Selective Rejection of Touch Contacts in an Edge Region of a Touch Surface

• US 20090174679A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: WESTERMAN, Wayne Carl
• Application Number:
  US12/242,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174679A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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
• 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

The selective rejection of touch contacts in an edge region of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. In addition, by providing certain exceptions to the rejection of edge contacts, the functionality of the touch sensor panel can be maximized. Contacts in edge bands around the perimeter of a touch sensor panel can be ignored. However, if a contact in the edge band moves beyond a threshold distance or speed, it can be recognized as part of a gesture. To accommodate different finger sizes, the size of the edge band can be modified based on the identification of the finger or thumb. Furthermore, if contacts in the center region of a touch sensor panel track the movement of contacts in the edge band, the contacts in the edge band can be recognized as part of a gesture.

Claims

1. A method for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

designating one or more regions in the touch sensor panel as contact rejection regions; and

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected within the one or more contact rejection regions in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first contact is detected as having movement exceeding a particular threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact only if the first contact is recognized as a part or all of particular gesture.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with an identification of a finger or thumb as a cause of the first contact.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first and second contacts have substantially synchronous movement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact as part of a gesture if one or more second contacts are detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel as being part of the gesture.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising recognizing the one or more second contacts as part of a drag gesture and the first contact as being a drag lock component of the drag gesture.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact as changing a first gesture if one or more second contacts performing the first gesture are detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with a computed parameter of the first contact.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating contact rejection regions along a perimeter of the touch sensor panel.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning different widths to the contact rejection regions along various edges of the touch sensor panel.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a particular predetermined distance range from the first contact.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first and second contacts touch down at substantially the same time.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria;

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first contact is detected as having movement exceeding a particular threshold.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact only if the first contact is recognized as a part or all of particular gesture.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with an identification of a finger or thumb as a cause of the first contact.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first and second contacts have substantially synchronous movement.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact as part of a gesture if one or more second contacts are detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel as being part of the gesture.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, the program code further for recognizing the one or more second contacts as part of a drag gesture and the first contact as being a drag lock component of the drag gesture.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact as changing a first gesture if one or more second contacts performing the first gesture are detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with a computed parameter of the first contact.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for designating contact rejection regions along a perimeter of the touch sensor panel.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, the program code further for assigning different widths to the contact rejection regions along various edges of the touch sensor panel.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a particular predetermined distance range from the first contact.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if a second contact is also detected within a main region of the touch sensor panel and the first and second contacts touch down at substantially the same time.

29. A mobile telephone including computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria;

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

30. A media player including computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria;

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

31. A personal computer including computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria;

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

32. A method for interpreting contacts on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

designating one or more regions in the touch sensor panel as click regions;

detecting a mechanical click of the touch sensor panel;

detecting a touch at a particular click region at about a same time as the detection of the mechanical click; and

interpreting the touch in accordance with the particular click region.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising allocating an area of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising allocating a location of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising dynamically designating the one or more click regions in accordance with current device usage.

36. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for interpreting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a mechanical click from a touch sensor panel capable of producing the mechanical click by applying pressure anywhere on the touch sensor panel; and

interpreting a touch detected at a particular click region on the touch sensor panel at about a same time as the mechanical click of the touch sensor panel is detected in accordance with the particular click region.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, the program code further for allocating an area of one or more click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, the program code further for allocating a location of one or more click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, the program code further for dynamically designating the one or more click regions in accordance with current device usage.