Touch sensitive and mechanical user input device

• US 20070236470A1
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baudisch, Patrick, Abanami, Thamer
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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

User interfaces or input devices are provided with both touch-sensitive (e.g., capacitive) and mechanical hardware input portions. Mechanical switches are overlaid with a touch sensitive pad, providing improved versatility of input. An application programming interface (API) enables different modes of input operation for the mechanical and touch sensitive input portions, whereby various combinations and/or permutations of touch sensitive input portions and/or mechanical input portions are enabled or disabled to provide optimal input characteristics for a set of tasks at hand. Visual or audio indicators may be utilized to reveal the mode of operation to the user. The touch sensitive pad may be a capacitive touchpad, a touch sensitive display screen, a conveyor belt or a push pad. Up to 9 mechanical switches may be placed underneath the touch sensitive input portions.

Claims

1. A user interface component for controlling a computing device, comprising:

at least one mechanical input movable by a user to provide at least first user input functionality for controlling the computing device; and

a touch sensitive input pad including at least one touch sensitive sensor overlaying the at least one mechanical input wherein interaction with the at least one touch sensitive sensor by the user provides at least second user input functionality for controlling the computing device.

2. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mechanical input includes at least five mechanical switches.

3. A user interface component according to claim 2, wherein the at least one mechanical input includes at most nine mechanical switches.

4. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive input pad is a capacitive touchpad or a touch sensitive display screen.

5. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive input pad is a conveyor belt or a push pad that moves in a plane substantially parallel to a plane defined by a plurality of the at least one mechanical inputs underneath the touch sensitive input pad.

6. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive input pad includes at least one surface element for indicating a directional path of input for achieving the second user input functionality for controlling the computing device, wherein said at least one surface element is any of a raised portion, an indented portion or a surface textured portion.

7. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive input pad is a capacitive touchpad including a plurality of capacitive sensors for measuring left to right and right to left input by the user according to left to right and right to left motions by the user, respectively.

8. A user interface component according to claim 7, wherein the capacitive touchpad further includes a plurality of capacitive sensors for measuring up to down and down to up input by the user according to up to down and down to up motions by the user, respectively.

9. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive input pad is a capacitive touchpad including a plurality of capacitive sensors for measuring (x, y) coordinate input by the user according to (x, y) coordinate motion input by the user for controlling the computing device.

10. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mechanical input includes a central mechanical switch substantially centered under the overlaying touch sensitive input pad.

11. A computing device including the user interface component of claim 1.

12. A method for receiving user input from a user via a user interface component including a touch sensitive input pad located on top of at least one mechanical switch, comprising:

receiving input via the user input component including the touch sensitive input pad located on top of the at least one mechanical switch, wherein the touch sensitive input pad includes at least one touch sensitive sensor on top of said at least on mechanical switch; and

determining whether said input applies to said touch sensitive input pad or to said at least one mechanical switch.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the user whether input to the user interface component applies to the touch sensitive input pad or the at least one mechanical switch, and

wherein said determining includes determining based on the indication.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said determining includes automatically determining whether said input applies to said touch sensitive input pad or to said at least one mechanical switch based on pre-determined algorithms.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein if said input is determined to apply to said touch sensitive input pad, determining (x,y) coordinate input from said input.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein if said input is determined to apply to said touch sensitive input pad, determining at least an amount of horizontal scrolling on the touch sensitive input pad.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising determining an amount of vertical scrolling on the touch sensitive input pad.

18. A computing device including means for performing the method of claim 12.

19. A user interface for a computing device, comprising:

means for receiving first input via at least one mechanical input arranged in a first layer of the user interface;

means for receiving second input via at least one touch sensitive sensor in a second layer on top of said first layer wherein at least one touch sensitive sensor of the second layer is directly above at least one mechanical input of the first layer;

means for mounting said means for receiving second input on said means for receiving first input.

20. A user interface according to claim 19, further comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for interfacing with said means for receiving first input and said means for receiving second input and for determining whether input received by the user interface applies to said means for receiving first input or said means for receiving second input. determining whether input received by the user interface applies to said means for receiving first input or said means for receiving second input.