System and method for controlling an electronic device having a touch-sensitive non-display area

1. A method of operating a second electronic device, the second electronic device connectable to a first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive non-display area for detecting one or more touch-sensitive non-display area gestures, each touch-sensitive non-display area gesture being associated with a respective function of the first electronic device, the method comprising the second electronic device:

partitioning a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the second electronic device into a non-display portion and a display portion, the non-display portion corresponding to a transformation of the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device such that the non-display portion is provided along an outer perimeter of the touch-sensitive input mechanism;

receiving a gesture using the non-display portion, the gesture corresponding to a touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

determining an instruction to be performed by the first electronic device based on the gesture.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing the instruction to the first electronic device for performing the respective function.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

selecting the instruction to perform the respective function.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instruction includes information on one or more properties of the gesture.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture using the information on one or more properties of the gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

performing the respective function.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gesture uses both the non-display portion and the display portion.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the gesture comprises swiping from within one of the non-display portion and display portion onto the other of the non-display portion and display portion.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-display portion is partitioned based on one or more properties of the touch-sensitive non-display area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-display portion surrounds the display portion.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch-sensitive display.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the non-display portion is visually distinguished from the display portion by any one or more of the following: displaying a border in between the non-display portion and display portion, and displaying the non-display portion as a solid color, a repeating pattern or an image.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein one or more virtual buttons are provided within the non-display portion, each virtual button corresponding to a respective button on the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch pad.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective function of the first electronic device comprises any one or more of the of following:

minimizing or maximizing an application;

showing or hiding a menu, status bar or virtual keyboard;

switching between one or more applications; and

turning the first electronic device on or off.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more properties of the non-display portion is configurable by a user of the second electronic device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for operating a second electronic device, the second electronic device connectable to a first electronic device, the first electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive non-display area for detecting one or more touch-sensitive non-display area gestures, each touch-sensitive non-display area gesture associated with a respective function of the first electronic device, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for:

partitioning a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the second electronic device into a non-display portion and a display portion, the non-display portion corresponding to a transformation of the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device such that the non-display portion is provided along an outer perimeter of the touch-sensitive input mechanism;

receiving a gesture using the non-display portion, the gesture corresponding to a touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

determining an instruction to be performed by the first electronic device based on the gesture.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising computer executable instructions for:

providing the instruction to the first electronic device for performing the instruction.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein determining the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

selecting the instruction perform the respective function.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instruction includes information on one or more properties of the gesture.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture using the information on one or more properties of the gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

performing the respective function.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the gesture uses both the non-display portion and the display portion.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the gesture comprises swiping from within one of the non-display portion and display portion onto the other of the non-display portion and display portion.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the non-display portion is partitioned based on one or more properties of the touch-sensitive non-display area.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the non-display portion surrounds the display portion.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch-sensitive display.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25 , wherein the non-display portion is visually distinguished from the display portion by any one or more of the following: displaying a border in between the non-display portion and display portion, and displaying the non-display portion as a solid color, a repeating pattern or an image.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25 , wherein one or more virtual buttons are provided within the non-display portion, each virtual button corresponding to a respective button on the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch pad.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the respective function of the first electronic device comprises any one or more of:

minimizing or maximizing an application;

showing or hiding a menu, status bar or virtual keyboard;

switching between one or more applications; and

turning the first electronic device on or off.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein one or more properties of the non-display portion is configurable by a user of the second electronic device.

31. A device for controlling a first electronic device connectable to the device, the first electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive non-display area for detecting one or more touch-sensitive non-display area gestures, each touch-sensitive non-display area gesture associated with a respective function of the first electronic device, the device comprising a processor, non-transitory memory and a touch-sensitive input mechanism, the non-transitory memory storing computer executable instructions for:

partitioning the touch-sensitive input mechanism into a non-display portion and a display portion, the non-display portion corresponding to a transformation of the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device such that the non-display portion is provided along an outer perimeter of the touch-sensitive input mechanism;

receiving a gesture using the non-display portion, the gesture corresponding to a touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

determining an instruction to be performed by the first electronic device based on the gesture.

32. The device of claim 31 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism comprises a touch-sensitive display.

33. The device of claim 31 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism comprises a touch pad.

34. The device of claim 31 , further comprising computer executable instructions for:

providing the instruction to the first electronic device for performing the respective function.

35. The device of claim 31 , wherein determining the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

selecting the instruction to perform the respective function.

36. The device of claim 31 , wherein the instruction includes information on one or more properties of the gesture.

37. The device of claim 36 , wherein the instruction comprises:

determining the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture using the information on one or more properties of the gesture;

determining the respective function associated with the corresponding touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

performing the respective function.

38. The device of claim 31 , wherein the gesture uses both the non-display portion and the display portion.

39. The device of claim 38 , wherein the gesture comprises swiping from within one of the non-display portion and display portion onto the other of the non-display portion and display portion.

40. The device of claim 31 , wherein the non-display portion is partitioned based on one or more properties of the touch-sensitive non-display area.

41. The device of claim 31 , wherein the non-display portion surrounds the display portion.

42. The device of claim 31 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch-sensitive display.

43. The device of claim 42 , wherein the non-display portion is visually distinguished from the display portion by any one or more of the following: displaying a border in between the non-display portion and display portion, and displaying the non-display portion as a solid color, a repeating pattern or an image.

44. The device of claim 42 , wherein one or more virtual buttons are provided within the non-display portion, each virtual button corresponding to a respective button on the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device.

45. The device of claim 31 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism is a touch pad.

46. The device of claim 31 , wherein the respective function of the first electronic device comprises any one or more of:

minimizing or maximizing an application;

showing or hiding a menu, status bar or virtual keyboard;

switching between one or more applications; and

turning the first electronic device on or off.

47. The device of claim 31 , wherein one or more properties of the non-display portion is configurable by a user of the device.

48. A method of operating a first electronic device, the first electronic device connectable to a second electronic device, the first electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive non-display area for detecting at least one touch-sensitive non-display area gesture interacting with the touch-sensitive non-display area, the second electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive input mechanism partitioned into a non-display portion corresponding to a transformation of the touch-sensitive non-display area of the first electronic device such that the non-display portion is provided along an outer perimeter of the touch-sensitive input mechanism, the method comprising the first electronic device:

receiving an input from the second electronic device that is determined from a gesture using the non-display portion, the input representing one of the at least one touch-sensitive non-display area gesture; and

executing a function corresponding to the one of the at least one touch-sensitive non-display area gesture.