Abstract:
A device displays one or more display elements on a touch screen associated with the device, and detects interaction of a finger, associated with a user of the device, with the touch screen. The device also calculates one or more touch areas associated with the finger based on the detected interaction, and resizes, reshapes, and/or relocates the one or more display elements based on the calculated one or more touch areas.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Devices, such as mobile communication devices (e.g., cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.), include touch sensitive input devices (e.g., touch sensitive interfaces or displays, touch screens, etc.). Touch screens are usually formed with either a resistive or capacitive film layer, located above a display, which is used to sense a touch of the user&#39;s finger or a stylus. Some touch screens enable the user to input information (e.g., text, numbers, etc.) via a keyboard or a keypad displayed on the touch screen. However, the size of a touch screen may be limited due to the size of the device containing the touch screen. Smaller touch screens may display the keyboard or keypad with small keys arranged in close proximity to one another. The closely-arranged, small keys may be difficult to manipulate by the user. For example, the user&#39;s finger (e.g., which may be larger than such keys) may accidently select keys adjacent to a desired key, which may cause incorrect input to the device. Furthermore, different users may manipulate similar touch screens in different ways (e.g., via a single finger, via a thumb, via multiple fingers or thumbs, etc.). Thus, some users may experience even further difficulty in manipulating closely-arranged, small display elements (e.g., keys, icons, etc.). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0002]      FIG. 1  depicts a diagram of an exemplary device in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented; 
           [0003]      FIG. 2  illustrates a diagram of exemplary components of the device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0004]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  depict diagrams of exemplary components of a display of the device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0005]      FIGS. 4A-4E  illustrate diagrams of exemplary layout reconfiguration operations capable of being performed by the device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0006]      FIGS. 5A-5C  depict diagrams of additional exemplary layout reconfiguration operations capable of being performed by the device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0007]      FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrate diagrams of exemplary automatic layout reconfiguration operations capable of being performed by the device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0008]      FIGS. 7-12  depict flow charts of an exemplary process for reconfiguring a touch screen layout according to implementations described herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0009]    The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. 
         [0010]    Systems and/or methods described herein may reconfigure a layout of a touch screen of a device (e.g., a cell phone, a PDA, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a remote control, etc.) so that the touch screen layout may be customized to a particular user. In one implementation, for example, the systems and/or methods may display one or more display elements on a touch screen of a device, and may detect the interaction of a finger(s) with the touch screen. The systems and/or methods may calculate one or more touch areas associated with the finger(s) based on the detected interaction, may reconfigure the display element(s) based on the calculated touch area(s), and may display the reconfigured display element(s) on the touch screen. 
         [0011]    As used herein, the term “user” is intended to be broadly interpreted to include a device or a user and/or owner of a device. The term “touch screen” is intended to be broadly interpreted to include a touch screen display, a touch sensitive input device, a touch sensitive interface, etc. The term “touch area,” as used herein, is intended to be broadly interpreted to include an area of a touch screen that contacts a user&#39;s finger when a user manipulates the touch screen. Furthermore, the term “display element,” as used herein, is intended to be broadly interpreted to include a key (e.g., of a keypad or keyboard), an icon, a button, a menu, and/or any other mechanism capable of being displayed by a touch screen and selected by a user. 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an exemplary device  100  in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. Device  100  may include a radiotelephone, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal (e.g., that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing and data communications capabilities), a PDA (e.g., that can include a radiotelephone, a pager, Internet/intranet access, etc.), a remote control (e.g., for a television), a portable gaming system, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a printer, a facsimile machine, a pager, a camera (e.g., a film camera or a digital camera), a video camera (e.g., a camcorder), a calculator, binoculars, a telescope, a personal computer, a laptop computer, any other device capable of utilizing a touch screen display, a thread or process running on one of these devices, and/or an object executable by one of these devices. 
         [0013]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , device  100  may include a housing  110 , a display  120 , a speaker  130 , and/or a microphone  140 . 
         [0014]    Housing  110  may protect the components of device  100  from outside elements. Housing  110  may include a structure configured to hold devices and components used in device  100 , and may be formed from a variety of materials. For example, housing  110  may be formed from plastic, metal, or a composite, and may be configured to support display  120 , speaker  130 , and/or microphone  140 . 
         [0015]    Display  120  may provide visual information to the user. For example, display  120  may display text input into device  100 , text, images, video, and/or graphics received from another device, and/or information regarding incoming or outgoing calls or text messages, emails, media, games, phone books, address books, the current time, etc. In one implementation, display  120  may include a touch screen display that may be configured to receive a user input when the user touches display  120 . For example, the user may provide an input to display  120  directly, such as via the user&#39;s finger, or via other devices, such as a stylus. User inputs received via display  120  may be processed by components and/or devices operating in device  100 . The touch screen display may permit the user to interact with device  100  in order to cause device  100  to perform one or more operations. Further details of display  120  are provided below in connection with, for example,  FIGS. 2-6C . 
