Patent ID: 7184064

Claim:
An improved touch-screen image scrolling system, comprising: an electronic image display screen; a microprocessor coupled to said display screen to display information thereon and to receive interactive signals therefrom; timer means associated with said microprocessor to provide timing capacity therefor; a source of scroll format data capable of display on said display screen; finger touch program instructions associated with said microprocessor for sensing the speed, direction and time duration of a finger touch contact with said display screen: scrolling motion program instructions associated with said microprocessor responsive to said duration of said finger touch contact such that, when said duration exceeds a first given preset minimum time and is accompanied by motion along the surface of said screen followed by separation of said finger touch from said screen, a scroll format display on said screen is caused to begin to scroll in said sensed direction and at said sensed initial speed; time decay program instructions associated with said microprocessor for reducing the rate of scrolling displacement on said display screen at a given rate until motion is terminated; stopping motion program instructions associated with said microprocessor for terminating scrolling displacement of the image on said screen upon first occurrence of any signal in the group of signals comprising: (a) a substantially stationary finger touch on the screen enduring for a period longer than a preset minimum time, and (b) an end-of-scroll signal received from said scroll format data source.