Selective Input Signal Rejection and Modification

• US 20100139990A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Mullens, Christopher Tenzin
• Granted Patent: US 8,294,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/18.30
• 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 2203/04808 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments are related to user input devices that accept complex user input including a combination of touch and push (or pick) input. Embodiments of the invention provide for selective ignoring or rejection of input received from such devices in order to avoid interpreting unintentional user actions as commands. Furthermore, some input signals can be modified. The selective rejection or modification can be performed by the user interface device itself or by a computing device that includes or is attached to the user interface device. The selective rejection or modification may be performed by a module that processes input signals, performs the necessary rejections and modifications and sends revised input signals to higher level modules.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a user interface device including

a touch sensing panel configured to sense touch events thereon, and

a mechanical sensor configured to sense pick events including physical deformations or displacements of the touch sensing panel; and

a modification module configured to

receive user input data defining sensed touch and pick events from the user interface device,

examine the user input data to determine whether unintentional user input may have influenced the user input data, and

modify the user input data to remove the influence of unintentional user input.

2. The device of claim 1, further including one or more higher level modules coupled to the modification module, wherein the modification module is further configured to send the modified user data to the one or more higher level modules.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface device is a trackpad and the touch sensing panel is a top surface of the trackpad.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the device is a laptop computer.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface device is a mouse, and the touch sensing panel is a top surface of the mouse.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the device is a desktop computer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing panel is a multi-touch sensing panel.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to perform no modification of a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a plurality of finger touch inputs and no other touch inputs are received.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to reject a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a plurality of finger touch inputs, the number of finger touch inputs being higher than a predefined number.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to perform no modification of a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a finger touch input at an edge of the multi-touch panel.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to reject a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with one or more palm touch inputs positioned close to the sides of the multi-touch panel.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to reject a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to perform no modification of a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input not positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel.

14. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to reject a pick input when the pick input is entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel.

15. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module is configured to reject a pick input when the pick input is entered while touch inputs which are recognized by the modification module to be part of an ongoing gesture are being entered.

16. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module receives input data indicating a first finger touch input that is initially positioned in a lower portion of the multi-touch panel and subsequently moves out of the lower portion, and a second finger touch input that moves while the first finger touch input is moving out of the lower portion, the modification module being configured to reject the first finger touch input if the second finger touch input moves a distance longer than a predefined distance.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first finger touch input is a lowest path input, the lowest path input being a finger touch input selected from a plurality of concurrent finger touch inputs as being relatively low positioned and stationary.

18. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module receives input data indicating a first finger touch input that is moving and a second finger touch input that is detected while the first finger touch input is moving, the modification module being configured to reject the first finger touch input when the second finger touch input appears, if the second finger touch input appears after the first finger touch input has been moving for at least a predefined period of time.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the first finger touch input is a lowest path input, the lowest path input being a finger touch input selected from a plurality of concurrent finger touch inputs as being relatively low positioned and stationary.

20. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module receives input data indicating a plurality of finger touch inputs and a pick input, the modification module being configured to select a lowest path input from the plurality of finger touch inputs, and reject the lowest path input.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the lowest path input is rejected at least while one or both of the following is true:

(i) the pick input is ongoing, and (ii) the lowest path is not the only detected touch.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the modification module subsequently receives input data indicating that the pick input has seized, the modification module being configured to determine whether the lowest path is a thumb path and to continue rejecting the lowest path if it is determined that it is a thumb path or allow the lowest path if it is determined that it is not a thumb path.

23. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module receives input data indicating one or more finger touch inputs, at least one of said finger touch inputs having a non-zero velocity and a pick input, the modification module being configured to modify the velocities of all finger touch inputs having non-zero velocities for a non-zero period of time after the detection of the pick input.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein modifying the velocities includes reducing the velocities.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the amount of modification of the velocities is reduced as time from the detection of the pick input elapses.

26. The device of claim 7, wherein the modification module receives input data indicating one or more finger touch inputs, at least one of said finger touch inputs having a non-zero velocity, and a cessation of an ongoing pick input, the modification module being configured to modify the velocities of all finger touch inputs having non-zero velocities for a non-zero period of time after the cessation of the ongoing pick input.

27. A method for processing user interface events detected by a combination user interface device capable of detecting touch events on a touch sensing panel and pick events including physical deformations or displacements of the touch sensing panel, the method including:

receiving user input data defining sensed touch and pick events from the user interface device;

examining the user input data to determine whether unintentional user input may have influenced the user input data; and

modifying the user input data to remove the influence of unintentional user input.