         [0016]    Speaker  130  may provide audible information to a user of device  100 . Speaker  130  may be located in an upper portion of device  100 , and may function as an ear piece when a user is engaged in a communication session using device  100 . Speaker  130  may also function as an output device for music and/or audio information associated with games and/or video images played on device  100 . 
         [0017]    Microphone  140  may receive audible information from the user. Microphone  140  may include a device that converts speech or other acoustic signals into electrical signals for use by device  100 . Microphone  140  may be located proximate to a lower side of device  100 . 
         [0018]    Although  FIG. 1  shows exemplary components of device  100 , in other implementations, device  100  may contain fewer, different, differently arranged, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 1 . In still other implementations, one or more components of device  100  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of device  100 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a diagram of exemplary components of device  100 . As illustrated, device  100  may include a processor  200 , memory  210 , a user interface  220 , a communication interface  230 , and/or an antenna assembly  240 . 
         [0020]    Processor  200  may include one or more microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like. Processor  200  may control operation of device  100  and its components. In one implementation, processor  200  may control operation of components of device  100  in a manner described herein. 
         [0021]    Memory  210  may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and/or another type of memory to store data and instructions that may be used by processor  200 . 
         [0022]    User interface  220  may include mechanisms for inputting information to device  100  and/or for outputting information from device  100 . Examples of input and output mechanisms might include buttons (e.g., control buttons, keys of a keypad, a joystick, etc.) or a touch screen interface (e.g., display  120 ) to permit data and control commands to be input into device  100 ; a speaker (e.g., speaker  130 ) to receive electrical signals and output audio signals; a microphone (e.g., microphone  140 ) to receive audio signals and output electrical signals; a display (e.g., display  120 ) to output visual information (e.g., text input into device  100 ); a vibrator to cause device  100  to vibrate; etc. 
         [0023]    Communication interface  230  may include, for example, a transmitter that may convert baseband signals from processor  200  to radio frequency (RF) signals and/or a receiver that may convert RF signals to baseband signals. Alternatively, communication interface  230  may include a transceiver to perform functions of both a transmitter and a receiver. Communication interface  230  may connect to antenna assembly  240  for transmission and/or reception of the RF signals. 
         [0024]    Antenna assembly  240  may include one or more antennas to transmit and/or receive RF signals over the air. Antenna assembly  240  may, for example, receive RF signals from communication interface  230  and transmit them over the air, and receive RF signals over the air and provide them to communication interface  230 . In one implementation, for example, communication interface  230  may communicate with a network and/or devices connected to a network. 
         [0025]    As will be described in detail below, device  100  may perform certain operations described herein in response to processor  200  executing software instructions of an application contained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory  210 . A computer-readable medium may be defined as a physical or logical memory device. The software instructions may be read into memory  210  from another computer-readable medium or from another device via communication interface  230 . The software instructions contained in memory  210  may cause processor  200  to perform processes described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
         [0026]    Although  FIG. 2  shows exemplary components of device  100 , in other implementations, device  100  may contain fewer, different, differently arranged, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 2 . In still other implementations, one or more components of device  100  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of device  100 . 
         [0027]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  depict diagrams of exemplary components of display  120  of device  100 . As shown, display  120  may include a light source  300 , a screen  310 , and/or a sensing layer  320 . 
         [0028]    Light source  300  may include a mechanism (e.g., a backlight) that provides backlighting to a lower surface of screen  310  in order to display information. For example, light source  300  may include one or more incandescent light bulbs, one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs), an electroluminescent panel (ELP), one or more cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), one or more hot cathode fluorescent lamps (HCFL), etc. that illuminate portions of screen  310 . Incandescent light bulbs may be used when very high brightness is desired. LEDs may be used in small, inexpensive lighting arrangements, and may include colored or white light. An ELP may be used for larger lighting arrangements or when even lighting is desired, and may be either colored or white. CCFLs may be used in large lighting arrangements and may be white in color. In another example, light source  300  may employ one or more diffusers or light guides to provide even lighting from an uneven source. In still another example, light source  300  can include any color light source (e.g., yellow, green, blue, white, etc.) or any combination of colored/non-colored light sources. The light provided by light source  300  may also be used to provide front lighting to an upper surface of screen  310  that faces a user. 
         [0029]    Screen  310  may include any mechanism capable of providing visual information (e.g., text, images, video, incoming or outgoing calls, games, phone books, the current time, emails, etc.) to a user. For example, screen  310  may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), such as a thin film transistor (TFT) LCD, etc. In one exemplary implementation, screen  310  may include a plastic substrate that arranges TFT on a metal foil (rather than on glass), which may permit screen  310  to recover its original shape after being bent. Screen  310  may include a color filter coated onto the plastic substrate, which may permit screen  310  to display color images. In other implementations, screen  310  may include a monochrome, flexible LCD. 
