Apparatus for Selecting from a Touch Screen

Abstract

The apparatus and method of the disclosure relate to data entry and menu selection. Applications include: (a) data entry for ideographic languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean; (b) fast food ordering; (c) correction of documents generated by optical character recognition; and (d) computer access and speech synthesis by persons temporarily or permanently lacking normal motor capabilities. In a preferred embodiment, each option of a menu is associated respectively with a selectable region displayed adjacent an edge of a display, forming a perimeter menu and leaving a region in the center of the perimeter menu for the output of an application program. Selectable regions may be on the display, outside the display, or both. A menu option may be selected by clicking on the associated selectable region, by dwelling on it for a selection threshold period or by a cursor path toward the selectable region, or by a combination thereof. Remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region is preferably indicated by the brightness of the selectable region. Submenus of a perimeter menu may also be perimeter menus and the location of a submenu option may be foretold by the appearance of its parent menu option. Menu options may be ideographs sharing a sound, a structure or another characteristic. Ideographs, which may be homophones of one another, may be associated with colored indicating regions and selection of an ideograph may be made by speaking the name of the associated color.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 (a) a touch screen for receiving a first location on the touch screen and a second location on the touch screen, the second location occurring at a time after the first location occurs; and   (b) a processor, coupled to the touch screen, for:
 (1) simultaneously displaying on the touch screen:
 (i) a first region, the first region having a perimeter, the perimeter having each of a first side and a second side; and 
 (ii) a first selectable region and a second selectable region, each of the first and the second selectable regions outside the first region, the first selectable region adjacent the first side of the perimeter, the second selectable region adjacent the second side of the perimeter; the first selectable region not intersecting the second selectable region; and 
 
 (2) selecting the first selectable region responsive to:
 (i) the first location intersecting the first selectable region; 
 (ii) the second location intersecting the first selectable region; and 
 (iii) the period between the time the first location occurs and the time the second location occurs equalling or exceeding a first predetermined period. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further operative to display on the touch screen each of a first and a second menu option, the first menu option associated with the first selectable region, the second menu option associated with the second selectable region, each of the menu options displayed intersecting its associated first selectable region; and wherein the processor is still further operative, responsive to the selection of the first selectable region, to select the first menu option. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the perimeter has a third side; wherein the processor is further operative to display on the touch screen, simultaneously with the display of the first selectable region and the second selectable region, a third selectable region outside the first region and adjacent the third side of the perimeter, the third selectable region not intersecting either one of the first and the second selectable regions, the third selectable region associated with a third menu option; and wherein the processor is still further operative to display the third menu option on the touch screen intersecting the third selectable region. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the processor is further capable of coupling to a device; wherein the first menu option represents a control function for the device; and wherein the processor is further operative, responsive to the selection of the first selectable region, to initiate the control function for the device. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the device is a telephone. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the device is capable of playing either one of: (a) previously recorded music, and (b) previously recorded video; and further comprising the device. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 2  further comprising a program for execution on the processor, the program for displaying pages of a book; and wherein the processor is further operative to display a page of the book in the first region. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the first menu option represents a next page function; and wherein the processor, responsive to the selection of the first selectable region, is further operative to display in the first region the page of the book following the displayed page. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the touch screen is further operative to receive a third location on the touch screen and a fourth location on the touch screen, the third location occurring at a time after the second location occurs, the fourth location occurring at a time after the third location occurs; and wherein the processor is further operative, responsive to the selection of the first selectable region, to:
 (1) simultaneously display on the touch screen:
 (i) a second region, the second region having a perimeter, the perimeter of the second region having each of a first side and a second side; and 
 (ii) a third selectable region and a fourth selectable region, each of the third and the fourth selectable regions outside the second region, the third selectable region adjacent the first side of the perimeter of the second region, the fourth selectable region adjacent the second side of the perimeter of the second region; the third selectable region not intersecting the fourth selectable region; and 
 
 (2) select the third selectable region responsive to:
 (i) the third location intersecting the third selectable region; 
 (ii) the fourth location intersecting the third selectable region; and 
 (iii) the period between the time the third location occurs and the time the fourth location occurs equalling or exceeding a second predetermined period. 
 
 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the processor is further operative, responsive to the selection of the first menu option, to display the first menu option in the first region on the touch screen. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the touch screen is adapted to receive each of the first location and the second location responsive to movement of a digit of an operator. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first side of the perimeter is opposite the second side of the perimeter. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first side of the perimeter intersects the second side of the perimeter at a right angle.