GRADUAL PROXIMITY TOUCH SCREEN

• US 20110018811A1
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miernik, Jerzy
• Granted Patent: US 8,373,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

In an example embodiment, there is disclosed herein an apparatus comprising a touch screen display, a sensing mechanism operable to sense an object in proximity of the touch screen display, and control logic coupled to the sensing mechanism and the touch screen display. The control logic is operable to calculate an anticipated touch point for the object on the touch screen. The control logic is responsive to calculating the anticipated touch point to increase a size of a portion of the touch screen display around the anticipated touch point.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen display;

a sensing mechanism operable to sense an object in proximity of the touch screen display;

control logic coupled to the sensing mechanism and the touch screen display;

wherein the control logic is operable to calculate an anticipated touch point for the object on the touch screen; and

wherein the control logic is responsive to calculating the anticipated touch point to increase a size of a portion of the touch screen display around the anticipated touch point.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to further increase the size of the portion of the touch screen display responsive to sensing that the object is moving towards the touch screen display.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to further decrease the size of the portion of the touch screen display responsive to sensing that the object is moving away from the touch screen display.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to further change the size of the portion of the touch screen display inversely proportionate to the distance of the object to the touch screen display.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to compute a trajectory of the object;

and

wherein the control logic is responsive to computing the trajectory of the object to determine the anticipated touch point.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic determines a point on the touch screen closest to the object;

and

wherein the anticipated touch point is the point on the touch screen closes to the object.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is responsive to determining that the object is moving across the screen to adjust the portion of the screen that is increased to follow movement of the object.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the portion of the touch screen display that is increased is proportional to the size of the object.

9. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism is a three dimensional sensor;

wherein the control logic is configured to determine a distance of the object from the touch screen display; and

wherein the control logic is configured to generate a display of a rendered surface on the touch screen display corresponding to the distance of the object from the touch screen display.

10. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein an icon is displayed on the touch screen display;

wherein the control logic is responsive to detecting the object is pointing towards the icon to change the size of items on the entire display.

11. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises an optical sensor.

12. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises an infrared sensor.

13. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a projected capacitance sensor.

14. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic prevents dragging of an item on the touch screen display while the object is not touching the touch screen display.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting an object above a touch screen display;

determining an anticipated touch point on the touch screen display for the object; and

increasing a portion of the touch screen display surrounding the anticipated touch point.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising further increasing the portion of the touch screen display responsive to determining that the object is moving closer to the touch screen display.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising decreasing the portion of the touch screen display responsive to determining that the object is moving away from the touch screen display.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising computing a trajectory for the object;

and

wherein the anticipated touch point is based on the trajectory of the object.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining a point on the touch screen display closest to the object;

and

wherein the point on the touch screen display closest to the object is determined to be the anticipated touch point.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

means for detecting an object in proximity of a touch screen display;

means for calculating an anticipated touch point on the touch screen display for the object; and

means for selectively increasing a portion of the touch screen display surrounding the anticipated touch point.