Mobile device and method for interpreting touch gestures without obstructing the screen

Abstract

A mobile computer device comprising a front, a back, and at least two sides. The device comprises a touch screen in the front display. The sides connect the front surface to the back surface. The mobile device comprises a side touch sensor disposed in at least one of the two sides. The mobile device also comprises a proximity sensor that senses heat, a processor, and a computer memory. The computer memory may have executable instructions for the processor that comprise activating the side touch sensor when the proximity sensor senses heat above a threshold.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:
 a front having a front length and a front width and a display comprising a touch screen;   a back having a back length and a back width;   at least two sides, each having a side length and a side width, wherein each of the side widths are less than the front width and the back width and each of the side lengths are about the same length as the front and back lengths;   a first side touch sensor disposed in at least one of the at least two sides; and   a computer processor, that is electrically coupled to the display touch screen and the first side touch sensor, and that comprises executable instructions to recognize a first gesture sensed by the first side touch sensor of movement in the direction of from the front to the back and to scroll a displayed document on the touch screen in response to the first gesture.   
     
     
         22 . The WTRU of  claim 21 , wherein the first gesture is a swipe. 
     
     
         23 . The WTRU of  claim 21 , wherein the executable instructions further comprise executable instructions to recognize a second gesture sensed by the first side touch sensor of movement from the back to the front and to scroll a displayed document on the touch screen in response to the second gesture. 
     
     
         24 . The WTRU of  claim 21 , wherein the executable instructions further comprise executable instructions to recognize a third gesture sensed by the first side touch sensor of movement along the front length and to zoom the touch screen display to either increase or decrease magnification in response to the third gesture. 
     
     
         25 . The WTRU of  claim 21 , further comprising a second side touch sensor disposed in the one of the at least two sides that does not have the first side touch sensor. 
     
     
         26 . The WTRU of  claim 25 , wherein the computer processor is electrically coupled to the second side touch sensor and the executable instructions further comprise sensing a squeeze gesture from both the first side touch sensor and the second side touch sensor. 
     
     
         27 . The WTRU of clam  25 , wherein the computer processor is electrically coupled to the second side touch sensor and the executable instructions further comprise sensing movement in a first direction along the front length from one of the first and second side touch sensors and simultaneously sensing movement along the front length in a second direction that opposes the first direction from the other of the first and the second side touch sensors. 
     
     
         28 . The WTRU of  claim 27 , further comprising executable instructions for rotating an appearance on the display touch screen in response to sensing the movement in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         29 . The WTRU of  claim 21 , further comprising a thermal sensor disposed in the back. 
     
     
         30 . The WTRU of  claim 29 , further comprising executable instructions that recognize a temperate change in response to the thermal sensor and to turn the WTRU on or off in response to the temperate change. 
     
     
         31 . A method of using a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:
 recognizing a first gesture sensed by a first side touch sensor, disposed in at least one of two sides of the WTRU, of movement in the direction from a WTRU front, that comprises a display having a touch screen and that has a front length and a front width, to a WTRU back that comprises a back length and a back width, and wherein the at least two sides, each have a side length and a side width that are each less than the front width and the back width and each of the side lengths are about the same length as the front and back lengths; and   scrolling a displayed document on the touch screen in response to the first gesture.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the first gesture is a swipe. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising recognizing a second gesture sensed by the first side touch sensor of movement from the back to the front and scrolling a displayed document on the touch screen in response to the second gesture. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising recognizing a third gesture sensed by the first side touch sensor of movement along the front length and to zoom the touch screen display to either increase or decrease magnification in response to the third gesture. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising a second side touch sensor disposed in the one of the at least two sides that does not have the first side touch sensor. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising sensing a squeeze gesture from both the first side touch sensor and the second side touch sensor. 
     
     
         37 . The method of clam  35 , further comprising sensing movement in a first direction along the front length from one of the first and second side touch sensors and simultaneously sensing movement along the front length in a second direction that opposes the first direction from the other of the first and the second side touch sensors. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising rotating an appearance on the display touch screen in response to sensing the movement in the first direction and the second direction. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising a thermal sensor disposed in the back. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising recognizing a temperate change in response to the thermal sensor and to turn the WTRU on or off in response to the temperate change.