Automatic generation of a client pressure profile for a touch screen device

• US 10,678,422 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barsness, Eric L., Bryant, Jay S., Carey, James E., Cropper, Joseph W., Santosuosso, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrett, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stitt, Erik V
• Application Number:
  US15/457,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20180260093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• 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 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A web server includes a client pressure profile sharing and generation mechanism that detects when a user accesses the web server with a first device that does not have a client pressure profile, and automatically generates a client pressure profile for the first device from a client pressure profile for a second device used by the user. Adjustments may be automatically made to the client pressure profile for the first device based on differences in orientation and based on differences in screen size. Changes by the user to the client pressure profile for the first device can be automatically propagated to client pressure profiles for other devices used by the user.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a plurality of client pressure profiles residing in the memory, each client pressure profile indicating for a specified user information regarding a different client device used by the specified user; and

a web server mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the web server mechanism rendering a plurality of web pages to client devices that each includes a pressure-sensitive interface that is capable of detecting a plurality of pressures when a user touches a displayed pressure-sensitive input on a touch screen display on the client device and interpreting each of the plurality of pressures as a different action with respect to the displayed pressure-sensitive input, wherein the web server mechanism receives a request for a requested web page from a selected client device used by a first user, determines the selected client device used by the first user does not have a corresponding client pressure profile stored in the plurality of client pressure profiles, determines a first of the plurality of client pressure profiles corresponds to a second client device used by the specified user, and in response, automatically generates without further input from the specified user a new client pressure profile for the selected client device from the first client pressure profile, wherein the new client pressure profile is stored as one of the plurality of client pressure profiles, wherein the web server mechanism receives a change to a second of the plurality of the client pressure profiles, receives an indication the user wants to propagate the change to at least one other client pressure profile corresponding to the user for at least one other device used by the user, and, in response, updates the first client pressure profile with the change.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises an indication of whether an operating system on the client device supports pressure-sensitive inputs.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises a screen size and a current screen orientation.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises a pressure map that includes a plurality of pressure thresholds for each of a plurality of sections of the touch screen display.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the web server mechanism makes at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different orientation for the selected client device when compared to orientation for the first client pressure profile.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the web server mechanism makes at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different screen size for the selected client device when compared to screen size for the first client pressure profile.

7. A method for a web server computer system to render web pages to an electronic device that includes a pressure-sensitive interface on a touch screen display, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of client pressure profiles, each client pressure profile indicating for a specified user information regarding a different client device used by the specified user;

rendering a plurality of web pages to client devices that each includes a pressure-sensitive interface that is capable of detecting a plurality of pressures when a user touches a displayed pressure-sensitive input on a touch screen display on the client device and interpreting each of the plurality of pressures as a different action with respect to the displayed pressure-sensitive input;

receiving a request for a requested web page from a selected client device used by a first user;

determining the selected client device used by the first user does not have a corresponding client pressure profile stored in the plurality of client pressure profiles;

determining a first of the plurality of client pressure profiles corresponds to a second client device used by the specified user, and in response, automatically generating without further input from the specified user a new client pressure profile for the selected client device from the first client pressure profile, wherein the new client pressure profile is stored as one of the plurality of client pressure profiles;

receiving a change to a second of the plurality of the client pressure profiles;

receiving an indication the user wants to propagate the change to at least one other client pressure profile corresponding to the user for at least one other device used by the user; and

in response, updating the first client pressure profile with the change.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises an indication of whether an operating system on the client device supports pressure-sensitive inputs.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises a screen size and a current screen orientation.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises a pressure map that includes a plurality of pressure thresholds for each of a plurality of sections of the touch screen display.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising making at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different orientation for the selected client device when compared to orientation for the first client pressure profile.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising making at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different screen size for the selected client device when compared to screen size for the first client pressure profile.

13. A method for a web server computer system to render web pages to an electronic device that includes a pressure-sensitive interface on a touch screen display, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of client pressure profiles, each client pressure profile indicating for a specified user information regarding a different client device used by the specified user, wherein each of the plurality of client pressure profiles comprises;

an indication of whether an operating system on the client device supports pressure-sensitive inputs;

a screen size and a current screen orientation;

a pressure map that includes a plurality of pressure thresholds for each of a plurality of sections of the touch screen display;

rendering a plurality of web pages to client devices that each includes a pressure-sensitive interface that is capable of detecting a plurality of pressures when a user touches a displayed pressure-sensitive input on a touch screen display on the client device and interpreting each of the plurality of pressures as a different action with respect to the displayed pressure-sensitive input;

receiving a request for a requested web page from a selected client device used by a first user;

determining the selected client device used by the first user does not have a corresponding client pressure profile stored in the plurality of client pressure profiles;

determining a first of the plurality of client pressure profiles corresponds to a second client device used by the specified user, and in response, automatically generating without further input from the specified user a new client pressure profile for the selected client device from the first client pressure profile;

making at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different orientation for the selected client device when compared to orientation for the first client pressure profile;

making at least one adjustment to the new client pressure profile for the selected client device based on a different screen size for the selected client device when compared to screen size for the first client pressure profile;

receiving a change to a second of the plurality of the client pressure profiles;

receiving an indication the user wants to propagate the change to at least one other client pressure profile corresponding to the user for at least one other device used by the user; and

in response, updating the first client pressure profile with the change.