         [0030]    In one implementation, screen  310  may include any number of color and/or monochrome pixels. In another implementation, screen  310  may include a passive-matrix structure or an active-matrix structure. In a further implementation, if screen  310  is a color array, each pixel may be divided into three cells, or subpixels, which may be colored red, green, and blue by additional filters (e.g., pigment filters, dye filters, metal oxide filters, etc.). Each subpixel may be controlled independently to yield numerous possible colors for each pixel. In other implementations, each pixel of screen  310  may include more or less than three subpixels of various colors other than red, green, and blue. 
         [0031]    Sensing layer  320  may include a mechanism that detects the presence of a user&#39;s finger  330  (e.g., a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, or a pinkie finger) on display  120 , detects the location (or touch area) of finger  330  on display  120 , determines how many fingers a user has on display  120 , etc. For example, sensing layer  320  may include a layer of capacitive material (e.g., provided under a protective covering (not shown)) that may experience a change in electrical charges (e.g., a change in the amount of charge stored) when finger  330  contacts sensing layer  320 . In one exemplary implementation, sensing layer  320  may include self capacitance circuitry that includes an array of electrodes and monitors changes in the array of electrodes when a user contacts sensing layer  320  (e.g., with finger  330 ). In another exemplary implementation, as shown in  FIG. 3B , sensing layer  320  may include a layer of driving lines  340  that carry current, and a separate layer of sensing lines  350  that detect changes in electrical charge when a user contacts sensing layer  320  (e.g., with finger  330 ). 
         [0032]    Sensing layer  320  may sense a change associated with its electrical properties every time a user contacts sensing layer  320 , and may provide this information to processor  200  and/or memory  210 . Processor  200  may utilize this information to determine a shape, a size, and/or a location of a user&#39;s finger (or fingers) on display  120 . In one exemplary implementation, processor  200  may calculate touch area(s) associated with a user&#39;s finger(s) based on information received from sensing layer  320 , and may reconfigure display element(s) (e.g., keys, icons, etc.) associated with display  120  based on the calculated touch area(s). 
         [0033]    Although  FIGS. 3A and 3B  show exemplary components of display  120 , in other implementations, display  120  may contain fewer, different, differently arranged, or additional components than depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . In still other implementations, one or more components of display  120  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of display  120 . 
         [0034]      FIGS. 4A-4E  illustrate diagrams of exemplary layout reconfiguration operations  400  capable of being performed by device  100 . In one implementation, the operations described in connection with  FIGS. 4A-4E  may be performed by processor  200  ( FIG. 2 ). As shown in  FIG. 4A , device  100  may include display  120 . Display  120  may include the features described above in connection with  FIGS. 1 ,  3 A, and  3 B. As further shown in  FIG. 4A , display  120  may display a standard layout  410  (e.g., of one or more display elements  420 ) and/or a selection mechanism  430 . 
         [0035]    Standard layout  410  may include an arrangement of evenly-spaced, evenly-aligned, and/or uniformly-shaped display elements  420 . Display elements  420  of standard layout  410  may be small and arranged in close proximity to one another, which may make display elements  420  difficult to manipulate with a user&#39;s finger. In one example, standard layout  410  may include a QWERTY-like layout (e.g., a traditional configuration of typewriter or computer keyboard keys) of keys (e.g., display elements  420 ). Each of the keys may be associated with and may display a corresponding character (e.g., a corresponding QWERTY character). In another example, as shown in  FIG. 4A , standard layout  410  may include icons (e.g., display elements  420 ) associated with executable applications capable of being executed by device  100 . The icons may display information associated with the executable application corresponding to the icons. 
         [0036]    Each of display elements  420  may include a key (e.g., of a keypad or keyboard), an icon, a button, a menu, and/or any other mechanism capable of being displayed by display  120  and selected by a user. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4A , display elements  420  may include icons associated with executable applications (e.g., an icon for an email application, an icon for a telephone application, an icon for an Internet application, an icon for a music application, etc.) capable of being executed by device  100 . 
         [0037]    Selection mechanism  430  may include may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., instructions) that provide an option to reconfigure the layout (e.g., standard layout  410 ) displayed by device  100 . In one implementation, if a user selects selection mechanism  430 , device  100  may request the user to interact with display  120  (e.g., via finger  330 ), and may detect the interaction of the finger(s) with display  120 . Device  100  may calculate touch area(s) associated with the finger(s) based on the detected interaction, and may reconfigure standard layout based on the calculated touch area(s). 
