Keyboard with Integrated Touch Surface

• US 20120242578A1
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Original Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Inventors: Laubach, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/160
• 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 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a single integrated multi-functional input device (1) that provides the discrete input functionality of a keyboard to facilitate efficient text insertion operations and (2) that provides the functionality of a trackpad to facilitate efficient spatially dependent navigation in a graphical user interface (GUI) whereby each such functionality is accessible by the user'"'"'s hands positioned at the home position keys of the keyboard. More specifically, some embodiments provide an enhanced keyboard with at least one touch sensitive key and software for adapting touches applied over the touch sensitive key to emulate trackpad functionality without interfering with regular text insertion (typing).

Claims

1. A touch sensitive key based input device comprising:

a plurality of keys, each key configured to generate a character output when tapped;

a spacebar key with a touch sensitive surface area, said spacebar key generating a first output for entry of a space when tapped and generating a second output when sensing touch over the touch sensitive area of the spacebar key, wherein said touch sensitive surface area is enlarged relative to a surface area of each key of the plurality of keys to provide an emulated trackpad directly on said spacebar key; and

a controller adapting the second output generated by the touch sensitive surface area to perform trackpad emulated functionality.

2. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive surface area generates the second output identifying a directional motion for a touch that moves from a first location at the spacebar key to a second location at the spacebar key.

3. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein said trackpad emulated functionality comprises pointer movement within a graphical user interface (GUI).

4. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein said spacebar key is further for generating said second output when sensing touch over the touch sensitive area of the spacebar key without the spacebar key being pressed and generating a third output when sensing touch over the touch sensitive area while the spacebar key is pressed and held down beyond a specified duration.

5. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 4, wherein said controller is further for adapting second output to perform a first set of trackpad emulated functionality and for adapting third output to perform a second set of trackpad emulated functionality.

6. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 5, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises pointer movement within a graphical user interface (GUI).

7. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 6, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality further comprises scrolling within a scroll area presented in said GUI.

8. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 6, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality further comprises performing at least one defined gesture involving at least two distinct touches.

9. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 8, wherein the at least one defined gesture comprises at least one of a drag, expand, contract, rotate, and swipe.

10. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 6, wherein the second set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises mouse click functionality involving pressing a button of a mouse while moving the mouse.

11. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 6, wherein the second set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises emulating pressing a button of a trackpad when pressing the spacebar key in conjunction with applying a touch over said touch sensitive surface area.

12. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 5, wherein the controller is further for adapting second output generated by the touch sensitive surface area and a key press of at least one key of the plurality of keys to perform said second set of trackpad emulated functionality.

13. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 5, wherein said second output comprises coordinates for detecting movement of a touch across said touch sensitive surface area.

14. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 13, wherein said third output comprises output emulating a mouse button click when a tap is detected on the touch sensitive surface area of the spacebar key when the spacebar key is held down.

15. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises at least one of firmware, driver, and software application.

16. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive surface area senses touches associated with at least two fingers simultaneously touching said touch sensitive surface area.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for a controller of a key based input device, said key based input device for issuing output to a device with a graphical user interface (GUI) that is coupled to said key based input device, said key based input device comprising a plurality of keys that are configured to generate a first output when pressed and a spacebar key with a touch sensitive surface that generates a second output when pressed and a third output when a touch is issued over said touch sensitive surface, wherein said program instructs a microprocessor to perform a set of instructions for:

producing character output for said device based on said first output;

producing space output for said device based on said second output; and

controlling a pointer movement within said GUI of said device based on said third output.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for performing mouse click functionality based on said third output when the spacebar key is pressed and held down for a specified duration.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein said mouse click functionality comprises at least one of a GUI drag operation and an operation involving pressing of a mouse button.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for issuing a mouse button click when said spacebar key is held down and a touch is tapped on said touch sensitive surface.