Abstract:
Methods for recognition and interpretation of pinch-in and pinch-out gestures for unlocking a screen of a mobile device, which has been locked to prevent accidental activation of device functionalities while being carried, such as in pocket or purse.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/747,645, filed Dec. 31, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, and the priority of which is hereby claimed pursuant to 37 CFR 1.78(a) (4) and (5)(i). 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to mobile devices with touch screens, and in particular to gestures for unlocking locked mobile devices. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Mobile devices are carried in pockets, briefcases and handbags of users. Many devices feature a touch screen that is sensitive to pressure, and which is exposed to accidental touches that may cause inadvertent operations such as dialing, playing a song, or launching an application that consumes data or drains the device&#39;s battery. A common approach for protecting a mobile device with a touch screen against inadvertent operations is the so-called “locked screen”, which does not respond to accidental touches and requires a predefined gesture that is unlikely to occur accidentally in pocket or purse, in order to enter the unlocked state. Typically, a mobile device defaults into locked screen status after a few moments of inactivity, or in response to an explicit user command such as pressing a device&#39;s lock button. 
         [0006]    There is a need to offer more convenience and functionalities to lock and unlock screens. This need is met by embodiments of the present invention. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Embodiments of the invention provide recognition and interpretation for additional and more convenient gestures for locking and unlocking a screen of a mobile device. 
         [0008]    Therefore, there is provided by an embodiment of the present invention a method for unlocking a mobile device having a touch screen, the method including: (a) displaying on the touch screen a preview version of a content; (b) detecting and interpreting a gesture entered at the touch screen; and (c) if the interpreted gesture is a pinch-out gesture, then replacing the preview version of the content with a full interactive version of the content. 
         [0009]    In addition, there is also provided by another embodiment of the present invention a method for unlocking a mobile device having a touch screen, the method including: (a) detecting and interpreting a gesture entered at the touch screen; and (b) if the interpreted gesture is a pinch-in gesture, then unlocking the mobile device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The disclosed subject matter may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a touch screen. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a pinch-out gesture on a device screen. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates the result of receiving and interpreting the pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a pinch-in gesture on a device screen. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a display of a home screen including icons. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates a display of a security screen. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    Reference is made to  FIG. 1 , which describes an exemplary embodiment of a touch screen according to the present disclosure. A state  100 A is that of a mobile device  104  in locked mode, wherein a content window  108  shows a content preview  112  that includes graphics, text, and/or animated elements downloaded via the Internet, such as news or weather; and/or content generated by mobile device  104 , such as calendar information or a game status; and/or is a display of mobile device widgets. An optional standard screen part  116  includes visual and functional elements that are common in mobile device lockable screens, such as unlock graphics, a clock, and alerts. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a state  100 B of mobile device  104 , in which mobile device  104  is receiving a pinch-out gesture from a user&#39;s hand  120 A, such that two fingers simultaneously touch the screen and move away from each other. Arrows  128  depict the direction of the fingers&#39; motion, and are not part of the screen display. Although a typical user may instinctively apply the pinch-out gesture within or next to content window  108  displaying content preview  112 , a pinch-out gesture in other parts of the screen may also be programmed to have a similar effect, depending on design considerations. The pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2  is identified by mobile device  104  and is interpreted and responded to, as described with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 7  below. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a state  100 C of mobile device  104 , in which mobile device  104  has interpreted and is responding to the pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2 . In response to the pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2  being received and interpreted, the mobile device unlocks and then presents full interactive content  122  corresponding to content preview  112 , for example by automatically launching an interactive mobile app or downloading a webpage associated with the specific content presented in the content window  108  prior to the pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2 . The screen, and optionally also a speaker (not shown) of mobile device  104 , exhibit full interactive content  122  that corresponds to content preview  112  of  FIG. 2 , thereby providing a seamless transition from preview mode to full interactive mode following the user&#39;s pinch-out gesture. In the full interactive mode, full interactive content  122  may, in non-limiting example, include video, audio, and interactive elements such as links indicated by a hot link  126 , and active buttons such as buttons  124 , which selectably trigger actions such as “more” for scrolling to the next page, or “sound” for turning audio on and off. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates a state  100 D of mobile device  104 , in which mobile device  104  of  FIG. 1  is receiving a pinch-in gesture from a user&#39;s hand  120 B, where two fingers touch the screen simultaneously and move toward each other. Arrows  132  depict the direction of the fingers&#39; motion, and are not part of the screen display. Although a typical user may instinctively apply the pinch-in gesture within or next to content window  108  displaying content preview  112 , a pinch-in gesture in other parts of the screen may also be programmed to have a similar effect, depending on design considerations. The pinch-in gesture of  FIG. 4  is identified by mobile device  104  and is interpreted and responded to as described with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 7  below. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates a state  100 E of mobile device  104 , in which the display of mobile device  104  shows a home screen  140 , which is a conventional home screen including a plurality of icons, such as an icon  136 , each acting as a button for activating an application or functionality of mobile device  104 , or as a link to a webpage accessible via the Internet. Thus, in the context of the present disclosure,  FIG. 5  illustrates how mobile device  104  moves to a typical unlock state  100 E, following a pinch-in gesture ( FIG. 4 ). 