         [0038]    If the user chooses selection mechanism  430 , device  100  may provide one or more touch points  440  on display  120 , and may request the user to select touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 , as shown in  FIG. 4B . Touch points  440  may include buttons, icons, etc. arranged at different locations of display  120 . In one example, touch points  440  may include numbers (e.g., “1,” “2,” “3,” etc.) and may be arranged in numeric order at different locations of display  120 . The number and arrangement of touch points  440  may be based on dimensions of display  120 . In one implementation, touch points  440  may be arranged and numbered so that a representative portion (e.g., a majority) of display  120  may be selected via touch points  440 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 4B , touch points  440  may be provided in the four corners (e.g., as represented by numbers “1,” “3,” “7,” and “9”) of display  120 , at a middle portion (e.g., as represented by numbers “4,” “5,” and “6”) of display  120 , and at other portions (e.g., as represented by numbers “2” and “8”) of display  120 . In other implementations, display  120  may contain fewer, different, differently arranged, or additional touch points  440  than depicted in  FIG. 4B . 
         [0039]    Device  100  may instruct the user to hold device  100  (e.g., as the user typically holds device  100 ), and may instruct the user to manipulate device  100  (e.g., to select touch points  440 ). For example, if a particular user is left-handed and uses his/her left thumb to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold device  100  in his/her left hand, and may select (e.g., with his/her left thumb) touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . In another example, if a user is right-handed and uses his/her right thumb to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold device  100  in his/her right hand, and may select (e.g., with his/her right thumb) touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . In still another example, if device  100  is rotated ninety degrees and a user uses both his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold rotated device  100  in both hands, and may select (e.g., with his/her left thumb and/or right thumb) touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . Further details of manipulation of a rotated device  100  are provided below in connection with, for example,  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
         [0040]    Device  100  may detect the interaction of the user&#39;s finger(s) with display  120  (e.g., via selection of touch points  440 ), and may calculate one or more touch areas associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) based on the detected interaction. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4C , if the user&#39;s finger  330  selects one of touch points  440 , device  100  may calculate a touch area  450  associated with finger  330 . Touch area  450  may include an area of display  120  that contacts the user&#39;s finger  330  when the user manipulates display  120  (e.g., via selection of one of touch points  440 ). In one implementation, device  100  may calculate a length associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  440 , may calculate a width associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  440 , and/or may determine whether a fingernail is present on finger  330  based on touch area  450 . The presence of fingernails may affect how a user manipulates device  100  (e.g., fingernails may make it difficult to accurately select portions of display  120 ). Device  100  may calculate touch areas  450  associated with each of the other touch points  440  in a similar manner, and may utilize this information to calculate a range of motion of the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). For example, a left-handed user using his/her left thumb to manipulate display  120  may find it difficult to select touch point  440  located in the upper right corner of display  120  (e.g., as represented by number “3”) if the user&#39;s left thumb is small. 
         [0041]    Device  100  may reconfigure standard layout  410  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). For example, as shown in  FIG. 4D , device  100  may produce an exemplary reconfigured layout  460  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ). Reconfigured layout  460  may include display elements  420  of standard layout  410 , but device  100  may resize, reshape, relocate, etc. display elements  420  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). In one implementation, device  100  may determine a display element  470  closest to the user&#39;s finger (e.g., based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger), and may resize display element  470  as the smallest (or one of the smallest) display element of reconfigured layout  460 . Reconfigured layout  460  may correspond to a layout determined for a left-handed user that holds a lower half of device  100  and uses his/her left thumb to manipulate display  120 . Since reconfigured layout  460  may correspond to such a user, display element  470  may be provided in a lower left corner of display  120 . Display element  470  may be arranged as the smallest display element since device  100  may have determined that this particular user created the smallest touch area (e.g., touch area  450 ) where display element  470  is located on display  120 . In one example, device  100  may determine that smaller touch areas occur when they are closer to the user&#39;s finger, and larger touch areas occur when they are farther away from the user&#39;s finger. 
         [0042]    As further shown in  FIG. 4D , in one exemplary implementation, device  100  may resize, reshape, and/or relocate the remaining display elements  420  of standard configuration  410  based on radial directions  480  that extend away from display element  470 . For example, reconfigured layout  460  may include one or more resized, reshaped, and/or relocated display elements  490 . As shown in  FIG. 4D , display elements  490  may increase in size as distances (e.g., in radial directions  480 ) from display element  470  increase, may be non-uniformly shaped, and/or may be non-uniformly aligned. Thus, reconfigured layout  460  may provide a layout for display  120  that may be customized to a user of device  100 . In one implementation, device  100  may apply reconfigured layout  460  to any layout capable of being provided by display  120  (e.g., to a keyboard layout, to a home page layout, to a telephone keypad layout, etc.). 
