Audio/Visual Device Touch-Based User Interface

Abstract

A user interface for an audio/visual device incorporates one or both of a touch sensor having a touch surface on which is defined a racetrack surface having a ring shape and a display element on which is displayed a racetrack menu also having a ring shape, and where the user interface incorporates both, the ring shapes of the racetrack surface and the racetrack menu are structured to generally correspond such that the position of a marker on the racetrack menu is caused to correspond to the position at which a digit of a user's hand touches the racetrack surface.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a touch sensor having a touch-sensitive surface that is manually operable with a digit of a hand of a user;   a racetrack surface having a ring shape defined on the touch-sensitive surface to encompass at least a portion of the touch-sensitive surface and operable by the digit;   a processing device; and   a storage accessible to the processing device and storing a sequence of instructions that when executed by the processing device, causes the processing device to:
 receive an indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at a position on the racetrack surface; 
 in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position, cause a marker to be visually displayed at a location that corresponds to the position on the racetrack surface on a menu that is visually displayed on a display element; 
 receive an indication of the position at which the digit touches the racetrack surface being moved about the racetrack surface; 
 in response to the indication of the position being moved about the racetrack surface, cause the marker to be moved about the menu in a manner that corresponds to the manner in which the position is being moved about the racetrack; 
 receive an indication of the user increasing the pressure with which the user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position at a time subsequent to the position being moved about the racetrack; and 
 in response to the indication of the user increasing pressure with which the user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position, cause a menu item displayed in the vicinity of the marker to be selected, wherein causing the menu item to be selected comprises taking an action to cause an audio/visual program to be selected for playing. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor has a ring shape that defines the ring shape of the racetrack surface such that the racetrack surface encompasses substantially all of the touch-sensitive surface. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a manually operable control; and   a casing on which the touch sensor and the manually operable control are both disposed, wherein the touch sensor is disposed on the casing relative to the manually operable control such that the touch-sensitive surface surrounds the manually operable control.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of the  claim 3 , further comprising a source interface operable to transmit commands to a source of the audio/visual program, wherein execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing device further causes the processing device to:
 receive an indication of the manually-operable control being operated; and   in response to the indication of the manually-operable control being operated, operate the source interface to transmit a command to the source to cause the source to visually display a navigation menu of the source on the display element.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor is a continuous surface having no hole interrupting the touch-sensitive surface formed therethrough;   the ring shape of the racetrack surface is defined on the touch-sensitive surface to encompass a first portion of the touch-sensitive surface and is defined to be positioned about the periphery of the touch-sensitive surface so as to surround a second portion of the touch-sensitive surface; and   a navigation surface is defined on the touch-sensitive surface to encompass the second portion.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein at least one ridge is formed in the touch-sensitive surface, and wherein the at least one ridge also at least partly defines the ring shape of the racetrack surface. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the processing device is caused by the sequence of instructions to define the first and second portions of the touch-sensitive surface by:
 monitoring activity on the touch-sensitive surface;   treating the receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within the first portion as the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position;   treating the receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within the second portion as an indication of the digit operating a navigation control; and   in response to the indication of the digit touching the navigation control, causing a command to be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program to operate a function of another menu associated with the source.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the menu has a ring shape that substantially corresponds to the ring shape of the racetrack surface. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the ring shape of both the racetrack surface and the menu is a rectangular ring shape such that the racetrack surface comprises four sides and the menu comprises four sides that correspond to the four sides of the racetrack surface. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the ring shape of the menu surrounds a display area in which a visual portion of the audio/visual program is displayed at a time when the audio/visual program is played. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing device further causes the processing device to cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing device further causes the processing device to:
 cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the digit moving about the racetrack surface in a wiping motion starting at the position at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and   cause a command concerning playing the audio/visual program to be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein execution of the sequence of instructions by the processing device further causes the processing device to:
 cause the menu to be visually displayed in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the digit remaining in contact with the racetrack surface for at least a predetermined period of time at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and   cause a command concerning playing the audio/visual program to be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed.   
     
     
         14 . An method comprising:
 receiving an indication of a digit of a hand of a user touching a racetrack surface at a position on the racetrack surface, wherein the racetrack surface is defined on a touch-sensitive surface of a touch sensor to encompass at least a portion of the touch-sensitive surface and is operable by the digit;   in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position, causing a marker to be visually displayed at a location that corresponds to the position on the racetrack surface on a menu that is visually displayed on a display element;   receiving an indication of the position at which the digit touches the racetrack surface being moved about the racetrack surface;   in response to the indication of the position being moved about the racetrack surface, causing the marker to be moved about the menu in a manner that corresponds to the manner in which the position is being moved about the racetrack;   receiving an indication of the user increasing the pressure with which the user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position at a time subsequent to receiving the indication of the position being moved about the racetrack; and   in response to the indication of the user increasing pressure with which the user's digit touches the racetrack surface at the position, causing a menu item displayed in the vicinity of the marker to be selected, wherein causing the menu item to be selected comprises taking an action to cause an audio/visual program to be selected for playing.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising defining the racetrack surface on a first portion of the touch-sensitive surface and defining a navigation surface on a second portion of the touch-sensitive surface such that the ring shape of the racetrack surface surrounds the navigation surface by:
 monitoring activity on the touch-sensitive surface;   treating the receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within the first portion as the receiving of the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position;   treating the receipt of an indication of the digit touching the touch-sensitive surface at a location within the second portion as receiving an indication of the digit operating a navigation control; and   in response to the indication of the digit touching the navigation control, causing a command to be transmitted to a source of the audio/visual program to operate a function of another menu associated with the source.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising displaying the menu on the display element with a ring shape that substantially corresponds to the ring shape of the racetrack surface. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising surrounding a display area on the display element with the menu, wherein a visual portion of the audio/visual program is displayed in the display area at a time when the audio/visual program is played. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the ring shape of both the racetrack surface and the menu is a rectangular ring shape such that the racetrack surface comprises four sides and the menu comprises four sides that correspond to the four sides of the racetrack surface. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising displaying the menu on the display element in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at the position at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 displaying the menu on the display element in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit moving about the racetrack surface in a wiping motion starting at the position at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and   transmitting a command concerning playing the audio/visual program to a source of the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 displaying the menu on the display element in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit remaining in contact with the racetrack surface for at least a predetermined period of time at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed; and   transmitting a command concerning playing the audio/visual program to a source of the audio/visual program in response to the indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface followed by receiving an indication of the digit ceasing to touch the racetrack surface at a time when the menu is not being visually displayed.