Intergrated multi-touch surface having varying sensor granularity

• US 10,642,330 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Elias, John Greer, Hotelling, Steven P., Kerr, Duncan Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Blancha, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US16/013,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20180299938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.

Claims

1. A method for operating a touch screen included in a touch enabled device, the touch enabled device including a processor, the method comprising:

operating the touch screen, the touch screen having a plurality of portions, the plurality of portions including one or more first portions and one or more second portions, each having characteristics, the characteristics including a respective level of granularity,

wherein at a first time, the level of granularity of the one or more first portions is different from the level of granularity of the one or more second portions; and

dynamically changing at least one of the characteristics of one or more of the one or more first portions and the one or more second portions at a second time, the second time being different from the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the characteristics includes position, and wherein the positions of the one or more first portions are dynamically changed concurrently with the positions of the one or more second portions at the second time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the characteristics includes size, and the size of one or more of the one or more first portions and the one or more second portions is dynamically changed at the second time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a level of granularity of a given portion is based on an expected type of user input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is operated based on one or more applications running on the touch enabled device, and the characteristics of the plurality of portions are based on the one or more applications.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more applications includes a tool bar.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more visual control elements at the one or more first portions; and

not displaying visual control elements at the one or more second portions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more visual control elements include one or more of buttons, knobs, and sliders.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a touch input at the one or more first portions; and

changing a volume of sound emitted by the touch enabled device in response to the received touch input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a touch input at the one or more first portions; and

starting or stopping a video playback in response to the received touch input.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a touch input at the one or more first portions; and

fast forwarding or reversing a video in response to the received touch input.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of granularity of the one or more first portions is greater than the level of granularity of the one or more second portions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the characteristics is dynamically changed in software.

14. A touch enabled device comprising:

memory;

a touch screen; and

a processor configured to;

operate the touch screen, the touch screen having a plurality of portions, the plurality of portions including one or more first portions and one or more second portions, each having characteristics, the characteristics including a respective level of granularity, wherein at a first time, the level of granularity of the one or more first portions is different from the level of granularity of the one or more second portions; and

dynamically change at least one of the characteristics of one or more of the one or more first portions and the one or more second portions at a second time, the second time being different from the first time.

15. The touch enabled device of claim 14, wherein the touch screen is a multi-touch panel.

16. The touch enabled device of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the characteristics includes position, and the positions of the one or more first portions are dynamically changed concurrently with the positions of the one or more second portions at the second time.

17. The touch enabled device of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the characteristics includes size, and the size of one or more of the one or more first portions and the one or more second portions is dynamically changed at the second time.

18. The touch enabled device of claim 14, wherein the touch screen is operated based on one or more applications running on the touch enabled device, and the characteristics of the plurality of portions are based on the one or more applications.

19. The touch enabled device of claim 14, further comprising:

a display configured to;

display one or more visual control elements at the one or more first portions; and

not display visual control elements at the one or more second portions.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, perform a method of managing memory allocations, the method comprising:

operating the touch screen, the touch screen having a plurality of portions, the plurality of portions including one or more first portions and one or more second portions, each having characteristics, the characteristics including a respective level of granularity, wherein at a first time, the level of granularity of the one or more first portions is different from the level of granularity of the one or more second portions; and

dynamically changing at least one of the characteristics of one or more of the one or more first portions and the one or more second portions at a second time, the second time being different from the first time.