Method and System for Emulating a Mouse on a Multi-Touch Sensitive Surface

• US 20120068963A1
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Esenther, Alan W., Ryall, Kathleen
• Application Number:
  US13/194,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer implemented method for emulating a mouse with a multi-touch sensitive display surface, wherein a touching of the multi-touch sensitive display surface by a user creates a capacitive coupling between the user and the multi-touch sensitive display surface at a location of the touching. The method senses concurrently a first touching by a first finger at a first location on a multi-touch sensitive display surface and a second touching by a second finger at a second location on the multi-touch sensitive display surface, wherein the sensing uses capacitive couplings between the user and the multi-touch sensitive display surface; and displays a graphic object on the multi-touch display surface at a position dependent on the first location and the second location.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for emulating a mouse with a multi-touch sensitive display surface, wherein a touching of the multi-touch sensitive display surface by a user creates a capacitive coupling between the user and the multi-touch sensitive display surface at a location of the touching, comprising the steps of:

sensing concurrently a first touching by a first finger at a first location on a multi-touch sensitive display surface and a second touching by a second finger at a second location on the multi-touch sensitive display surface, wherein the sensing uses capacitive couplings between the user and the multi-touch sensitive display surface; and

displaying a graphic object on the multi-touch display surface at a position dependent on the first location and the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the position is mid-point between the first location and the second location.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the first finger is a middle finger and the second finger is a thumb of the hand.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the first finger is a ring finger and the second finger is a thumb of the hand.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the graphic object is a cursor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving concurrently, the first finger and the second finger while touching the multi-touch display surface to change the first and second locations; and

displaying concurrently the graphic object at moving positions dependent on the moving first and second locations to emulate moving a mouse.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing concurrently a third tapping by a third finger at a third location on the multi-touch sensitive display surface; and

switching between cursor control modes according to the third touching.

8. The method of claim 7, in which the cursor control modes emulate cursor positioning and engagement.

9. The method of claim 7, in which the first finger is a middle finger of a hand, the second finger is a thumb of the hand, and the third finger is an index finger of the hand.

10. The method of claim 7, in which the first finger is a ring finger of a hand, the second finger is a thumb of the hand, and the third finger is an index finger of the hand.

11. The method of claim 7, in which the sensing of the third location is restricted to a rectangular bounding box having opposing diagonal corners defined be the first location and the second location.

12. The method of claim 7, in which the moving positions include an initial position and a last position, and the graphic object is a line connecting the initial position and the last position.

13. The method of claim 7, in which the graphic object includes line segments connecting the moving positions.

14. The method of claim 1, in which the sensing is identified with a particular user.

15. A computer implemented method for emulating a mouse with a multi-touch sensitive display surface, comprising the steps of

sensing concurrently a first touching by a first finger at a first location on a multi-touch sensitive display surface and a second touching by a second finger at a second location on the multi-touch sensitive display surface, where the sensing further comprises:

transmitting at least one signal to a plurality of antennas mounted on the multi-touch sensitive display surface;

receiving the uniquely identifiable signals when a user capacitively couples to the transmitted signal by touching the multi-touch sensitive display surface; and

determining the first location and the second location based on the uniquely identifiable signals; and

displaying a graphic object on the multi-touch display surface at a position dependent on the first location and the second location.