Patent ID: 9116598
Filing Date: 2015-08-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method under control of a computer coupled to a sensitive display and to communication circuitry for communication with an external display device other than the sensitive display, the method comprising: detecting hover of a user's physical object in proximity over the sensitive display when the user's physical object is hovered in proximity over the sensitive display; in response to the detection of the hover of the user's physical object, determining a hover position above which the user's physical object is hovered within a computer screen; distinctively from the hover, detecting a tap of the user's physical object onto the sensitive display when the user's physical object is subsequently tapped onto the sensitive display; in response to the detection of the tap of the user's physical object, determining a tap position onto which the user's physical object is tapped within the computer screen and executing a predetermined action associated with a tappable graphical user interface element in the computer screen if the user's physical object is determined to be tapped onto the tappable graphical user interface element to be tapped by the user's hovering physical object for the predetermined action; determining whether or not the communication is active with the external display device through the communication circuitry; and while detecting the hover of the user's physical object in proximity over the sensitive display, conditionally using the determined hover position to visually guide the hovering user's physical object to the tappable graphical user interface element, depending at least on whether or not the communication is determined to be active with the external display device through the communication circuitry, wherein the conditionally using the determined hover position includes: if the communication is determined to be active, displaying the computer screen and a graphical indicator located at the determined hover position in the computer screen on the external display device via the active communication, instead of displaying the computer screen on the sensitive display, wherein the graphical indicator indicates the hover position by being displayed at the hover position thereby assisting a user to recognize where in the sensitive display the user should tap on in order to tap the tappable graphical user interface element in the computer screen displayed on the external display device; whereas if the communication is determined to be not active, displaying the computer screen while failing to display the graphical indicator on the sensitive display, instead of displaying the computer screen and the graphical indicator on the external display device.