# US 12,008,231 B2 · Invalid area specifying method for touch panel of mobile terminal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,231 B2 - Document ID: US12008231B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/128,654 - Filed: 2023-03-30 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-02 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: NEC Corporation - Inventors: Tomoya Makiguchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008231B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - G06F 1/1626: {with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]} - G06F 1/169: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033)} - G06F 3/0487: using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser - G06F 3/04886: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus - H04M 1/72454: according to context-related or environment-related conditions - H04M 1/72463: to restrict the functionality of the device - H04M 1/724631: {by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad} - G06F 2203/04806: Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation - G06F 2203/04808: Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A touch-panel cellular phone specifies an invalid area not accepting a user's input operation on a touch panel in advance. The cellular phone detects a user's touch area on the touch panel so as to execute a function pre-assigned to the touch area not encompassed by the invalid area. Additionally, it is possible to reduce and display menu icons in the display area precluding the invalid area on the touch panel. Thus, it is possible to prevent an error operation when a user holding a cellular phone inadvertently touches the touch panel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A mobile terminal comprising: a display comprising a touch panel; and a controller comprising: at least one processor; and a computer-readable storage medium storing a program, wherein the controller is configured to: specify one of a plurality of identification information in response to a first touch operation on the touch panel; after the one of the plurality of identification information is specified, specify information related to a plurality of invalid areas related to the specified one of the plurality of identification information; and after the information related to the plurality of invalid areas is specified, and in response to a second touch operation being on an area on the touch panel included in the plurality of invalid areas, disable a processing related to the area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of invalid areas includes a first invalid area and a second invalid area, and wherein the first invalid area and the second invalid area are located on different portions of the touch panel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first invalid area and the second invalid area do not overlap. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: before the one of the plurality of identification information is specified, start a setting mode related to setting a plurality of invalid areas in response to an input operation in response to a third touch operation; display a message on the display during the setting mode; and change display of the message on the display after a user operation related to the message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: disable an input operation in response to the second touch operation to switch applications to prevent the display from displaying other applications that are different from an application currently displayed on the display. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, after an input operation in response to a third touch operation, display information indicating that a setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the displayed information includes first information displayed before starting the setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the displayed information further includes second information displayed after starting the setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 9 A method performed by a mobile terminal, the method comprising: specifying one of a plurality of identification information in response to a first touch operation on a touch panel of the mobile terminal; after the specifying the one of the plurality of identification information, specifying information related to a plurality of invalid areas related to the specified one of the plurality of identification information; and after the specifying the information related to the plurality of invalid areas, in response to a second touch operation being on an area on the touch panel included in the plurality of invalid areas, disabling a processing related to the area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of invalid areas includes a first invalid area and a second invalid area, and wherein the first invalid area and the second invalid area are located on different portions of the touch panel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the first invalid area and the second invalid area do not overlap. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising: before the specifying the one of the plurality of identification information, starting a setting mode related to setting a plurality of invalid areas in response to an input operation in response to a third touch operation; displaying a message on a display of the mobile terminal during the setting mode; and changing display of the message on the display after a user operation related to the message. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising: disabling an input operation in response to the second touch operation to switch applications to prevent a display of the mobile terminal from displaying other applications that are different from an application currently displayed on the display. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising, after an input operation in response to a third touch operation, displaying information indicating that a setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the displayed information includes first information displayed before starting the setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the displayed information further includes second information displayed after starting the setting mode is enabled. ### Claim 17 A method performed by a mobile terminal, the method comprising: after an input operation in response to a first touch operation on a touch panel of the mobile terminal, displaying information indicating that a setting mode is enabled, wherein the displayed information includes one or more of first information and second information, the first information displayed before starting the setting mode is enabled and the second information displayed after starting the setting mode is enabled; after end of the setting mode, specifying one of a plurality of identification information in response to a second touch operation on the touch panel; after the specifying the one of the plurality of identification information, specifying information related to a plurality of invalid areas related to the specified one of the plurality of identification information; and after the specifying the information related to the plurality of invalid areas, and in response to a third touch operation being on an area on the touch panel included in the plurality of invalid areas, disabling a processing related to the area.