Abstract:
A window operation method for use in an electronic device comprises a touch-sensitive screen, a storage unit with pointers to slides of a graphical presentation being stored in a database and a processing module. The method applies the steps of storing a touch-control database comprising at least two touch-control events and an assessment field in the storage unit for each pointer to a slide, generating and displaying a slide of the graphical representation and a transparent window, analyzing a touch-control command received via the touch-sensitive screen and determining whether the touch-control command conforms to one of the stored touch-control event, an assessment value is stored in the assessment field in the storage unit for the current pointer to a slide, said assessment value corresponding to an emotional feedback of a user regarding said slide.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a touch-sensitive electric apparatus and window operation method, for use in an electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive screen, a storage unit and a processing module, wherein pointers to slides of a graphical presentation are stored in a database within the storage unit. 
     PRIOR ART 
     A method for gesture control in relation with touch sensitive screens is known from EP 2 372 513, providing transparent windows adapted to be manipulated when other windows are also displayed on the sensitive screen. 
     WO 2011/056387 provides a multi-touch control which uses a function similar to a double touch opening of menus as known in connection with the use of context menus and computer mice in use with conventional screens. 
     When a presentation is given with the use of slides shown on a computer screen it is often a need for the person giving the representation to make notes relating to the reaction of the target audience on the presentation of slides. For the time being, there is no technical means to provide an easy solution for supporting the user, so that he is forced to memorize the reactions. This is especially true, when a face-to-face situation exists where a tablet computer with a touch-sensitive screen is used. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Based on this prior art it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method and a device attending to this deficit. It is also an aim to provide directly a possibility for storing such feedback information for easy later retrieval. Furthermore it is contemplated to improve the knowledge of use of different presentation materials as slides or pages of an electronic book, e.g. a PDF document. 
     The invention is based on the inside, that modern tablet computers having a touchscreen interface enable a user of the touchscreen can directly combine giving a notation of a slide being presented together with the normal use of the presentation tools. 
     It is disclosed a window operation method for use in an electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive screen, a storage unit and a processing module. Within the storage unit, a database is provided wherein pointers to slides of a graphical presentation are stored. The method then comprises the steps of: storing a touch-control database comprising at least two touch-control events and an assessment field in the storage unit for each pointer to a slide, generating a slide of the graphical representation and a transparent window, displaying the slide of the graphical representation and the transparent window on top of it on the touch-sensitive screen by the processing module, wherein the transparent window comprises said touch-control events, analyzing a touch-control command received via the touch-sensitive screen by the processing module, and finally determining whether the touch-control command conforms to one of the stored touch-control events, wherein, when the touch-control command conforms to one of the stored touch-control events, an assessment figure is stored in the assessment field in the storage unit for the current pointer to a slide. 
     In a specific embodiment any of the touch-control events is also adapted to trigger, after execution of the step of generating and storing an assessment figure, the generation of the next slide of the graphical representation. 
     It is a further possibility, when the touch-control command is given over an extended period of time, that the transparent window turns visible and shows and displays the fields relating to the at least two touch control events. 
     The storage unit can also comprise a time field, within which upon going to the next slide, the time of representation of the given slide is stored. 
     In a further embodiment, the storage of a touch-control event is performed in such a way that, in the case of multiple subsequent activations of a touch-control event, only the touch-control event is stored which is received the last in respect of time. 
     The touch-control events may comprise gestures replacing specific assessment fields or these gestures replacing specific assessment fields or these gestures are additionally added to specific assessment fields. Especially it is possible that a specific touch-control event is activated when the user, with a finger of his hand, swipes from right-to-left or from left-to-right over the screen. The height of the swipe, being the touch-control command, is considered to conform to one of the stored touch-control events, and determines the value of the assessment figure to be stored in the assessment field in the storage unit for the current pointer to a slide. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the following with reference to the drawings, which are for the purpose of illustrating the present preferred embodiments of the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  shows a representation of an electronic device as a tablet computer providing a slide representation executing a method according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the electronic device according to the invention; and 
         FIG. 3  shows a representation of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  executing a different touch control event according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A touch sensitive electric device  10  as a representation device is represented in form of a tablet computer in  FIG. 1 . Such a device usually comprises an on-off-switch  11  and a central touch sensitive display and screen  20 .  FIG. 2  now shows a block diagram of the main electronic parts of the device  10  which are relevant for the invention. Of course, device  10  also comprises a battery, one or more interfaces (WLAN, 3G etc.) and further modules which are necessary for the use of the device but not relevant in view of features according to the invention. 
     Within the touch sensitive electronic device  10  is provided a storage unit  200  comprising a presentation database  220  and a touch-control database  210 . The database  220  comprises e.g. the graphical presentation which could be provided according to the requirements of the operating system. For the WINDOWS operating system a popular software program is PowerPoint, for Android it is e.g. contained in an application called Polaris and for the Mac-system Keynote can be mentioned. 
     Furthermore, a touch-control database  210  is provided within the storage unit  200  comprising a number of touch-control events  211 . In other words, the Figures relate to certain aspects of a window operation method for use in the electronic device  10  comprising the touch-sensitive screen  20 , the storage unit  200  and e.g. a processing module  100 , wherein pointers to slides of a graphical presentation are stored in the database within the storage unit  200 . At least two touch-control events are stored per presentation slide, in other words for every entry in the presentation database  220  at least two fields are provided in the touch-control database  210 . The relevant pointer shows to the assessment field  221  within the presentation database  220 , the relevant pointer being a particular pointer stored in the touch-control database  210  that points to the particular assessment field  221  stored within the presentation database  220 . 
     Of course it is possible to create one single database comprising the touch-control events  211  and the assessment field  221  which can also be separately provided from the presentation slides. 
