# US 8,570,425 B2 · Electronic apparatus and method of operating electronic apparatus through touch sensor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,570,425 B2 - Document ID: US8570425B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/668,347 - Filed: 2012-11-05 - Published: 2013-03-07 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2009-01-15 - Assignees: JVC KENWOOD Corporation - Applicants: JVC Kenwood Corporation - Inventors: Takashi Ohuchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8570425B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - G06F 3/03547: {Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface} - G06F 3/041: Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/04817: using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - 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 - H04N 23/61: based on recognised objects - H04N 23/62: Control of parameters via user interfaces - H04N 23/631: {Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters} - G06F 2203/0339: Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An electronic apparatus has a touch sensor provided with a first touching zone including at least a second touching zone and a third touching zone, the second and third touching zones being allocated with different functions. The electronic apparatus is controlled to perform a specific function assigned to a specific touching zone that is the second or the third touching zone when there is a first touch input at first through the specific touching zone and continuously perform the specific function even if there is a second touch input that follows the first touch input, through either the second or the third touching zone that is not the specific touching zone, as long as there is a continuous touch input through the first touching zone from the first to the second touch input with no intermission. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic apparatus comprising: a touch sensor; a controller to perform: a process of controlling a first operation so as to be performed in response to a first action that is carried out due to a first zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; a process of controlling a second operation so as to be performed in response to a second action that is carried out due to a second zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and a process of controlling the second operation so as not to be performed due to the second zone being touched while a touched state of the touch sensor is maintained after the first zone is touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and a display section to display an image related to the first operation and an image related to the second operation, wherein, while the display section is displaying the image related to the first operation and the image related to the second operation, the controller controls the display section so as to erase the image related to the second operation due to the first zone being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section includes a monitor screen and the touch sensor is provided in a manner that the touch sensor is overlapped with the monitor screen. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is transparent. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first operation is to vary a value related to a function to a larger value or a smaller value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second operation is to change a mode of a function from a turn-on mode to a turn-off mode or from the turn-off mode to the turn-on mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the electronic apparatus is an imaging apparatus equipped with a zooming functional component and the first operation is related to the zooming functional component. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is an imaging apparatus and the second operation is to change a mode of a face detecting function from a turn-on mode to a turn-off mode or from the turn-off mode to the turn-on mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is an imaging apparatus and the second operation is to change a mode of an automatic exposure adjustments function from a turn-on mode to a turn-off mode or from the turn-off mode to the turn-on mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image related to the second operation is one letter related to the second operation or an icon related to the second operation. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image related to the first operation is one letter related to the first operation or an icon related to the first operation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a third operation so as to be performed in response to a third action that is carried out due to the first zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first operation is to make larger a value related to a function related to the first and third operations and the third operation is to make smaller the value related to the function related to the first and third operations. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic apparatus is an imaging apparatus equipped with a zooming functional component, the function related to the first and third operations is a zooming function to drive the zooming functional component, the first operation is to drive the zooming functional component to a telephoto side to make larger a zoom magnification, and the third operation is to drive the zooming functional component to a wide-angle side to make smaller the zoom magnification. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image related to the first operation is an image related to the first and third operations. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the image related to the first operation is one letter related to the first and third operations or an icon related to the first and third operations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section includes a monitor screen and the touch sensor is provided in a manner that the touch sensor is separated from the monitor screen. ### Claim 17 An electronic apparatus comprising: a touch sensor; a controller to perform: a process of controlling a first operation so as to be performed in response to a first action that is carried out due to a first zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of touch sensor; a process of controlling a second operation so as to be performed in response to a second action that is carried out due to a second zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and a process of controlling the second operation so as not to be performed in response to an action that is carried out due to the second zone being touched while a touched state of the touch sensor is maintained after the first zone is touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and a display section to display an image related to the first operation and an image related to the second operation, wherein, while the display section is displaying the image related to the first operation and the image related to the second operation, the controller controls the display section so as to erase the image related to the second operation due to the first zone being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor. ### Claim 18 A method of controlling an electronic apparatus equipped with a touch sensor and a display section, comprising the steps of: controlling a first operation so as to be performed in response to a first action that is carried out due to a first zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; controlling a second operation so as to be performed in response to a second action that is carried out due to a second zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; controlling the second operation so as not to be performed due to the second zone being touched while a touched state of the touch sensor is maintained after the first zone is touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and while the display section is displaying an image related to the first operation and an image related to the second operation, controlling the display section so as to erase the image related to the second operation due to the first zone being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor. ### Claim 19 A method of controlling an electronic apparatus equipped with a touch sensor and a display section, comprising the steps of: controlling a first operation so as to be performed in response to a first action that is carried out due to a first zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; controlling a second operation so as to be performed in response to a second action that is carried out due to a second zone of the touch sensor being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; controlling the second operation so as not to be performed in response to an action that is carried out due to the second zone being touched while a touched state of the touch sensor is maintained after the first zone is touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor; and while the display section is displaying an image related to the first operation and an image related to the second operation, controlling the display section so as to erase the image related to the second operation due to the first zone being touched after an untouched state of the touch sensor.