Touchpad having fine and coarse input resolution

• US 20030210286A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Inventors: Taylor, Brian, Gerpheide, George
• Application Number:
  US10/375,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210286A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A touchpad wherein the user moves a pointing object on a touchpad in an arcuate motion having a large diameter to thereby provide coarse input resolution, and moves the pointing object in a small diameter to provide fine input resolution, and wherein a direction of circular movement, either clockwise or counter clockwise, determines if an input value is increasing or decreasing.

Claims

1. A method for providing input to a portable electronic appliance, wherein the input enables control of movement through a list displayed on the portable electronic appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a touchpad in a portable electronic appliance having a display screen, wherein the display screen is displaying a list of items;

(2) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad;

(3) performing a pattern detection algorithm to determine if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is above or below a threshold radius;

(4) performing a first gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is above the threshold radius; and

(5) performing a second gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is below the threshold radius.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) performing a coarse gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is above the threshold radius; and

(2) performing a fine gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is below the threshold radius.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) performing a fine gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is above the threshold radius; and

(2) performing a coarse gesture if the pointing object is circumscribing an arc having a radius that is below the threshold radius.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the step of performing the first gesture or the second gesture for as long as movement along the arc is detected.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the method further comprises the step of determining if a radius of arc changes during movement along the arc.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the method further comprises the step of changing from a first gesture to a second gesture if the radius of arc changes during movement along the arc if the first gesture was being performed, or changing from a second gesture to a first gesture if the radius of arc changes during movement along the arc if the second gesture was being performed.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) assigning movement through the list in a first direction when movement along an arc is in a clockwise (CW) direction; and

(2) assigning movement through the list in an opposite direction when movement along the arc is in a counter clockwise (CCW) direction.

8. A method for providing input to a portable electronic appliance, wherein the input enables control of movement through a list displayed on the portable electronic appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a touchpad in a portable electronic appliance having a display screen, wherein the display screen is displaying a list of items;

(2) defining a first region, and assigning a first gesture to the first region;

(3) defining a second region that includes the surface of the touchpad that is not in the first region, and assigning a second gesture to the second region;

(4) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad in the first region or the second region;

(5) performing the first gesture if the pointing object is detected in the first region; and

(6) performing the second gesture if the pointing object is detected in the second region.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) only performing the first gesture as long as the pointing object remains in the first region; and

(2) only performing the second gesture as long as the pointing object remains in the second region.

10. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the step of performing the first gesture or the second gesture regardless of movement of the pointing object between the first region and the second region.

11. A method for providing input to a portable electronic appliance, wherein the input enables control of movement through a list displayed on the portable electronic appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a touchpad in a portable electronic appliance having a display screen, wherein the display screen is displaying a list of items;

(2) defining a first radius around a center point, and assigning a first gesture to the first radius;

(3) defining a second radius that is larger than the first radius and also centered around the center point, and assigning a second gesture to the second radius;

(4) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad on the first radius or on the second radius;

(5) performing the first gesture if the pointing object is detected on the first radius; and

(6) performing the second gesture if the pointing object is detected on the second radius.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) defining a third radius that is larger than the second radius and also centered around the center point, and assigning a third gesture to the third radius;

(2) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad on the first radius, the second radius, or the third radius; and

(3) performing the third gesture if the pointing object is detected on the third radius.

13. A method for providing input to a portable electronic appliance, wherein the input enables control of movement through a list displayed on the portable electronic appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a touchpad in a portable electronic appliance having a display screen, wherein the display screen is displaying a list of items;

(2) defining a plurality of unique regions on the touchpad, and assigning a unique gesture to each of the plurality of regions;

(3) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad in one of the plurality of regions; and

(4) performing the unique gesture associated with the region in which touchdown of the pointing object was detected.

14. A method for providing input to a device, wherein the input enables coarse and fine incremental change of a value to the device, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a touchpad in a device having a display screen, wherein the display screen indicates a current value of an input;

(2) defining a plurality of unique regions on the touchpad, and assigning a unique gesture to each of the plurality of regions;

(3) detecting touchdown of a pointing object on the touchpad in one of the plurality of regions; and

(4) performing the unique gesture associated with the region in which touchdown of the pointing object was detected, wherein at least one of the unique gestures is to rapidly change the current value of the input, and wherein at least another one of the unique gestures is to slowly change the current value of the input.