# US 6,720,954 B2 · Method to aid in sizing graphical user interface touch controls > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,720,954 B2 - Document ID: US6720954B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 09/808,257 - Filed: 2001-03-14 - Published: 2002-09-19 - Granted: 2004-04-13 - Earliest claimed: 2001-03-14 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Vincent Charles Conzola; Kerry A Ortega - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6720954B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A software tool acquires data on the position of touches relative to controls on a particular window or dialog box using touch screen controls. Subjects or users log on and the time the bring a dialog box into focus is time stamped. The coordinates of each touch is recorded along with a time stamp of the touches. The test sessions are saved in a data file identifying the subject. The software tool is used by a User Interface designer to design controls for a touch screen application. The acquired data is played back graphically to the designer where each touch appears as a dot or like indication over laid over a representation of the dialog box to which it relates. The acquired data may be displayed in various ways including composite, realtime or in a single dialog box or a single touch. Previous touch data may be kept or discarded giving the UI designer many options of how to analyze the dat to determine optimum size and placement of controls. The software tool may be integrated to a Graphic User Interface (GUI) building package for various software platforms. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for designing touch screen controls for touch screen comprising the steps of: executing a data acquisition routine of a software tool, said data acquisition routine acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of said touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen; saving said touch data in a file; executing an analysis routine within said software tool, said analysis routine generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data; and displaying said graphic display elements in selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise: displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise: displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 17 A computer program product, said computer program product embodied in a machine readable medium, including programming for a processor, said computer program comprising a program of instructions for performing the program steps of: executing a data acquisition routine of said computer program product, said data acquisition routine acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen; saving said touch data in a file; executing an analysis routine within said computer program product, said analysis routine generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data; and displaying said graphic display elements in selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 31 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 32 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 33 A data processing system comprising: a central processing unit (CPU); random access memory (RAM); read only memory (ROM); a display adapter; an I/O adapter; and a bus system coupling said CPU to said ROM, said RAM and said display adapter, wherein said CPU further comprises: a data acquisition circuit, said data acquisition circuit acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen, said touch screen coupled to said display adapter; a storage circuit operable to store said touch data in said RAM or a storage unit coupled to said I/O adapter; an analysis circuit, said analysis circuit generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data ; and a display circuit operable to display said graphic display elements on said touch screen or another display system coupled to said display adapter, said display of graphic display elements using selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made and an identification of said user in said test session. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 35 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches. ### Claim 36 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The data processing system of claim 36, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The data processing system of claim 37, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The data processing system of claim 38, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates. ### Claim 40 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 41 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session. ### Claim 42 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session. ### Claim 43 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence. ### Claim 44 (depends on 33) The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands. ### Claim 45 (depends on 42) The data processing system of claim 42, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box. ### Claim 46 (depends on 42) The data processing system of claim 42, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 47 (depends on 42) The data processing system of claim 42, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element. ### Claim 48 (depends on 42) The data processing system of claim 42, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element.