touch screen input circuit
36
, and a keypad controller
38
.
The ROM
32
stores a software program (described below) for controlling the operation of the computer
10
, although the program may be transferred from the ROM
32
to the system memory
26
and executed by the processor
20
from the system memory
26
. The touch screen driver
34
receives information from the processor
20
and applies appropriate signals to the display
12
through the touch screen driver
34
. The touch screen input circuit
36
provides signals indicating that an action has been taken to select a program or function by touching the screen
12
on a corresponding icon
18
(FIG.
1
). Finally, the keypad controller
38
interrogates the keys
14
to provide signals to the processor
20
corresponding to a key
14
selected by an operator.
Returning, now, to
FIG. 1
, most palm computers, such as the computer
10
, include a stylus (not shown) adapted to select the icons
18
displayed on the screen
12
. The stylus has a relatively small point thereby allowing icons
18
displayed on the screen
12
to be selected even though the icons
18
may be relatively small and/or positioned close to either other icons
18
or the edges of the screen. However, the use of a stylus can be inconvenient because it is necessary to obtain the stylus, such as by removing it from a receptacle at the back of the computer
10
, before any function can be selected.
To avoid the inconvenience of using a stylus, many operators use their fingers to select icons
18
on the screen
12
of the computer
10
. While being more convenient, the use of a finger to select icons
18
creates other problems. Any finger is several orders of magnitude larger than the point of a stylus. It can therefore be difficult to select fine and/or closely spaced icons or features on the screen
12
using a finger. The location on the screen
12
that is selected by a finger is generally a point at the center of the area of the finger that is in contact with the screen. This point is sometimes known as the “hot spot”. With reference to
FIG. 3
, a finger F is shown touching the screen
12
. The area A of contact between the finger F and screen
12
is somewhat smaller than the size of the finger F. The computer
10
then calculates a hot spot H at the center of the area of contact A. The hot spot H is small enough to be capable of accurately selecting even the finest and most closely spaced of icons
18
or other features displayed on the screen
12
. However, this capability is not realized in practice because the hot spot is not displayed on the screen
12
as a cursor or other indicator. Further, even if a cursor was displayed on the screen
12
to designate the hot spot, the cursor would be beneath the finger F and thus not visible to the operator. Thus, in practice, it is often not possible to select fine and/or closely spaced icons
18
or features on the screen
12
using a finger F.
One approach that has been used to allow icons to be easily selected on touch screens is to display substantially larger icons
18
and features so that there is no ambiguity about which icon
18
or feature is being selected. While this approach does make it easier to select icons and features, it has the disadvantages of requiring that the operation of the computer
10
be altered and reducing the number of icons
18
and features that can be displayed on the screen
12
at the same time.
Another limitation of using a finger to select icons
18
and features on computer touch screens
12
is the difficulty of selecting icons or features that are near the edges of the screen
12
. With reference to
FIG. 4
, a finger F′ is attempting to select an icon
18
′ that is adjacent to one edge
40
of the screen
12
. The finger F′ is centered over the icon
18
′, but is overlapping the edge
40
of the screen
12
. As a result, the area of contact A′ between the finger F′ and the screen
12
is offset to the left of the center of the finger F′ and so is the hot spot H′. Therefore, even though the user has centered his or her finger F′ over the icon
18
′, the hot spot H′ is offset from the icon
18
′. For this reason, a program or function corresponding to the icon
18
′ will not be selected. This problem may continue even if the finger F′ is moved further to the right of its position as shown in
FIG. 4
because the hot spot H′ will always be located midway between the left edge of the area A′ of contact between the finger F′ and the screen
12
and the edge
40
of the screen
12
. As a result, it may not be possible to position the hot spot H′ at or very close to the edge
40
of the screen
12
. While the problem is shown in
FIG. 4
in the context of selecting an icon
18
′ adjacent the right edge
40
of the screen
12
, it will be understood that the same problem occurs when selecting an icon that is positioned adjacent the left edge, the top edge, the bottom edge, or a corner of the screen
12
.
While the foregoing discussion has centered around the problem of selecting icons and features on a touch screen displays for palmtop computers like the computer
10
shown in
FIG. 1
, the problem may also exist to some extent with selecting icons and features on full size touch screen computer displays.
There is therefore a need for a method that allows a finger to accurately select icons and other features even where the icons or features are small and closely spaced, and even where they are at or very close to the edges of the screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method of facilitating the use of touch screen alters the operation of the touch screen when an area of contact is within a predetermined distance of an edge of the touch screen. The position of the contact area on the touch screen is first determined. If the contact area is at a first location on the touch screen, such as within a predetermined distance of an edge of the screen, a user input is registered at a first position relative to the cont
Abdulselam Abbas I
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Hjerpe Richard
Micro)n Technology, Inc.
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