         [0043]      FIG. 4E  depicts exemplary reconfigured layout  460  for a right-handed user that holds a lower half of device  100  and uses his/her right thumb to manipulate display  120 . Reconfigured layout  460  of  FIG. 4E  may include the features described above in connection with  FIG. 4D , except that display element  470  may be located in a bottom right corner of display  120  and display elements  490  may increase in size as distances (e.g., in radial directions  480 ) from display element  470  (e.g., provided in the bottom right corner of display  120 ) increase. 
         [0044]    Although  FIGS. 4A-4E  show exemplary layout reconfiguration operations  400  associated with device  100 , in other implementations, device  100  may perform fewer, different, or additional operations than depicted in  FIGS. 4A-4E . 
         [0045]      FIGS. 5A-5C  depict diagrams of additional exemplary layout reconfiguration operations  500  capable of being performed by device  100 . In one implementation, the operations described in connection with  FIGS. 5A-5C  may be performed by processor  200  ( FIG. 2 ), and may be similar to operations  400  ( FIGS. 4A-4E ) except that device  100  may be rotated ninety degrees and that a user may use both his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate device  100 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , device  100  may include display  120 . Display  120  may include the features described above in connection with  FIGS. 1 ,  3 A, and  3 B. As further shown in  FIG. 5A , display  120  may display a standard layout  510  (e.g., of one or more display elements  520 ) and/or a selection mechanism  530 . 
         [0046]    Standard layout  510  may include an arrangement of evenly-spaced, evenly-aligned, and/or uniformly-shaped display elements  520 . Display elements  520  of standard layout  510  may be small and arranged in close proximity to one another, which may make display elements  520  difficult to manipulate with a user&#39;s finger. In one example, as shown in  FIG. 5A , standard layout  510  may include a QWERTY-like layout (e.g., a traditional configuration of typewriter or computer keyboard keys) of keys (e.g., display elements  520 ). Each of the keys may be associated with and may display a corresponding character (e.g., a corresponding QWERTY character). 
         [0047]    Each of display elements  520  may include a key (e.g., of a keypad or keyboard), an icon, a button, a menu, and/or any other mechanism capable of being displayed by display  120  and selected by a user. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5A , display elements  520  may include keys of a QWERTY-like layout keyboard. 
         [0048]    Selection mechanism  530  may include may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., instructions) that provide an option to reconfigure the layout (e.g., standard layout  510 ) displayed by device  100 . In one implementation, if a user selects selection mechanism  530 , device  100  may request the user to interact with display  120  (e.g., via finger  330 ), and may detect the interaction of the finger(s) with display  120 . Device  100  may calculate touch area(s) associated with the finger(s) based on the detected interaction, and may reconfigure standard layout based on the calculated touch area(s). 
         [0049]    If the user chooses selection mechanism  530 , device  100  may provide one or more touch points  540  on display  120 , and may request the user to select touch points  540  in the order provided on display  120 , as shown in  FIG. 5B . Touch points  540  may include buttons, icons, etc. arranged at different locations of display  120 . In one example, touch points  540  may include numbers (e.g., “1,” “2,” “3,” etc.) and may be arranged in numeric order at different locations of display  120 . The number and arrangement of touch points  540  may be based on dimensions of display  120 . In one implementation, touch points  540  may be arranged and numbered so that a representative portion (e.g., a majority) of display  120  may be selected via touch points  540 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 5B , touch points  540  may be provided in the four corners (e.g., as represented by numbers “1,” “3,” “7,” and “9”) of display  120 , at a middle portion (e.g., as represented by numbers “4,” “5,” and “6”) of display  120 , and at other portions (e.g., as represented by numbers “2” and “8”) of display  120 . In other implementations, display  120  may contain fewer, different, differently arranged, or additional touch points  540  than depicted in  FIG. 5B . 
         [0050]    Device  100  may instruct the user to hold device  100  (e.g., as the user typically holds device  100 ), and may instruct the user to manipulate device  100  (e.g., to select touch points  540 ). For example, if device  100  is rotated ninety degrees and a user uses both his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold rotated device  100  in both hands, and may select (e.g., with his/her left thumb and/or right thumb) touch points  540  in the order provided on display  120 . 
         [0051]    Device  100  may detect the interaction of the user&#39;s finger(s) with display  120  (e.g., via selection of touch points  540 ), and may calculate one or more touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) based on the detected interaction. In one implementation, device  100  may calculate a length associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  540 , may calculate a width associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  540 , and/or may determine whether a fingernail is present on the user&#39;s finger based on touch area  450 . Device  100  may calculate touch areas  450  associated with each of the other touch points  540  in a similar manner, and may utilize this information to calculate a range of motion of the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., left and/or right thumbs). For example, a user using his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate display  120  may find it difficult to select touch point  540  located in the upper middle portion of display  120  (e.g., as represented by number “2”) if the user&#39;s left and right thumbs are small. 
