System and Method for Creating Optimal Command Regions for the Hand on a Touch Pad Device

• US 20140009403A1
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Corel Corporation (Corel Holdings LP)
• Original Assignee: Corel Corporation (Corel Holdings LP)
• Inventors: Makarov, Vladimir, Tremblay, Christopher, Sauve, Caroline
• Application Number:
  US13/543,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009403A1
• 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

Abstract

According to certain general aspects, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for allowing commands for an application to be effectively and conveniently executed. In general embodiments, an application executed on a tablet computer automatically senses fingertips on the tablet and forms command regions around them. Commands are associated with the command regions, and when a touch event occurs in a command region (e.g. a finger tap), the information is sent to a client application possibly running on a remote host, where the associated command is executed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing locations of a plurality of contact points between portions of a hand and a touchpad;

forming command regions around the sensed locations; and

assigning commands to be executed when the hand makes gestures in the command regions.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a gesture made in one of the command regions; and

causing one of the assigned commands to be sent to a remote device in response to the sensed gesture.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein causing includes:

identifying the one command as being associated with the command region in which the gesture was sensed.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein causing includes:

determining a type of the sensed gesture; and

identifying the one command as being associated with the determined type of gesture.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising forming one or more command regions in addition to the sensed locations which can also be accessed by the portions of the hand.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining which of the sensed locations corresponds to a thumb of the hand.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically identifying which fingers of the hand respectively correspond to certain or all of the sensed locations.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining whether the hand is a right or left hand based on the sensed locations.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

allowing a user to change one or more of a size, shape and position of the command regions.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting the command regions over time according to one or both of sensed hand positions and sensed hand gestures.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein assigning includes:

assigning a first set of commands to the command regions;

assigning a second different set of commands to the command regions; and

providing a mechanism to switch between the first and second sets of commands.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first and second sets comprise at least one common command, the method further comprising locking one of the command regions to the common command.

13. A method according to claim 2, wherein the portions of the hand comprise fingertips.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the gestures comprise fingertip taps.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the gestures comprise fingertip swirls.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the gestures comprise fingertip swipes.

17. A system comprising:

a touchpad;

a display overlying the touchpad; and

a touchpad application that is adapted to;

sense locations of a plurality of contact points between portions of a hand and the touchpad;

form command regions around the sensed locations; and

assign commands to be executed when the hand makes gestures in the command regions.

18. A system according to claim 17, further comprising a remote device, wherein the touchpad, display and touchpad application are all incorporated in a pad device separate from the remote device, and wherein the touchpad application is further adapted to:

sense a gesture made in one of the command regions; and

cause one of the assigned commands to be executed on the remote device in response to the sensed gesture.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the commands are associated with a client application executing in the remote device.

20. A system according to claim 17, wherein the touchpad application is further adapted to cause the command regions to be displayed on the display.