     Within the method according to the invention, a slide of the graphical representation is generated for representation on the screen  20  as well as a transparent window  40  which is provided as a rectangular frame on the left hand side of the screen  20 . Of course it would also be possible to provide such a frame along a different side of the screen. It is preferable and an advantage, if the transparent window  40  is provided between the entire boundaries of the screen so that a user, here represented by his hand  45  can directly know where he has to touch to achieve a specific result. Although the window  40  could be visible as in the representation of  FIG. 1  to demonstrate the function, it should usually be invisible for the user. 
     The transparent window  40  is divided into a number of touch-control events  211  here in eleven fields  41 . These fields are marked in the representation of  FIG. 1  from X and  1  to  10 . 
     It is also possible to have a different number of elements  41 , i.e. only two, one on the lower left hand side of the window and one of the upper side of the window; or any other number. 
     As soon as the user with his hand  45  touches the transparent window region  40  a specific touch-control event  211  as field  41  is chosen. Then this information is used by the processing module  100  within a touch-control detection unit  120  to assert which touch-control event  211  was triggered and that touch-control event is attributed within the touch-control analysis unit  110  to a specific assessment value which is stored in the assessment field  221  relating to the presentation database  220 . In other words, in the present example as shown in  FIG. 1  a value “6” is stored. The window  40  usually is invisible and does not hinder the representation of elements  30 . It is possible to make the window visible over the entire time or only during a moment, when a specific field is touched. The value attributed to the assessment field  221  can be e.g. the impression that the presenter of the slide has when he sees the reaction of the public. In this respect it is possible to touch several times the window  40  before going to the next slide through the cursor  31  or to another slide via another element on the touchscreen as e.g the backward arrow  32 . Only the last touched assessment value is stored in field  221 . Therefore, the user can correct his initial assessment of the slide until representation of this slide is finished. 
     It is also possible that the touch of the touch-control event  211  in the field  40  also triggers the forward button to go into the next slide so that only one and final assessment can be given with the advantage that it cannot be forgotten, because this could be the only way to go forward in the slides. 
     Besides the assessment field  221  it is possible that a field like the window field “X”  41  is used to mark a special event so that afterwards the database having values for the impression of the slides can be augmented with the specific written description which is claimed from the presenter if any slides have received the mark X. Then using the touch event  211  for such a mark X would trigger a flagging of the field in question. 
     The window  40  of  FIG. 1  covers 10% of the screen  20  and is divided from bottom to top into eleven distinct equal areas, which can be called hotspots. 
     During a discussion, the presenter of the slides can click on any of these hotspots and thereby directly give an emotional feedback to the particular page or slide. The particular page or slide can thereby be generated based on an above-mentioned popular representation software program or can also be a simple aggregation of pages such as a PDF or a multi-page Tiff. 
     Additionally, the presentation database can comprise a time field  222  which is filled with the cumulative time values the user stayed on a specific slide or page. This value is separately recorded and gives together with the assessment value a tool to analyze the impression and feedback of slides. If e.g. some of the slides are—over a number of representations—not shown at all or only for a very short time, then the question arises, if it is necessary to include them in the presentation. On the other side, if a slide has a very long representation time and a bad value, then this slide has to be improved. However, these functions are stemming from the technical solution to provide and fill an assessment field value  221  and optional a time field  222  being filled, when specific touch-control event fields  211  are activated during a representation. 
       FIG. 3  shows a representation of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  executing a further touch control event according to the invention. As mentioned above, the touch-control events may comprise gestures replacing specific fields  40  or they are provided in addition to them.  FIG. 3  shows a sweeping action  42  as touch control event. In this specific embodiment the touch-control event is activated when the user, with a finger of his hand, swipes from left-to-right according to arrow  42  over the screen. The original starting position of a finger and a possible final position of the hand  45  is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The swipe is roughly at the same height. In order to determine an assessment figure, the screen is now segmented into a number of horizontal stripes, as prolongation of the fields X and  1  to  10  from the touch control events  41  from  FIG. 1 . They are not shown as bands in  FIG. 3 . When compared to the numeral fields of touch-control events  41  the assessment value which is to be attributed to the sweeping action would be “6”. It could be determined as the starting position height of the finger (here at the lower band of assessment figure “6”) or as the end position of the finger (here within the band of the stripe with the value “6”) or as an average value. It is also possible that the swipe does not necessarily goes from the left edge to the right edge (or vice-versa). It is also possible that a specific minimum swipe as e.g. 30% or 50% or 70% of the width of the table screen  20  is sufficient for triggering the touch control event through the gesture. Then, the height of the swipe, being the touch-control command, is considered to conform to one of the stored touch-control events and determines the value of the assessment figure to be stored in the assessment field in the storage unit for the current pointer to a slide. It can be predetermined that a swipe from left-to-right only determines and stores the assessment value whereas the swipe from right-to-left also triggers the generation of the next slide according to the method. 
     It is also possible that the gesture itself determines the assessment figure. In such a case the gesture is read as a figure through intelligent character recognition (ICR). 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 10 
                 electronic device 
               
               
                 11 
                 on-off switch 
               
               
                 20 
                 display and touch-screen 
               
               
                 30 
                 slide 
               
               
                 31 
                 forward touch-control event 
               
               
                 32 
                 backward touch.control event 
               
               
                 40 
                 transparent window 
               
               
                 41 
                 touch control event 
               
               
                 42 
                 touch control swipe event 
               
               
                 45 
                 hand of a user 
               
               
                 100 
                 processing module 
               
               
                 200 
                 storage unit 
               
               
                 210 
                 touch-control database 
               
               
                 211 
                 touch-control event 
               
               
                 220 
                 presentation database 
               
               
                 221 
                 assessment field 
               
               
                 222 
                 time field