         [0052]    Device  100  may reconfigure standard layout  510  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., left and/or right thumbs). For example, as shown in  FIG. 5C , device  100  may produce an exemplary reconfigured layout  550  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ). Reconfigured layout  550  may include display elements  520  of standard layout  510 , but device  100  may resize, reshape, relocate, etc. display elements  520  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., left and/or right thumbs). In one implementation, device  100  may determine a display element  560  closest to the user&#39;s first finger (e.g., based on the one or more calculated touch areas associated with the user&#39;s left thumb), and may resize display element  560  as the smallest (or one of the smallest) display elements of reconfigured layout  550 . Device  100  may determine a display element  570  closest to the user&#39;s second finger (e.g., based on the one or more calculated touch areas associated with the user&#39;s right thumb), and may resize display element  570  as the smallest (or one of the smallest) display elements of reconfigured layout  550 . 
         [0053]    Reconfigured layout  550  may correspond to a layout determined for a user that holds device  100  with both hands and uses his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate display  120 . Since reconfigured layout  550  may correspond to such a user, display element  560  may be provided in a lower left corner of display  120  and display element  570  may be provided in a lower right corner of display  120 . Display elements  560  and  570  may be arranged as the smallest display elements since device  100  may have determined that this particular user created the smallest touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) where display elements  560  and  570  are located on display  120 . 
         [0054]    As further shown in  FIG. 5C , in one exemplary implementation, device  100  may resize, reshape, and/or relocate the remaining display elements  520  of standard configuration  510  based on radial directions  580  that extend away from display elements  560  and  570 . For example, reconfigured layout  550  may include one or more resized, reshaped, and/or relocated display elements  590 . As shown in  FIG. 5C , display elements  590  may increase in size as distances (e.g., in radial directions  580 ) from display elements  560  and  570  increase, may be non-uniformly shaped, and/or may be non-uniformly aligned. Thus, reconfigured layout  550  may provide a layout for display  120  that may be customized to a user of device  100 . In one implementation, device  100  may apply reconfigured layout  550  to any layout capable of being provided by display  120  (e.g., to a keyboard layout, to a home page layout, to a telephone keypad layout, etc.). 
         [0055]    Although  FIGS. 5A-5C  show exemplary layout reconfiguration operations  500  associated with device  100 , in other implementations, device  100  may perform fewer, different, or additional operations than depicted in  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
         [0056]      FIGS. 6A-6C  illustrate diagrams of exemplary automatic layout reconfiguration operations  600  capable of being performed by device  100 . In one implementation, the operations described in connection with  FIGS. 6A-6C  may be performed by processor  200  ( FIG. 2 ). As shown in  FIG. 6A , device  100  may include display  120 . Display  120  may include the features described above in connection with  FIGS. 1 ,  3 A, and  3 B. As further shown in  FIG. 6A , display  120  may include information  610 , a first selection mechanism  620 , and a second selection mechanism  630 . 
         [0057]    Information  610  may ask a user whether the user wants device  100  to track user interaction with device  100  in order to automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120 . In other implementations, information  610  may be omitted and the user may select an automatic layout reconfiguration option or an interaction tracking option from a menu provided by device  100  (e.g., via a home page, a settings menu, an options menu, etc. provided by display  120 ). 
         [0058]    First selection mechanism  620  may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., a “Yes” button) that, when selected, instructs device  100  to track the user&#39;s interaction with device  100 . Second selection mechanism  630  may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., a “No” button) that, when selected, instructs device  100  to not track the user&#39;s interaction with device  100 . In other implementations, selection mechanisms  620  and  630  may be omitted and device  100  may automatically track the user&#39;s interaction with device  100  and/or may permit the user to enable such automatic interaction tracking. In such an arrangement, device  100  may offer the user the option of reconfiguring one or more layouts provided by display  120  based on the user&#39;s interaction with device  100 . 
         [0059]    If the user selects first selection mechanism  620  (or if the user enables automatic interaction tracking), device  100  may automatically track the user&#39;s interactions with display  120 . In one implementation, device  100  may track the user&#39;s interactions with display  120  for a certain time period, until a certain number of user touches are received by display  120 , etc. In other implementations, device  100  may track user&#39;s interactions with display  120  until device  100  determines (e.g., to a certain degree of reliability, such as 90% accuracy) lengths associated with the user&#39;s touch areas, widths associated with the user&#39;s touch areas, a range of motion associated with the user&#39;s fingers, etc. 
         [0060]    When automatic tracking of the user&#39;s interactions are complete, device  100  may provide (e.g., via display  120 ) the user interface depicted in  FIG. 6B . As shown in  FIG. 6B , display  120  may include information  640 , a first selection mechanism  650 , and a second selection mechanism  660 . 
