Method for scrolling and edge motion on a touchpad

• US 20060033721A1
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Inventors: Woolley, Richard, Saxby, Don T., Oshima, Chris, Klishko, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method of using capacitance-sensitive touchpad, wherein the touchpad includes a plurality of zones on a surface thereof, wherein detection of a finger within one of the plurality of zones determines a direction and a speed of scrolling within a window in a graphical user interface, and wherein detection of a finger within one of the plurality of zones determines a direction and a speed of movement of a cursor performing edge motion in the graphical user interface, thus making edge motion and scrolling dependent only upon a detected location of a finger within the plurality of zones, and not dependent upon detecting movement of the finger.

Claims

1. A system for using an object'"'"'s position on a cursor-control device in order to control scrolling action in a window shown on a graphical display, said system comprising:

a cursor control input device which includes a touchpad, said cursor control input device forwarding data packets to an application controlling scrolling in the window on the graphical display, said input device including a scrolling zone; and

the touchpad that generates a plurality of messages in response to a change in object position entirely within said scrolling zone on said input device that causes the window in said graphical display to scroll visual display data in response to the plurality of messages sent by the touchpad.

2. A method for using an object'"'"'s position on a cursor-control device in order to control scrolling action in a window shown on a graphical display, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a cursor control input device which includes a touchpad having a scrolling zone, wherein the touchpad transmits data packets representing object position;

generating a plurality of messages in response to a change in position of the object on the touchpad in the scrolling zone;

forwarding the plurality of messages to an application controlling scrolling in the window in said graphical display; and

scrolling visual display data in response to the plurality of messages sent by the touchpad.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises the step of dividing the scrolling zone into a plurality of discrete regions.