Patent ID: 9329714
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. An input accepting method used with an input device including a display that includes a screen and a touch panel capable of detecting a distance to a finger from the screen and capable of detecting coordinates indicating a position of the finger along a surface of the screen, the input accepting method comprising: detecting by the touch panel the distances to at least two finers from the screen being within a prescribed distance, and coordinates of the at least two fingers along the surface of the screen; displaying an indicator on the screen when the touch panel simultaneously detects the distances to the at least two fingers from the screen being within the prescribed distance, the indicator including a first pattern at a position corresponding to a middle point of the at least two fingers projected onto the screen along an axis transverse to the screen, a second pattern extending from the middle point to a first finger of the at least two fingers projected onto the screen along the axis transverse to the screen, and a third pattern extending from the middle point to a second finger of the at least two fingers projected onto the screen along the axis transverse to the screen; generating a first event in response to determining that the at least two fingers are in contact with each other, based on the coordinates of the at least two fingers when the touch panel simultaneously detects the distances to the at least two fingers from the screen being within the prescribed distance; generating a second event in response to determining that the at least two fingers having come into contact with each other once and then have become spaced from each other, based on the coordinates of the at least two fingers when the touch panel simultaneously detects the distances to the at least two fingers from the screen being within the prescribed distance; and generating a third event in response to determining that the at least two fingers having come into contact with each other twice and then have become spaced from each other, based on the coordinates of the at least two fingers when the touch panel simultaneously detects the distances to the at least two fingers from the screen being within the prescribed distance.