Abstract:
Control methods for a cell phone are provided upon occurrence of a particular event, which receive a contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, analyze the contact-related information to identify the contact position, the number of contact objects, or a gesture, to determine a further step to deal with the particular event. The particular event may include receipt of a call, sounding of an alarm of the cell phone, displaying of a short message on the touch screen, receipt of an interrupting call, or a standby mode of the cell phone.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention is related generally to a control method for a cell phone and, more particularity, to a control method for operating a cell phone with a touch control interface. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Conventionally, cell phones operate on commands that are inputted by pressing buttons on the cell phones. For example, when receiving a call, a user may press an “Answer” button to answer the call, or press a “Hang Up” button or “Busy” button to refuse the call, or simply ignore the call and wait until the caller hangs up. While waiting for the caller to hang up, the user may wish to switch the call alert from a ringing mode to a silent or vibration mode so as not to interfere with other people. However, switching the call alert of a silent or vibration mode typically involves a complicated procedure that includes screen change, mode selection, and so on. Therefore, in order to facilitate the operation, some cell phones are now equipped with a shortcut button that enables a user to rapidly switch the mode of the call alert when receiving a call. 
         [0003]    Recently, as touch control interfaces gain increasing popularity, more and more cell phone manufactures use touch screens as the input interfaces of cell phones. For these cell phones, however, virtual buttons are displayed on the touch screens for users to press for command input. Hence, these cell phones, in a sense, are still operated in the same way as those with physical buttons. 
         [0004]    The present invention provides a control method for a cell phone that is based on the currently fully developed software and hardware of touch control interfaces. Thus, upon occurrence of a particular event, a user can input commands into the cell phone in ways other than pressing buttons, thereby enabling more user-friendly operation of the cell phone. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An object of the present invention is to provide control methods for a cell phone. 
         [0006]    According to the present invention, a control method for a cell phone analyzes contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, such as the contact position, the number of contact objects, or the gesture on the touch screen, and accordingly, determines the response to a call or a sounding alarm. The process for dealing with the call includes putting the call through, refusing the call, or switching the call alert to a silent mode. The process for dealing with a sounding alarm includes stopping the alarm or delaying the sounding time of the alarm. 
         [0007]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, when a cell phone receives a call or when an alarm of the cell phone sounds, an interactive animated picture is displayed on a touch screen of the cell phone. The animated picture includes a main figure, and the cell phone determines the subsequent process depending on whether or not a user&#39;s finger touches a predetermined area around the main figure. 
         [0008]    According to other embodiments of the present invention, the cell phone determines the subsequent process depending on the number of contact objects or the gesture on the touch screen. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a flowchart of a first embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a second embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a variant embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a third embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a variant embodiment of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  shows a variant embodiment of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a sixth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a seventh embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart of an eighth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a flowchart of a ninth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart of a tenth embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is a flowchart of an eleventh embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is a flowchart of a twelfth embodiment according to the present invention; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 16  is a flowchart of a thirteenth embodiment according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]      FIG. 1  is a flowchart of a first embodiment according to the present invention, which shows the steps of controlling a cell phone when it receives a call. Upon receiving a call in step  100 , a touch screen of the cell phone displays an animated picture in step  110 . The animated picture is an interactive one having a main figure which might be a figure of a cat, a figure of a dog, or other preset figures, and can be a still, or a moving object changing the position with time. When a user touches the touch screen by finger or other electrically conductive objects, the cell phone receives the contact-related information of the contact on the touch screen in step  120  and then extracts the contact position in step  130  according to the contact-related information. Following that, step  140  determines whether or not the contact position falls within an area occupied by the main figure. If yes, the call is put through in step  150 ; otherwise, the call is refused in step  160 . Then, the display of the animated picture is ended in step  170 . 
         [0027]    The interaction between a user and an animated picture displayed on a touch screen is well-known to those skilled in the art of touch screens. Therefore, a detailed description of such interaction is omitted herein. Nintendo Company Ltd., Japan, uses this kind of interaction technique in portable game consoles such that animated pictures displayed on touch screens of the game consoles are changed as users touch different positions of the touch screens. 
         [0028]    Alternatively, the process to be executed is determined by which part of the main figure is touched. For instance, the call is put through if the head of the main figure is touched; the call alert of the cell phone is switched from a ringing mode to a silent mode if the feet of the main figure are touched; and the call is refused if the contact position is outside the main figure. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  shows a second embodiment according to the present invention, in which upon receiving a call in step  200 , a touch screen of the cell phone is detected to receive the contact-related information in step  210 . Step  220  identifies the gesture according to the contact-related information, and step  230  determines whether or not the gesture matches to a preset one. If yes, the call is put through in step  240 ; otherwise, the call is refused in step  250 . 
