Virtual keyboard interaction using touch input force

• US 10,162,443 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Inventors: Lynn, Lapoe E., Sheng, Samuel W., Shih, Shih-Ming, Hsieh, Yenyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sitta, Grant
• Application Number:
  US14/731,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20150268785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 345177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/02 Manually-operated control H03G3/001 and H03G3/002 take precedence

Abstract

Providing a virtual keyboard interaction is disclosed. An indicator identifying a force intensity of a touch input provided on a touch input surface is received. It is determined that the touch input is associated with a virtual keyboard. A virtual keyboard interaction is provided based at least in part on the indicator identifying the force intensity of the touch input.

Claims

1. A system for providing a virtual keyboard interaction, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive an indicator identifying a force intensity value of a touch input provided on a touch input surface; and

a processor configured to determine that the touch input is associated with a virtual keyboard and provide a virtual keyboard interaction based at least in part on the indicator identifying the force intensity value of the touch input, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes registering the touch input as an input key press of the virtual keyboard in the event the force intensity value meets a key press threshold value;

wherein the force intensity value was determined at least in part by analyzing a magnitude of signal disturbance caused by the touch input to a signal that propagates through the touch input surface at least prior to the touch input, analyzing the magnitude of the disturbance caused by the touch input to the signal that propagates through the touch input surface includes determining a correlation between the magnitude of signal disturbance to the propagating signal and the force intensity value, and the force intensity value associated with the disturbance caused by the touch input to the propagating signal is compared with the key press threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard is displayed on a display in response to detecting that the force intensity value meets a display threshold and the display threshold is less than the key press threshold value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the key press threshold value is configurable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes displaying the virtual keyboard at a location on the touch input surface where the touch input was received.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the displayed virtual keyboard is oriented to place a home row of the virtual keyboard at the location.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the displayed virtual keyboard is a split keyboard.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to provide a physical feedback in the event the force intensity value meets the key press threshold value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes displaying a magnified view of at least a portion of the virtual keyboard in the event the force intensity value does not meet the key press threshold value.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal includes an ultrasonic signal, and the signal that propagates through the touch input surface freely propagates through the touch input surface without using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) reflector.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further configured to send a signal to be used to propagate a propagating signal through a propagating medium with the touch input surface and receive the propagating signal that has been disturbed by the touch input with an amount of force on the touch input surface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the force intensity value was determined at least in part by determining a signal amplitude associated with a portion of the signal disturbed by the touch input.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal amplitude is a function of the magnitude of the disturbance caused by the touch input to the signal that freely propagates through the touch input surface.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive a location on the touch input surface where the touch input was received.

14. A method for providing a virtual keyboard interaction, comprising:

receiving an indicator identifying a force intensity value of a touch input provided on a touch input surface;

determining that the touch input is associated with a virtual keyboard; and

using a processor to provide a virtual keyboard interaction based at least in part on the indicator identifying the force intensity value of the touch input, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes registering the touch input as an input key press of the virtual keyboard in the event the force intensity value meets a key press threshold value;

wherein the force intensity value was determined at least in part by analyzing a magnitude of signal disturbance caused by the touch input to a signal that propagates through the touch input surface at least prior to the touch input, analyzing the magnitude of the signal disturbance to the propagating signal caused by the touch input to the signal that propagates through the touch input surface includes determining a correlation between the magnitude of disturbance and the force intensity value, and the force intensity value associated with the disturbance caused by the touch input to the propagating signal is compared with the key press threshold value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the virtual keyboard is displayed on a display in response to detecting that the force intensity value meets a display threshold and the display threshold is less than the key press threshold value.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the key press threshold value is configurable.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes displaying the virtual keyboard at a location on the touch input surface where the touch input was received.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a feedback in the event the force intensity value meets a threshold.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the force intensity value was determined at least in part by determining a signal amplitude associated with a portion of the signal disturbed by the touch input.

20. A computer program product for providing a virtual keyboard interaction, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indicator identifying a force intensity value of a touch input provided on a touch input surface;

determining that the touch input is associated with a virtual keyboard; and

providing a virtual keyboard interaction based at least in part on the indicator identifying the force intensity value of the touch input, wherein providing the virtual keyboard interaction includes registering the touch input as an input key press of the virtual keyboard in the event the force intensity value meets a key press threshold value;

wherein the force intensity value was determined at least in part by analyzing a magnitude of signal disturbance caused by the touch input to a signal that propagates through the touch input surface at least prior to the touch input, analyzing the magnitude of the disturbance caused by the touch input to the signal that propagates through the touch input surface includes determining a correlation between the magnitude of signal disturbance to the propagating signal and the force intensity value, and the force intensity value associated with the disturbance caused by the touch input to the propagating signal is compared with the key press threshold value.