METHOD FOR SELECTING AND MANIPULATING A GRAPHICAL OBJECT IN AN INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM, AND INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM EXECUTING THE METHOD

• US 20100079493A1
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rounding, Kathryn, Tse, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/650
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• 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 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• 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

Abstract

A method for selecting a graphic widget displayed on a background of an interactive input system comprises tracking one or more touch points associated with the background, and in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location of the graphic widget, associating the coinciding touch points with the graphic widget.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a graphic widget displayed on a background of an interactive input system comprising:

tracking one or more touch points associated with the background; and

in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location of the graphic widget, associating the coinciding one or more touch points with the graphic widget.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising dissociating the coinciding one or more touch points from the background.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking the one or more touch points associated with the graphic widget; and

based on the tracking, manipulating the graphic widget.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the manipulating further comprises translating the graphic widget in the event that each of the one or more associated touch points are translated in a substantially same direction.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the manipulating further comprises:

defining a centroid of the one or more associated touch points; and

scaling the graphic widget in the event that a distance between the one or more associated touch points and the centroid changes.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the manipulating further comprises:

defining a centroid of the one or more associated touch points;

determining a last touch point from the one or more touch points;

determining an angle between the last touch point and a vector of known orientation at the centroid; and

rotating the graphic widget in the event that the angle changes in association with the last touch point rotating around the centroid.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the scaling further comprises:

monitoring the size of the graphic widget;

comparing the size to a predetermined maximum scaling threshold; and

in the event that the size is greater than or equal to the predetermined maximum scaling threshold, performing an automatic scaling of the graphic widget.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the automatic scaling enlarges the graphic widget to cover the background.

9. A method of manipulating user input associated with a graphic widget displayed on a background of an interactive input system comprising:

tracking one or more touch points associated with the background; and

in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location within the graphic widget, associating the coinciding one or more touch points with the user input.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

tracking the one or more touch points associated with the user input; and

based on the tracking, manipulating the user input.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the manipulating further comprises erasing the user input in the event that the one or more associated touch points moves to a location outside the graphic widget.

12. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program for selecting a graphic widget displayed on a background of an interactive input system, the computer program comprising:

program code for tracking one or more touch points associated with the background; and

program code for associating the coinciding one or more touch points with the graphic widget in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location of the graphic widget.

13. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program for manipulating user input associated with a graphic widget displayed on a background of an interactive input system, the computer program comprising:

program code for tracking one or more touch points associated with the background; and

program code for associating the coinciding one or more touch points with the user input in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location within the graphic widget.

14. An interactive input system comprising:

a touch panel; and

processing structure tracking one or more touch points on the touch panel associated with a displayed background and associating the coinciding one or more touch points with a graphic widget in the event that one or more of the touch points coincide with a location of the graphic widget.

15. The interactive input system of claim 14, wherein the processing structure tracks the one or more touch points associated with the graphic widget and manipulates the graphic widget based on the tracking.

16. An interactive input system comprising:

a touch panel; and

processing structure tracking one or more touch points on the touch panel associated with a displayed background and associating the coinciding one or more touch points with a user input in the event that one or more touch points coincide with a location within the graphic widget.

17. The interactive input system of claim 16, wherein the processing structure tracks the one or more touch points associated with the user input and manipulates the user input based on the tracking.