         [0030]    A variant embodiment of  FIG. 2  is shown in  FIG. 3 , in which function options corresponding to different preset gestures are defined. If the user&#39;s gesture matches to a first preset one, the call is put through; if the user&#39;s gesture matches to a second preset one, the call is refused; and if the user&#39;s gesture matches to a third preset one, the call alert is switched from a ringing mode to a silent mode. The first, second, and third preset gestures are different from one another and include, for example, circling, making a cross, making a check mark, moving along a curve, sliding, moving back and forth, tapping, tapping twice, tapping one and a half time, two fingers moving toward each other, or two fingers moving away from each other. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates a third embodiment according to the present invention, in which upon receiving a call in step  300 , step  310  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone. Then, step  320  extracts the number of objects in contact with the touch screen according to the contact-related information, and step  330  identifies whether or not the number of objects is smaller than a preset value n. If yes, the call is refused in step  350 ; otherwise, the call is put through in step  340 . In another embodiment, the call is refused if the number of objects is greater than the preset value n; the call is put through if the number of objects is smaller than the preset value n; and the call alert is switched from a ringing mode to a silent mode if the number of objects is equal to the preset value n. Typically, the preset value n is a positive integer. 
         [0032]    The embodiment of  FIG. 4  may have other variants. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the number of contact objects is compared with the preset value n. In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , however, three numbers of contact objects are preset. When the number of objects is equal to the first number, the call is put through; when the number of objects is equal to the second number, the call is refused; and when the number of objects is equal to the third number, the call alert is switched from a ringing mode to a silent mode. The first, second, and third preset numbers are different from one another and may be programmed. 
         [0033]    In the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the step of identifying multiple objects on the touch screen can be realized by techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,323,846 and 5,825,352. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846, the number of objects may be identified by extracting and analyzing a proximity image. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,352, the number of objects is identified by analyzing the sensed values along X- and Y-axes of a touchpad. 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention, in which upon receiving a call in step  400 , a touch screen of the cell phone is detected to receive the contact-related information in step  410 . Then, in step  420 , the object contact on the touch screen is identified according to the contact-related information, and step  430  identifies whether or not the contact object is a preset one. If yes, the call is put through in step  440 ; otherwise, the call is refused in step  450 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 7  is a variant embodiment of  FIG. 6 , in which there are three preset objects. When it is determined that the contact object is the first preset one, the call is put through; when it is determined that the contact object is the second preset one, the call is refused; and when it is determined that the contact object is the third preset one, the call alert is switched to a silent mode. The first, second, and third preset objects are different from one another and may be programmed. 
         [0036]    The preset objects in the embodiments of  FIGS. 6 and 7  can be as varied as a thumb, a little finger, a palm, a stylus, and so on. The contact object can be identified, for example, by analyzing the area of contact, which can be realized by a technique disclosed in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846. It can identify which part of a hand is touching a touchpad by analyzing a proximity image, and even identify the hand as the left hand or the right hand. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention, in which upon receiving a call in step  500 , step  510  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen. Then, step  520  extracts the contact area of the object from the contact-related information, and step  530  identifies whether or not the contact area is greater than a preset value. If yes, the call is put through in step  540 ; otherwise, the call is refused in step  550 . In another embodiment, the call is put through if the contact area is smaller than the preset value, and the call is refused if the contact area is greater than the preset value. 
         [0038]    In step  530  of  FIG. 8 , the contact area of the contact object on the touch panel is compared with the preset value. Step  520  of  FIG. 8 , which calculates the contact area, can be carried out by a technique disclosed in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846. It identifies whether or not the contact object is a palm by analyzing the size of the contact area. Whereas in the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the size of the contact area directly determines how to deal with the call. In another embodiment, the contact area is evaluated by another way. More specifically, the coordinates of each of multiple contact objects are used to calculate the area enclosed by the multiple contact objects. In other words, it may put the call through or refuse the call by controlling the relative closeness of multiple fingers (say, three fingers) that are in contact with the touch screen. 
         [0039]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the preset value may be set between the total area of one finger and two fingers. Therefore, when the cell phone receives a call, the user can put the call through by touching the touch screen with two fingers or refuse the call by touching the touch screen with only one finger. In another embodiment, the preset value for the contact area may be set between the area of a fingertip and the area of a region below the thumb. Thus, when the cell phone receives a call, the user can put the call through by touching the touch screen with any one finger or refuse the call by touching the touch screen with the palm. In a further embodiment, a first preset area and a second preset area greater than the first preset area are defined. If the contact area is smaller than the first preset area, the call is put through; if the contact area is between the first preset area and the second preset area, the call alert is switched to a silent mode; and if the contact area is greater than the second preset area, the call is refused. 