         [0061]    Information  640  may ask the user whether the user wants device  100  to reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120  based on the tracking results. In other implementations, information  640  may be omitted and the user may select an automatic layout reconfiguration option from a menu provided by device  100  (e.g., via a home page, a settings menu, an options menu, etc. provided by display  120 ). 
         [0062]    First selection mechanism  650  may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., a “Yes” button) that, when selected, instructs device  100  to reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120  based on the tracking results. Second selection mechanism  660  may include a button, an icon, a link, and/or other similar selection mechanisms (e.g., a “No” button) that, when selected, instructs device  100  to not reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120 . In other implementations, selection mechanisms  650  and  660  may be omitted and device  100  may automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120  based on the user&#39;s interaction with device  100 . 
         [0063]    If the user selects first selection mechanism  650  (or if the user enables automatic layout reconfiguration), device  100  may automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120  based on the tracking results. In one implementation, device  100  may automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120 , based on the tracking results, in the manner described above in connection with  FIGS. 4A-4E . In another implementation, device  100  may automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120 , based on the tracking results, in the manner described above in connection with  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
         [0064]    In an exemplary implementation, device  100  may automatically reconfigure one or more layouts provided by display  120 , based on the tracking results, to produce a reconfigured layout  670 , as depicted in  FIG. 6C . Reconfigured layout  670  may include a variety of resized, reshaped, relocated, etc. display elements  680 . In one implementation, reconfigured layout  670  may include the features described above in connection with reconfigured layout  460  ( FIGS. 4D and 4E ) and/or reconfigured layout  550  ( FIG. 5C ). As shown in  FIG. 6C , display elements  680  may be non-uniformly sized, may be non-uniformly shaped, may include a variety of shapes (e.g., square, rectangular, circular, octagonal, star-shaped, etc.), may be non-uniformly spaced, etc. In one implementation, display elements  680  may include the features described above in connection with display elements  490  ( FIGS. 4D and 4E ) and/or display elements  590  ( FIG. 5C ). 
         [0065]    Although  FIGS. 6A-6C  show exemplary automatic layout reconfiguration operations  600  associated with device  100 , in other implementations, device  100  may perform fewer, different, or additional operations than depicted in  FIGS. 6A-6C . 
         [0066]      FIGS. 7-12  depict flow charts of an exemplary process  700  for reconfiguring a touch screen layout according to implementations described herein. In one implementation, process  700  may be performed by device  100 . In another implementation, some or all of process  700  may be performed by another device or group of devices, including or excluding device  100 . 
         [0067]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , process  700  may begin with providing one or more display elements for display on a touch screen of a device (block  710 ), and detecting interaction of one or more fingers with the touch screen (block  720 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIGS. 4A-4C , display  120  may display standard layout  410  that includes one or more display elements  420 . Standard layout  410  may include an arrangement of evenly-spaced, evenly-aligned, and/or uniformly-shaped display elements  420 . Display elements  420  of standard layout  410  may be small and arranged in close proximity to one another, which may make display elements  420  difficult to manipulate with a user&#39;s finger. Device  100  may provide one or more touch points  440  on display  120 , and may request the user to select touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . Device  100  may detect the interaction of the user&#39;s finger(s) with display  120  via selection of touch points  440 . 
         [0068]    As further shown in  FIG. 7 , one or more touch areas associated with the finger(s) may be calculated based on the detected interaction (block  730 ), the display element(s) may be reconfigured based on the calculated touch area(s) (block  740 ), and the reconfigured display element(s) may be provided for display on the touch screen (block  750 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIGS. 4C and 4D , device  100  may calculate one or more touch areas associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) based on the detected interaction. In one example, if the user&#39;s finger  330  selects one of touch points  440 , device  100  may calculate a touch area  450  associated with finger  330 . Touch area  450  may include an area of display  120  that contacts the user&#39;s finger  330  when the user manipulates display  120  (e.g., via selection of one of touch points  440 ). Device  100  may reconfigure standard layout  410  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). In one example, device  100  may produce reconfigured layout  460  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ). Reconfigured layout  460  may include display elements  420  of standard layout  410 , but device  100  may resize, reshape, relocate, etc. display elements  420  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). 
         [0069]    Process block  720  may include the process blocks illustrated in  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , process block  720  may include instructing a user to select one or more portions of the touch screen (block  800 ), receiving user selection(s) of the portion(s) of the touch screen (block  810 ), and detecting the interaction of the finger(s) with the touch screen based on the user selection(s) (block  820 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIG. 4B , device  100  may provide one or more touch points  440  on display  120 , and may request the user to select touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . In one example, if a particular user is left-handed and uses his/her left thumb to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold device  100  in his/her left hand, and may select (e.g., with his/her left thumb) touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . In another example, if device  100  is rotated ninety degrees and a user uses both his/her left and right thumbs to manipulate device  100 , the user may hold rotated device  100  in both hands, and may select (e.g., with his/her left thumb and/or right thumb) touch points  440  in the order provided on display  120 . Device  100  may detect the interaction of the user&#39;s finger(s) with display  120  via selection of touch points  440 . 
