Information handling system dynamic friction touch device for touchscreen interactions

• US 10,635,199 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2018
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrison, John T., Files, Jace W., Pelissier, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US16/021,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20200004356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A rotating body, such as ball, disposed in a totem is selectively engaged and disengaged by a friction element to selectively restrict or allow motion of the totem on a touchscreen display. Engagement of the rotating body maintains a totem position on a touchscreen display, such as to support rotational inputs associated with a rotational user interface or to prevent the totem from sliding off the touchscreen display in response to tilting of the touchscreen display. Disengagement of the rotating body releases the totem to slide across the touchscreen display, such as to make inputs at a linear user interface.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor to store the instructions and information;

a touchscreen display interfaced with the processor and operable to present the information as visual images and to detect touches at the touchscreen; and

a totem disposed on the touchscreen to have plural feet at a bottom surface touch the touchscreen display, the plural feet having a predetermined touch pattern, the totem having a ball extending from the bottom surface against the touchscreen display and configured to roll on the touchscreen display, the ball having a coefficient of friction, the totem further having a friction element selectively engaging with the ball to manage movement of the totem on the touchscreen display, the friction element having a setting with sufficient resistance relative to the ball coefficient of friction to hold the ball still during movement of the totem across the touchscreen display.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the totem friction element further comprises:

a plunger disposed in the totem proximate the ball;

a biasing device engaged with the plunger and biasing the plunger away from the ball; and

first and second arms extending from the plunger towards the ball, the first and second arms terminating with clips directed towards the ball, the clips pressing against the ball when the plunger biases away from the ball to apply friction to the ball, the clips engaging the totem when the plunger depresses to remove friction from the ball.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the totem friction element further comprises:

an actuator having a friction member aligned to engage the ball; and

a totem processor interfaced with the actuator, the totem processor selectively actuating the actuator to press the friction member against the ball.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 further comprising:

a communication medium interfacing the totem processor and the processor; and

a totem friction manager executing on the processor and operable to command friction against the ball though the communication medium based upon one or more predetermined factors.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the one or more predetermined conditions comprises a rotational user interface presented at the touch screen display, friction applied by the actuator friction member against the ball to restrict linear movement of the totem relative to the rotational user interface.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the totem friction element further comprises a sensor interfaced with the ball, the sensor operable to monitor ball rotation relative to the totem.

7. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the one or more predetermined conditions comprises a linear user interface presented at the touch screen display, friction released by the actuator friction member against the ball to allow linear movement of the totem relative to the rotational user interface.

8. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the one or more predetermined conditions comprises an end user touch to the totem.

9. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising:

a motor disposed in the totem and interfaced with the ball and the totem processor; and

a totem position manager executing on the processor and interfaced with the totem processor through the communication medium, the totem position manager communicating motion to the motor to align the totem with an image presented on the touchscreen display.

10. A method for making inputs with an object at a touchscreen display, the method comprising:

disposing the object on the touchscreen display, the object having a rotating body at a lower surface and in contact with the display;

locking the rotating body relative to the object in response to a first predetermined factor, the rotating body in contact with the touchscreen display to resist movement of the body at the touchscreen display; and

releasing the rotating body relative to the object in response to a second predetermined factor, the rotating body in contact with the touchscreen display to roll along the touchscreen display in response to movement of the body at the touchscreen display.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first predetermined factor comprises a rotational user interface presented at the touchscreen display, the method further comprising:

communicating the first predetermined factor to the object; and

locking the rotating body in the object in response to the communicating the first predetermined factor.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the second predetermined factor comprises a linear user interface presented at the touchscreen display, the method further comprising:

communicating the second predetermined factor to the object; and

releasing the rotating body in the object in response to the communicating the second predetermined factor.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein releasing the rotating body further comprises:

depressing a plunger at an upper surface of the object, the plunger having arms extending into the object and terminating at clips; and

retaining the plunger in a depressed position with the clips.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein locking the rotating body further comprises:

pressing on the plunger at the upper surface to release the clips;

biasing the plunger out of the body with a biasing device; and

pressing the clips against the rotating body to resist rotation of the rotating body.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

interfacing a sensor with the rotating body, the sensor operable to detect rotation of the rotating body; and

communicating rotation sensed by the sensor from the object.

16. An object that interfaces with a touchscreen display, the object comprising:

a main body configured to accept a grasp by a hand;

a base coupled to the main body, the base having plural feet disposed at a bottom surface in a predetermined pattern and an opening;

a rotating body disposed in the main body, the rotating body extending partially out of the opening to press against the touchscreen display to rotate in response to linear motion of the object across the touchscreen display; and

a friction element selectively engaged and disengaged with the rotating body to restrict and allow rotation of the rotating body.

17. The object of claim 16 further comprising:

a sensor engaged with the rotating body and operable to sense motion of the rotating body; and

a communication medium interfaced with the sensor and operable to communicate the sensed motion to an information handling system.

18. The object of claim 16 further comprising a capacitance source coupled to the plural feet, the capacitance source increasing the capacitance of the plural feet if the friction element engages the rotating body.

19. The object of claim 16 wherein the friction element comprises:

a plunger exposed at an upper surface of the object; and

one or more arms extending from the plunger into the object proximate the rotating object;

wherein the plunger has first and second vertical positions relative to the object, the first vertical position locking the rotating body relative to the object, the second vertical position releasing the rotating body relative to the object.

20. The object of claim 16 wherein the friction element comprises:

an actuator that selectively engages and disengages with the rotating body in response to a remote command; and

a totem friction manager stored in non-transient memory that executes on a processor to command the actuator to engage if a rotational user interface is presented at the touchscreen display and to disengage if a linear user interface is presented at the touchscreen display.