Virtual Soft Keys in Graphic User Interface with Side Mounted Touchpad Input Device

• US 20130093688A1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Papakipos, Matthew Nicholas, Cahill, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/275,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

In one embodiment, virtual soft keys of a computing devices are implemented with a side-mounted touchpad.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying one or more icons in a display mounted adjacent to a side-mounted touchpad of a computing device;

in response to a tap event on the side-mounted touchpad, determining a location of the touchpad corresponding to the tap event;

determining a particular icon of the one or more icons that is adjacent to the location of the tap event; and

initiating an action corresponding to the particular icon.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying one or more icons in a display mounted adjacent to a side-mounted touchpad of a computing device comprises:

displaying the one or more icons in the display mounted adjacent to the side-mounted touchpad of the computing device in response to a user input.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user input is a touch input.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the action comprises launching an application hosted by the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the action comprising initiating a function of an application hosted by the computing device.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a device housing;

a memory;

one or more processors;

a display;

a side-mounted touchpad disposed on a lateral side of the device housing;

a program comprising computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

display one or more icons in the display adjacent to the side-mounted touchpad;

in response to a tap event on the touchpad, determine a location of the touchpad corresponding to the tap event;

determine a particular icon of the one or more icons that is adjacent to the location of the tap event; and

initiate an action corresponding to the particular icon.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the display comprises a touch screen.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the side-mounted touchpad comprises a concave touch surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein, to display one or more icons in the display adjacent to the side-mounted touchpad, comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more programs to:

display the one or more icons in the display mounted adjacent to the side-mounted touchpad of the computing device in response to a user input.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the user input is a touch input.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the action comprises launching an application hosted by the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the action comprises initiating a function of an application hosted by the apparatus.

13. One or more computer readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by a computing device to:

display one or more icons in a display mounted adjacent to a side-mounted touchpad of the computing device;

in response to a tap event on the side-mounted touchpad, determine a location of the touchpad corresponding to the tap event;

determine a particular icon of the one or more icons that is adjacent to the location of the tap event; and

initiate an action corresponding to the particular icon.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein to display one or more icons in a display mounted adjacent to a side-mounted touchpad of the computing device, further comprises software operable when executed by the computing device to:

display the one or more icons in the display mounted adjacent to the side-mounted touchpad of the computing device in response to a user input.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the user input is a touch input.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein the action comprises launching an application hosted by the computing device.

17. The media of claim 13, wherein the action comprises initiating a function of an application hosted by the computing device.