Systems and Methods for Determining Intentional Touch Screen Contact

• US 20110291948A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Neil Ganey, Harriss Christopher, Locker, Howard, Stewart, Aaron M., Johnson, Jay W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,946,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

A device configured to distinguish between intentional and inadvertent input is provided. Input may be in the form of touch screen or on-screen keyboard input. Such input is examined such that a device may ignore unintentional and resting contact while reacting only to purposeful contact. The characteristics of unintentional and resting device contact are ascertained and differentiated from the contact characteristics of intentional device input.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more input devices; and

one or more processors;

wherein, responsive to execution of computer readable program code accessible to the one or more processors, the one or more processors are configured to;

receive input via the one or more input devices;

ascertain one or more input characteristics of the received input; and

distinguish the input as one of inadvertent contact and intentional contact based on the one or more input characteristics;

wherein the one or more input characteristics comprise one or more of area, shape, and direction.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein inadvertent contact is ignored and intentional contact triggers a response.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more input devices comprise a touch screen.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more input devices comprise an on-screen keyboard.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein input is distinguished as intentional contact if the shape input characteristic matches a predetermined shape value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising identifying one or more inadvertent contact characteristics.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the one or more input characteristics and the one or more inadvertent contact characteristics are comprised of one or more of the following:

area, shape, and direction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein distinguishing the input as inadvertent contact or intentional contact comprises comparing the one or more input characteristics with the one or more inadvertent contact characteristics.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein input is distinguished as intentional contact if the area input characteristic is within a predetermined threshold of the area inadvertent contact characteristic.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein input is distinguished as intentional contact if the direction input characteristic does not match the direction inadvertent contact characteristic.

11. A method comprising:

receiving input via one or more input devices;

ascertaining one or more input characteristics of the received input; and

distinguishing the input as one of inadvertent contact and intentional contact based on the one or more input characteristics;

wherein the one or more input characteristics comprise one or more of area, shape, and direction.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein inadvertent contact is ignored and intentional contact triggers a response.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the input device is a touch screen.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the input device is an on-screen keyboard.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein input is distinguished as intentional contact if the shape input characteristic matches a predetermined shape value.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising identifying one or more inadvertent contact characteristics.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the one or more input characteristics and the one or more inadvertent contact characteristics are comprised of one or more of the following:

area, shape, and direction.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein distinguishing the input as inadvertent contact or intentional contact comprises comparing the one or more input characteristics with the one or more inadvertent contact characteristics.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein input is distinguished as intentional contact if the direction input characteristic does not match the direction inadvertent contact characteristic.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive input via one or more input devices;

computer readable program code configured to ascertain one or more input characteristics of the received input; and

computer readable program code configured to distinguish the input as one of inadvertent contact and intentional contact based on the one or more input characteristics;

wherein the one or more input characteristics comprise one of more of area, shape, and direction.