IDENTIFICATION AND USE OF GESTURES IN PROXIMITY TO A SENSOR

• US 20140191972A1
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Case, Michaela Rose, Stewart, Aaron Michael, Feng, Xin, Luttrell, Wesley Abram, Okada, Mamoru
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

An aspect provides a method, including: operating one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device of an information handling device, wherein the input device is configured to receive one or more input types in addition to gesture input; determining, using a processor, if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture; and executing at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device of an information handling device, wherein the input device is configured to receive one or more input types in addition to gesture input;

determining, using a processor, if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture; and

executing at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operating one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device further comprises determining a distance between one or more gesture objects and the surface of the input device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining, using the processor, if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture is:

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input in a layer, wherein the layer is defined by proximity to the one or more sensors;

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input in a combination of layers, wherein the combination of layers are defined by proximity to the one or more sensors;

or

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input corresponding to movement through multiple layers, wherein the multiple layers are defined by proximity to the one or more sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting physical contact at the surface of the input device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical contact at the surface of the input device does not activate a control of the input device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical contact at the surface of the input device activates a control of the input device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising modifying the at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture in response to activation of the control of the input device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein operating one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device of an information handling device further comprises detecting gesture input in a particular region of the surface of the input device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining, using the information handling device, if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture further comprises determining if the gesture input in a particular region of the surface of the input device matches the predetermined gesture.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein regions of the surface are defined with respect to proximity of detected gesture input to the surface.

11. An information handling device, comprising:

an input device having a surface, wherein the input device is configured to receive one or more input types in addition to gesture input;

one or more sensors;

one or more processors; and

a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processors that stores instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

operating the one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to the surface of the input device;

determining if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture; and

executing at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture.

12. The information handling device of claim 11, wherein operating the one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device further comprises determining a distance between one or more gesture objects and the surface of the input device.

13. The information handling device of claim 12, wherein the determining if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture is:

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input in a layer, wherein the layer is defined by proximity to the one or more sensors;

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input in a combination of layers, wherein the combination of layers are defined by proximity to the one or more sensors;

or

determining if the gesture input matches a predetermined gesture input corresponding to movement through multiple layers, wherein the multiple layers are defined by proximity to the one or more sensors.

14. The information handling device of claim 11, wherein the acts further comprise detecting physical contact at the surface of the input device.

15. The information handling device of claim 14, wherein the physical contact at the surface of the input device does not activate a control of the input device.

16. The information handling device of claim 14, wherein the physical contact at the surface of the input device activates a control of the input device.

17. The information handling device of claim 16, wherein the acts further comprise modifying the at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture in response to activation of the control of the input device.

18. The information handling device of claim 11, wherein operating the one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device further comprises detecting gesture input in a particular region of the surface of the input device.

19. The information handling device of claim 18, wherein regions of the surface are defined dynamically with respect to proximity of detected gesture input to the surface.

20. A program product, comprising:

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

computer program code configured to operate one or more sensors to detect gesture input proximate to a surface of an input device of an information handling device, wherein the input device is configured to receive one or more input types in addition to gesture input;

computer program code configured to determine, using a processor, if the gesture input detected matches a predetermined gesture; and

computer program code configured to execute at least one response action associated with the predetermined gesture.