28. The method of claim 27, further including sending the modified user data to one or more higher level modules.

29. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a plurality of finger touch inputs and no other touch inputs; and

performing no modification to the pick input.

30. The method of claim 28, further including

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a plurality of finger touch inputs, the number of finger touch inputs being higher than a predefined number;

and

rejecting the pick input.

31. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a finger touch input at an edge of the multi-touch panel; and

performing no modification to the pick input.

32. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with one or more palm touch inputs positioned close to the sides of the multi-touch panel; and

rejecting the pick input.

33. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel; and

rejecting the pick input.

34. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input not positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel; and

performing no modification to the pick input.

35. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a pick input entered simultaneously with a palm touch input positioned close to side of the multi-touch panel and a finger touch input positioned at the top of the multi-touch panel; and

rejecting the pick input.

36. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving user input data indicating a plurality of moving touch inputs;

recognizing the plurality of moving touch inputs as part of an ongoing touch gesture;

receiving user input data indicating a pick input being entered while the touch inputs recognized as part of an ongoing gesture are being entered; and

rejecting the pick input.

37. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving input data indicating a first finger touch input that is initially positioned in a lower portion of the multi-touch panel and subsequently moves out of the lower portion, and a second finger touch input that moves while the first finger touch input is moving out of the lower portion;

determining that the second finger touch input had moved a distance greater than a predefined distance before the first finger touch input exited the lower portion; and

rejecting the first finger touch input.

38. The method of claim 37, further including:

determining the first finger touch input to be a lowest path input, the determination being passed on the height and the movement of the first finger touch input,

wherein the first finger touch input is relatively stationary and in a low position on the multi-touch panel compared to other finger touch inputs.

39. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving input data indicating a first finger touch input that is moving and a second finger touch input that is detected while the first finger touch input is moving;

determining that the second finger touch input appeared after the first finger touch input has been moving for a predefined period of time; and

rejecting the first finger touch input.

40. The method of claim 39, further including:

determining the first finger touch input to be a lowest path input, the determination being passed on the height and the movement of the first finger touch input,

wherein the first finger touch input is relatively stationary and in a low position on the multi-touch panel compared to other finger touch inputs.

41. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving input data indicating a plurality of finger touch inputs, determining one of the plurality of finger touch inputs to be a lowest path input; and

rejecting the lowest path input while the pick input is ongoing.

42. The method of claim 41, further including:

continuing to reject the lowest path input at least while one or both of the following is true;

(i) the pick input is ongoing, and (ii) the lowest path is not the only detected touch.

43. The method of claim 42, further including:

receiving input data indicating that the pick input has seized;

determining whether the lowest path is a thumb path; and

continuing to reject the lowest path if it is determined that it is a thumb path or allowing the lowest path if it is determined that it is not a thumb path.

44. The method of claim 28, further including

receiving input data indicating one or more finger touch inputs, at least one of said finger touch inputs having a non-zero velocity and a pick input;

and

modifying the velocities of all finger touch inputs having non-zero velocities for a non-zero period of time after the detection of the pick input.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein modifying the velocities includes reducing the velocities.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the amount of modification of the velocities is reduced as time from the detection of the pick input elapses.

47. The method of claim 28, further including:

receiving input data indicating one or more finger touch inputs, at least one of said finger touch inputs having a non-zero velocity and cessation of an ongoing pick input; and

modifying the velocities of all finger touch inputs having non-zero velocities for a non-zero period of time after the cessation of the ongoing pick input.

48. A computer comprising:

a user interface device including

a touch sensing panel configured to sense touch events thereon, and

a mechanical sensor configured to sense pick events including physical deformations or displacements of the touch sensing panel; and

a modification module configured to

receive user input data defining sensed touch and pick events from the user interface device,

examine the user input data to determine whether unintentional user input may have influenced the user input data, and

modify the user input data to remove the influence of unintentional user input.

49. A computer mouse comprising:

a user interface device including

a touch sensing panel configured to sense touch events thereon, and

a mechanical sensor configured to sense pick events including physical deformations or displacements of the touch sensing panel; and

a modification module configured to

receive user input data defining sensed touch and pick events from the user interface device,

examine the user input data to determine whether unintentional user input may have influenced the user input data, and

modify the user input data to remove the influence of unintentional user input.