         [0023]      FIG. 6  illustrates an optional state  100 F of mobile device  104  according to embodiments of the present invention which provide a security feature. In state  100 F mobile device  104  requires the user to enter personal credentials, such as a password, secret gesture, or biometric signature such as a voice or a face image, in order to access the functionalities of mobile device  104 . Thus, in certain embodiments of the invention, the pinch-out gesture of  FIG. 2  or the pinch-in gesture of  FIG. 4  leads to an intermediate security screen  144  (shown in a non-limiting example), where, for example, the user is faced with a credentials entry prompt  148 , directing the user to respond by entering personal credentials via credentials entry input means  152  such as a keypad for entering a password, a touchscreen area for entering a personal secret gesture, a microphone for entering the user&#39;s voice for analysis, or a camera for acquiring a face image of the user for recognition. In these embodiments, successful recognition of the user through the entered credentials is a precondition for mobile device  104  to pass into state  100 C ( FIG. 3 ) or state  100 E ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In a step  101 , a content preview  112  of full interactive content  122  is shown on the screen of mobile device  104 . The term “interactive content” herein denotes content that includes active user-input elements such as buttons and links Interactive content may also include streaming video and sound. The term “preview” herein denotes a purposely-degraded version of the interactive content which is adapted to a locked screen state, such as by disabling active input elements, muting sound, and preferably avoiding streaming video to reduce data plan usage and battery drain. 
         [0025]    In a step  105 , mobile device  104  receives and interprets a gesture sensed by the touchscreen. If, at a decision point  109 , the gesture is interpreted as a pinch-out gesture ( FIG. 2 ), then, if a security feature is included in mobile device  104 , a security screen ( FIG. 6 ) is presented in a step  111 , and only upon passing the security check does the method continue toward a step  113 . In step  113  mobile device  104  unlocks, and in a step  115  the mobile device presents full interactive content  122  ( FIG. 3 ), to replace content preview  112  ( FIG. 1 ), such as by automatically launching a respective mobile app or downloading a respective interactive webpage. If step  105  detects and interprets a pinch-in gesture, then following a step  119 , the handset unlocks in a step  123 , (and if security is enabled, also only after successfully passing security check in a step  121 , similar to step  111  above). If, after steps  109  and  119  the gesture detected and interpreted in step  105  is found to be neither a pinch-out gesture nor a pinch-in gesture, then in a step  125  the gesture of step  105  is handed over to the operating system of mobile device  104  for executing a default operation of the operating system according to the gesture (the default operation may be null). 
         [0026]    According to certain embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a pinch-out gesture identified in step  109  leads to both unlocking the handset in step  113  and to presenting a full version of the content in step  115  (i.e. providing access to all functionalities of mobile device  104 ). In other embodiments, however, step  113  is omitted, such that step  115  is executed to provide full interactive content  122  without allowing access to other functionalities of mobile device  104 , thereby requiring another unlock action, such as the pinch-in gesture of  FIG. 4 , in order to access other functionalities of mobile device  104  beyond interaction with full interactive content  122  ( FIG. 3 ), as provided by step  115 . 
         [0027]    While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein. Rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described herein, as well as variations and modifications which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the specification and which are not in the prior art.