APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED TOUCHPAD ADJUSTMENTS

• US 20100007612A1
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zawacki, Jennifer Greenwood, Locker, Howard, Thrasher, James Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,446,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automated touchpad adjustments. A Touchpad Corrective Action (TCA) detection module detects a TCA within a specified input limit after a touchpad input. An adjustment module decreases a touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the TCA.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

detect a Touchpad Corrective Action (TCA) within a specified input limit after a touchpad input; and

decrease a touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the TCA.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the input limit is a specified time interval after the touchpad input.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the input limit is a specified number of inputs after the touchpad input.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the touchpad sensitivity is not decreased below a minimum touchpad sensitivity.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the minimum touchpad sensitivity is selected from a range of one to two square centimeters and a range of 1500 to 2500 pascal.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the TCA is an undo command.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the TCA is a Control Z command.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the TCA is a retyping of text.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program

is further configured to cause the computer to

detect a specified Intentional Touchpad Action (ITA);

and increase the touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the ITA.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the specified ITA comprises a specified number of uncorrected touchpad actions without an intervening TCA.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the specified ITA comprises a specified time interval of uncorrected touchpad actions without an intervening TCA.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to decrease the touchpad sensitivity by a value selected from a range of 0.025 to 0.2 square centimeters and a range of from 100 to 200 pascal.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a TCA detection module configured to detect a TCA within a specified input limit after a touchpad input; and

an adjustment module configured to decrease a touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the TCA.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the input limit is selected from a specified time interval after the touchpad input and a specified number of inputs after the touchpad input.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the touchpad sensitivity is not decreased below a minimum touchpad sensitivity and the minimum touchpad sensitivity is selected from a range of zero point two five to two square centimeters and a range of 1500 to 2500 pascal.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the TCA is selected from an undo command, a Control Z command, and a retyping of text.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising

an ITA detection module configured to detect a specified ITA;

and

the adjustment module further configured to increase the touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the ITA.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the ITA is selected from a specified number of uncorrected touchpad actions without an intervening TCA and a specified time interval of uncorrected touchpad actions without an intervening TCA.

19. A system comprising:

a display;

a touchpad;

a TCA detection module configured to detect a TCA within a specified input limit after a touchpad input;

an ITA detection module configured to detect a specified ITA; and

an adjustment module configured to decrease a touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the TCA and increase the touchpad sensitivity in response to detecting the ITA.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the system is configured as a notebook computer.