         [0070]    Alternatively and/or additionally, process block  720  may include the process blocks illustrated in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , process block  720  may include automatically tracking user interaction with the touch screen (block  900 ), and detecting the interaction of the finger(s) with the touch screen based on the tracked user interaction (block  910 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIG. 6A , device  100  may automatically track the user&#39;s interactions with display  120 . In one example, device  100  may track the user&#39;s interactions with display  120  for a certain time period, until a certain number of user touches are received by display  120 , etc. In another example, device  100  may track user&#39;s interactions with display  120  until device  100  determines (e.g., to a certain degree of reliability, such as 90% accuracy) lengths associated with the user&#39;s touch areas, widths associated with the user&#39;s touch areas, a range of motion associated with the user&#39;s fingers, etc. 
         [0071]    Process block  730  may include the process blocks illustrated in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , process block  730  may include calculating length(s) of finger touch area(s) based on the detected interaction (block  1000 ), calculating width(s) of the finger touch area(s) based on the detected interaction ( 1010 ), calculating a range of motion associated with the finger(s) based on the detected interaction ( 1020 ), and/or determining whether fingernail(s) are present on the finger(s) based on the detected interaction (block  1030 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIG. 4C , device  100  may calculate a length associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  440 , may calculate a width associated with touch area  450  at the particular touch point  440 , and/or may determine whether a fingernail is present on finger  330  based on touch area  450 . Device  100  may calculate touch areas  450  associated with each of the other touch points  440  in a similar manner, and may utilize this information to calculate a range of motion of the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). In one example, device  100  may calculate a touch orientation (e.g., from the right side or the left side of device  100 ) based on calculated touch areas  450 . 
         [0072]    Process block  740  may include the process blocks illustrated in  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , process block  740  may include adjusting size(s) of the display element(s) based on the calculated touch area(s) (block  1100 ), adjusting shape(s) of the display element(s) based on the calculated touch area(s) (block  1110 ), and adjusting location(s) of the display element(s) based on the calculated touch area(s) (block  1120 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIG. 4D , device  100  may reconfigure standard layout  410  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). In one example, device  100  may produce reconfigured layout  460  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ). Reconfigured layout  460  may include display elements  420  of standard layout  410 , but device  100  may resize, reshape, relocate, etc. display elements  420  based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger(s) (e.g., finger  330 ). In one example, reconfigured layout  460  may include one or more resized, reshaped, and/or relocated display elements  490 . 
         [0073]    Alternatively and/or additionally, process block  740  may include the process blocks illustrated in  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , process block  740  may include determining a display element closest to the finger (block  1200 ), and resizing, reshaping, and relocating other display element(s) based on a distance from the display element closest to the finger (block  1210 ). For example, in implementations described above in connection with  FIG. 4D , device  100  may determine display element  470  closest to the user&#39;s finger (e.g., based on the one or more calculated touch areas (e.g., touch area  450 ) associated with the user&#39;s finger), and may resize display element  470  as the smallest (or one of the smallest) display element of reconfigured layout  460 . Device  100  may resize, reshape, and/or relocate the remaining display elements  420  of standard configuration  410  based on radial directions  480  that extend away from display element  470 . Display elements  490  may increase in size as distances from display element  470  increase, may be non-uniformly shaped, and/or may be non-uniformly aligned. 
         [0074]    Systems and/or methods described herein may reconfigure a layout of a touch screen of a device so that the touch screen layout may be customized to a particular user. In one implementation, for example, the systems and/or methods may display one or more display elements on a touch screen of a device, and may detect the interaction of a finger(s) with the touch screen. The systems and/or methods may calculate one or more touch areas associated with the finger(s) based on the detected interaction, may reconfigure the display element(s) based on the calculated touch area(s), and may display the reconfigured display element(s) on the touch screen. 
         [0075]    The foregoing description of implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. 
         [0076]    For example, while a series of blocks has been described with regard to  FIGS. 7-12 , the order of the blocks may be modified in other implementations. Further, non-dependent blocks may be performed in parallel. 
         [0077]    It will be apparent that embodiments, as described herein, may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement embodiments described herein is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the operation and behavior of the embodiments were described without reference to the specific software code—it being understood that software and control hardware may be designed to implement the embodiments based on the description herein. 
         [0078]    Further, certain portions of the invention may be implemented as “logic” that performs one or more functions. This logic may include hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit or a field programmable gate array, or a combination of hardware and software. 
         [0079]    Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the invention. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. 
         [0080]    No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “tone” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.