DETECTION OF A ROLLING MOTION OR SLIDING MOTION OF A BODY PART ON A SURFACE

• US 20110175807A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Grover, Douglas Max
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An optical scanner scans a first portion of a print of a body part such as a finger in a first area of an optical surface. The optical scanner detects a motion of the body part to a second area of the optical surface. This can be done in various ways. One way is for the optical scanner to detect a sliding motion of the body part to determine if most of the first portion of the print is in the second area. Another way is for the optical scanner to determine a rolling motion of the print based on a continuity of the print from the first area to the second area. A similar system and method is disclosed which detects a rolling motion of a body part by using a sleeve with multiple properties.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a. scanning a first portion of a print of a body part in a first area of an optical surface; and

b. detecting a motion of the body part to a second area of the optical surface based on scanning the first portion of the print of the body part in the second area of the optical surface or scanning a second portion of the print of the body part in the second area of the optical surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion is a continuous rolling motion of the body part on the optical surface, and wherein detection of the rolling motion is based on a continuity of the print between the first area and the second area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the body part is a finger and the continuous rolling motion is one of the following:

rolling from a bottom of the finger to a tip of the finger, rolling from the tip of the finger to the bottom of the finger, rolling from the bottom of the finger to a side of the finger, and rolling from the side of the finger to the bottom of the finger.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion is a continuous sliding motion of the body part on the optical surface and wherein detection of the continuous sliding motion is based on a consistency of the print between the first area and the second area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the body part is one of the following:

an individual finger, a plurality of fingers, a thumb, a palm, and a toe.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detection of the motion generates an event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the event is at least one of the following:

scrolling in a direction of the motion, generating a tooltip, selecting a text, providing a menu, moving a cursor, switching from upper case to lower case, switching from lower case to upper case, and providing a help text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical surface is at least one of the following:

a touch screen, a computer screen, a mouse pad, a surface on a mouse, a surface on a joystick, a surface on a gaming controller, and a surface on a button.

9. A method comprising:

a. identifying a first property of a sleeve in an area of a surface, wherein the sleeve comprises a plurality of properties; and

b. detecting a rolling motion of the sleeve to a second area of the surface based on detecting a second property of the plurality of properties in the sleeve in the second area, wherein the first property and the second property are different.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion is a continuous rolling motion, and wherein detection of the continuous rolling motion is based on a continuity of the first property and the second property between the first area and the second area.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein detection of the motion generates an event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the event is at least one of the following:

scrolling in a direction of the rolling motion, generating a tooltip, selecting a text, providing a menu, moving a cursor, and providing a help text.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the surface is at least one of the following:

a touch screen, an optical surface, a computer screen, a mouse pad, a surface on a mouse, a surface on a joystick, a surface on a gaming controller, and a surface on a button.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first property and the second property are at least one of the following:

a first capacitance, a second capacitance, a first resistance, a second resistance, a first inductance, a second inductance, a first impedance, a second impedance, a first color, and a second color.

15. A system comprising:

a. an optical scanner configured to scan a first portion of a print of a body part in a first area of an optical surface, and detect a motion of the body part to a second area of the optical surface based on scanning the first portion of the print of the body part in the second area of the optical surface or scanning a second portion of the print of the body part in the second area of the optical surface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the motion is a continuous rolling motion of the body part on the optical surface, and wherein detection of the rolling motion is based on a continuity of the print between the first area and the second area.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the body part is a finger and the continuous rolling motion is one of the following:

rolling from a bottom of the finger to a tip of the finger, rolling from the tip of the finger to the bottom of the finger, rolling from the bottom of the finger to a side of the finger, and rolling from the side of the finger to the bottom of the finger.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the motion is a continuous sliding motion of the body part on the optical surface, and wherein detection of the continuous sliding motion is based on a consistency of the print between the first area and the second area.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the body part is one of the following:

an individual finger, a plurality of fingers, a thumb, a palm, and a toe.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the optical scanner is further configured to generate an event based on detection of the motion.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the event is at least one of the following:

scrolling in a direction of the motion, generating a tooltip, selecting a text, providing a menu, moving a cursor, switching from upper case to lower case, switching from lower case to upper case, and providing a help text.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the optical surface is at least one of the following:

a touch screen, a computer screen, a mouse pad, a surface on a mouse, a surface on a joystick, a surface on a gaming controller, and a surface on a button.

23. A system comprising:

a. a property detector configured to identify a first property of a sleeve in an area of a surface, wherein the sleeve comprises a plurality of properties, and detect a rolling motion of the sleeve to a second area of the surface based on detecting a second property of the plurality of properties in the sleeve in the second area, wherein the first property and the second property are different.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the rolling motion is a continuous rolling motion, and wherein detection of the continuous rolling motion is based on a continuity of the first property and the second property between the first area and the second area.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the property detector is further configured to generate an event based on detection of the rolling motion.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the event is at least one of the following:

scrolling in a direction of the rolling motion, generating a tooltip, selecting a text, providing a menu, moving a cursor, and providing a help text.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the surface is at least one of the following:

a touch screen, an optical surface, a computer screen, a mouse pad, a surface on a mouse, a surface on a joystick, a surface on a gaming controller, and a surface on a button.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the first property and the second property are at least one of the following:

a first capacitance, a second capacitance, a first resistance, a second resistance, a first inductance, a second inductance, a first impedance, a second impedance, a first color, and a second color.