Trackpads and methods for controlling a trackpad

• US 10,599,236 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thompson, Russell David, Recinos, Jesse Michael, Dilley, Michael Rodney
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/762,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20180275783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a trackpad may be provided. The trackpad may include: a sensor configured to sense a position of a plurality of fingers; and a mode determination circuit configured to select in which mode of a plurality of modes to operate the trackpad based on an output of the sensor. The plurality of modes may include at least two of the following modes: a cursor mode; a steering mode; and a virtual mouse mode.

Claims

1. A trackpad comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a position of a plurality of fingers of a user; and

a mode determination circuit configured to switchably select in which mode of a plurality of modes to operate the trackpad based on an output of the sensor;

wherein switching between the plurality of modes is enabled by one, or more in combination, of a button press, a gesture, a touch event that may require up to five fingers, a launching an application, and an event within an application;

wherein switching is activated or deactivated for each of the plurality of modes;

wherein the plurality of modes comprises a steering mode comprising at least one of an avatar steering mode or a camera steering mode; and

a virtual mouse mode providing a virtual mouse around a hand of the user, wherein the virtual mouse comprises;

at least one button; and

a virtual sensor configured to emulate a physical sensor on a mouse input device, wherein a position of the virtual sensor is calibrated based on the position of and distance between the fingers of the user such that an index finger acts as a left mouse button and a middle finger acts as a right mouse button; and

wherein the trackpad is configured to, as long as at least one finger of the user remains in contact with the trackpad, maintain the position of the virtual sensor relative to the at least one finger remaining in contact with the trackpad, so that the position of the virtual sensor moves with movement of the at least one finger remaining in contact with the trackpad and an identity of the at least one finger remains known.

2. The trackpad of claim 1,

wherein the steering mode is triggered by two fingers on the trackpad.

3. The trackpad of claim 1,

wherein the virtual mouse comprises at least one scroll wheel, wherein the at least one scroll wheel is triggered by tapping and swiping with the index finger or the middle finger.

4. The trackpad of claim 1,

wherein the mode determination circuit is configured to switch between the camera and virtual mouse modes based on the touch event with all five fingers simultaneously placed on the trackpad.

5. The trackpad of claim 1,

wherein the mode determination circuit is configured to switch between the modes based on at least one of a current mode and a target mode.

6. The trackpad of claim 1,

wherein the trackpad is provided in a touchscreen.

7. The trackpad of claim 1, wherein the trackpad further comprises:

a pressure determination circuit configured to determine a pressure of a finger of the user on the trackpad; and

an action determination circuit configured to determine whether the user performs a change of pressure of the finger on the trackpad after moving the finger on the trackpad without lifting the finger from the trackpad.

8. The trackpad of claim 7,

wherein the pressure determination circuit is configured to determine the pressure based on a size of the fingertip on the sensor.

9. The trackpad of claim 7,

wherein the trackpad is provided in a touchscreen.

16. The trackpad of claim 1, wherein the trackpad is further configured to emulate a click of the left mouse button in response to the index finger being lifted, wherein the left mouse button is held as long as the index finger remains lifted.

17. The trackpad of claim 1, wherein the trackpad is further configured to emulate a click of the left mouse button in response to the index finger tapping the trackpad, wherein the trackpad is further configured to create a virtual button after the index finger taps the trackpad, and maintain the virtual button in a down state until the index finger taps the trackpad again or until a specified period of time elapses.

18. The trackpad of claim 17, wherein the trackpad is further configured to maintain the virtual button in the down state regardless of whether the index finger remains in contact with the trackpad after the index finger taps the trackpad.

10. A method for controlling a trackpad, the method comprising:

sensing a position of a plurality of fingers of a user; and

switchably selecting in which mode of a plurality of modes to operate the trackpad based on the sensing;

wherein switching between the plurality of modes is enabled by one, or more in combination, of a button press, a gesture, a touch event that may require up to five fingers, a launching an application, and an event within an application;

wherein switching is activated or deactivated for each of the plurality of modes;

wherein the plurality of modes comprises a steering mode comprising at least one of an avatar steering mode or a camera steering mode; and

a virtual mouse mode providing a virtual mouse around a hand of the user, wherein the virtual mouse comprises;

at least one button; and

a virtual sensor configured to emulate a physical sensor on a mouse input device, wherein a position of the virtual sensor is calibrated based on the position of and distance between the fingers of the user such that an index finger acts as a left mouse button and a middle finger acts as a right mouse button; and

wherein the method further comprises configuring the trackpad to, as long as at least one finger of the user remains in contact with the trackpad, maintain the position of the virtual sensor relative to the at least one finger remaining in contact with the trackpad, so that the position of the virtual sensor moves with movement of the at least one finger remaining in contact with the trackpad and an identity of the at least one finger remains known.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the steering mode is triggered by two fingers on the trackpad.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the virtual mouse comprises at least one scroll wheel, wherein the at least one scroll wheel is triggered by tapping and swiping with the index finger or the middle finger.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

switching between the camera and virtual mouse modes is based on the touch event with all five fingers simultaneously placed on the trackpad.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

switching between the modes based on at least one of a current mode and a target mode.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a pressure of a finger of the user on the trackpad; and

determining whether the user performs a change of pressure of the finger on the trackpad after moving the finger on the trackpad without lifting the finger from the trackpad.