         [0040]      FIGS. 9 through 13  show some embodiments of the present invention where the techniques of  FIGS. 1 through 8  are used to stop the alarm of a cell phone. Other possible modifications can be derived by reference to the following description in conjunction with the description related to  FIGS. 1 through 8 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a sixth embodiment according to the present invention, for controlling a cell phone when an alarm thereof sounds. When the alarm sounds in step  600 , step  610  displays an animated picture which has a main figure by a touch screen. Then, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , step  620  receives the contact-related information from the touch screen, and step  630  extracts the contact position according to the contact-related information. Step  640  identifies whether or not the contact position falls within an area of the main figure. If yes, the alarm is stopped in step  650 ; otherwise, the process goes back to step  620 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a seventh embodiment according to the present invention. When an alarm of the cell phone sounds in step  700 , step  710  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, and step  720  identifies the gesture according to the contact-related information. If the gesture is conformed to match to a preset one in step  730 , the alarm is stopped in step  740 ; otherwise, the process goes back to step  710 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart of an eighth embodiment according to the present invention. When an alarm of the cell phone sounds in step  800 , step  810  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, and from the contact-related information, step  820  extracts the number of contact objects such as fingers on the touch screen. If it is determined in step  830  that the number of objects is equal to a preset value n, the alarm is stopped in step  840 ; otherwise, the process goes back to step  810 . In an embodiment, the preset value n is one. 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  is a flowchart of a ninth embodiment according to the present invention. When an alarm of the cell phone sounds in step  900 , step  910  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, and step  920  identifies the contact object. If it is determined in step  930  that the contact object matches a preset one, the alarm is stopped in step  940 ; otherwise, the process goes back to step  910 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart of a tenth embodiment according to the present invention. When an alarm of the cell phone sounds in step  1000 , step  1010  receives the contact-related information from a touch screen of the cell phone, and step  1020  extracts the contact area from the contact-related information. Then, step  1030  identifies whether or not the contact area is greater than a preset value. If yes, the alarm is stopped in step  1040 ; otherwise, the process goes back to step  1010 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 14  is a flowchart of an eleventh embodiment according to the present invention, in which when the user switches the current screen of the cell phone to a short message screen to display a short message in step  1100 , step  1102  begins to detect and identify the gesture on a touch screen of the cell phone. If the gesture matches to a first one  1104 , the currently displayed short message screen is exited in step  1106 . If the gesture matches to a second one  1108 , the short message in display is deleted in step  1110 . If the gesture matches to a third one  1112 , the short message screen is switched to a short message edit screen to reply to the short message in step  1114 . If the gesture matches to a fourth one  1116 , the short message in display is forwarded in step  1118 , in which the short message screen is preferably switched to a phone book for the user to choose a phone number to which the short message is to be forwarded. If the gesture matches to a fifth one  1120 , the phone number from which the short message is sent is dialed to make a phone-call reply in step  1122 . If the gesture matches to a sixth one  1124 , the phone number from which the short message is sent is saved in step  1126 . Preferably, the first through sixth gestures can be defined by the user. 
         [0047]      FIG. 15  illustrates a twelfth embodiment according to the present invention. Upon receiving an interrupting call in step  1200 , step  1210  begins to detect and identify the gesture on a touch screen of the cell phone. If the gesture matches to a first one  1220 , step  1230  suspends the call currently in progress and puts through the interrupting call. If the gesture matches to a second one  1240 , step  1250  ends the call currently in progress and puts through the interrupting call. If the gesture matches to a third one  1260 , step  1270  activates a three-way calling. With the conventional cell phone systems, the operations described above involve complicated procedures. Besides, in order to carry out the steps for handling an interrupting call, a user of the conventional cell phone systems must temporarily stop talking on the phone. On the other hand, the control method of the present invention is simple and therefore minimizes interference with conversation on the phone. 
         [0048]      FIG. 16  shows a thirteenth embodiment according to the present invention. While the cell phone is in a standby mode in step  1300 , step  1310  detects and identifies the gesture on a touch screen of the cell phone. If the user inputs a first gesture  1320 , then step  1330  activates a key lock. If a key locked is already activated, and a second gesture  1340  is inputted, then step  1350  deactivates the key lock. In different embodiments, the first gesture may be the same as or different from the second gesture. If a same gesture is defined as both the first and second gestures, the user will be conveniently to activate and deactivate a key lock with a single gesture. 
         [0049]    In short, the principle of the present invention is to take full advantage of the contact-related information from a touch control interface or an alarm of a cell phone to perform various functions. The contact-related information can be used to identify the gesture, the number of contact objects such as fingers, the type of contact object, the contact area, the contact position, and so forth, thereby determining the functions to be executed. 
         [0050]    While the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiment thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.