Universal user interface device

• US 20070236472A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Gregory, Abanami, Thamer, Bentsen, Brett, Flanagan, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer

Abstract

A flexible, scalable hardware input device for interacting with a variety of devices ranging from a phone, to a media playback device to a steering wheel or a tablet PC is provided. The input device includes a set of mechanical input controls, each mapping to one or more independent functions and a set of touch sensitive input control areas (e.g., capacitive), where each touch sensitive input control area receives touch input independently. In addition, one or more of the touch sensitive input control areas interchangeably overlay one or more of the mechanical input controls, whereby interaction with the touch sensitive input control areas is processed together to determine a corresponding function for controlling the application, service or computing device.

Claims

1. A user interface component for controlling an application, service or computing device, comprising:

A mechanical layer including a plurality of mechanical input controls actuatable by a user to provide a corresponding first set of input functionality for controlling the application, service or computing device, wherein each mechanical input control maps to an independent function; and

a touch sensitive layer including a plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, with each touch sensitive input control area including at least one touch sensitive sensor, wherein each touch sensitive input control area receives touch input independently from each of the other touch sensitive input control areas,

wherein at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas overlays at least one of the plurality of mechanical input control areas, whereby interaction with the plurality of independent touch sensitive input controls is processed together to determine a corresponding function for controlling the application, service or computing device.

2. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical input controls includes nine mechanical input controls arranged in a three-by-three array.

3. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas includes nine touch sensitive input control areas arranged in a three-by-three array.

4. A user interface component according to claim 3, wherein each of the three-by-three array of touch sensitive input control areas overlay a corresponding one of the three-by-three array of mechanical input controls.

5. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas are a plurality of independent capacitive input control areas or a plurality of independent touchscreen control areas.

6. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas includes a change in surface topography that hints at how to use the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas.

7. A user interface component according to claim 6, wherein the change in surface topography includes at least one of an indentation or a bump.

8. A user interface component according to claim 7, wherein the change in surface topography is a bowl topography hinting at circular input in the touch sensitive input layer across at least two of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas.

9. A user interface component according to claim 7, wherein the change in surface topography is a trackball topography hinting at trackball interaction with a pre-defined region of the touch sensitive input layer across at least two of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas.

10. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas host directional gestures made substantially in a plane defined by the touch sensitive layer, the directional gestures comprising any one or more of circular, arced or straight finger or thumb strokes.

11. A user interface component according to claim 10, wherein the directional gestures are utilized at least for navigating a list on a display associated with the application, service or computing device.

12. A user interface component according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas host a horizontal arc stroke gesture that, for each horizontal arc stroke, causes a media item that is being rendered to skip forward in the media item a predetermined amount of time, or a predetermined percentage of the length of the media item.

13. A user interface component according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas host a vertical arc stroke gesture that, for each vertical arc stroke, causes a current position in a list on display to any of move a predetermined distance up or down the list, move to a predetermined location in the list, move a predetermined percentage up or down the list or move to a next alphanumeric character in the list.

14. A user interface component according to claim 10, further comprising input processing software stored on a computer readable medium that processes input from the mechanical layer and the touch sensitive layer, whereby said input processing software blocks unintended interaction with the touch sensitive layer when a user moves a finger or thumb across the surface of the touch sensitive layer to reach a mechanical input control.

15. A user interface component according to claim 14, wherein the input processing software blocks operations based on input received by the touch sensitive layer until the brush of the finger or thumb of a user reaches or maintains a predetermined acceleration, velocity and/or distance.

16. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising at least one light that illuminates a predetermined color to indicate a state of the application, service or computing device or a notification received by the application, service or computing device.

17. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a dedicated volume input control for controlling a volume of the application, service or computing device.

18. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a dedicated home input control or a back input control for automatically navigating the state of the application, service or computing device to a home state, or previous state, respectively, via a single click operation or a press and hold operation.

19. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a supplemental input control that initiates the display of a context specific menu based on a state of the application, service or computing device to give the user contextual information about what devices are around the user from a physical proximity perspective.

20. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical input controls include mappings to a directional pad including up, down, left, and right functionality via a single click operation or a press and hold operation.

21. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical input controls include functionality mappings that dynamically change based on a state of the application, device or service.

22. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas are user substitutable in order to personalize, or customize, the appearance of the user interface component.

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

24. A method for receiving user input from a user via a user interface component including a touch sensitive input layer including a plurality of touch sensitive input control areas and a mechanical input layer including a plurality of mechanical input controls, comprising:

receiving input via the user input component including receiving input via at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, which is located on top of a mechanical input control of the plurality of mechanical input controls; and

determining whether said input applies to said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas or to said mechanical input control beneath said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, wherein said determining includes filtering out input determined to be inadvertent according to pre-determined algorithms.

25. A user interface component for controlling an application, service or computing device, comprising:

means for receiving input via the user input component including means for receiving input via at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, which at least one is located on top of at least one mechanical input control of the plurality of mechanical input controls;

means for determining whether said input applies to said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas or to said at least one mechanical input control beneath said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, wherein said means for determining includes means for ignoring input determined to be inadvertent according to pre-determined algorithms;

means for interchangeably mounting the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas over the plurality of mechanical input controls.