TOUCH PAD WITH SYMBOLS BASED ON MODE

• US 20140192001A1
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: ORDING, Bas, McKILLOP, Chris, GRIGNON, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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

A multifunctional handheld device capable of operating in different modes includes a single input arrangement that provides inputs for each mode of the multifunctional handheld device. The single input arrangement includes at least an input pad that provides signals when touched or pressed. The input pad may for example be a touch pad. The input pad is divided into one or more input areas that change in accordance with the current mode of the multifunctional handheld device. The multifunctional handheld device also includes a display device that presents graphical elements to indicate the configuration of the input areas at the input pad. Each mode of the multifunctional handheld device provides a different configuration of input areas and graphical elements associated therewith.

Claims

1. A clickable trackpad, including:

a touch surface;

at least one depressible mechanical button capable of being activated by pressure at the touch surface; and

a processor capable of

designating a plurality of regions on the touch surface as click regions,

detecting a mechanical click of the trackpad due to an application of pressure anywhere on the touch surface, the mechanical click itself being nondeterminative of a location of a touch on the touch surface,

detecting a touch at a particular click region at about a same time as the detection of the mechanical click, and

determining an operation to be performed in accordance with the particular click region.

2. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, wherein the touch surface is unmarked.

3. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, the processor further capable of allocating an area of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

4. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, the processor further capable of allocating a location of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

5. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, the processor further capable of dynamically designating the one or more click regions in accordance with current device usage.

6. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, the processor further capable of triggering a left-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a primary click region on the touch surface.

7. The clickable trackpad of claim 1, the processor further capable of triggering a right-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a secondary click region on the touch surface.

8. A method of initiating an operation on a clickable trackpad having at least one depressible mechanical button, comprising:

designating a plurality of regions on the trackpad as click regions;

detecting a mechanical click of the trackpad due to an application of pressure anywhere on a surface of the trackpad, the mechanical click itself being nondeterminative of a location of a touch on the trackpad;

detecting a touch at a particular click region at about a same time as the detection of the mechanical click; and

determining an operation to be performed in accordance with the particular click region.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the trackpad is unmarked.

10. The method of claim 8, further including allocating an area of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

11. The method of claim 8, further including allocating a location of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

12. The method of claim 8, further including dynamically designating the one or more click regions in accordance with current device usage.

13. The method of claim 8, further including triggering a left-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a primary click region on the trackpad.

14. The method of claim 8, further including triggering a right-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a secondary click region on the trackpad.

15. A clickable trackpad, including:

means for designating a plurality of regions on the trackpad as click regions;

means for detecting a mechanical click of the trackpad due to an application of pressure anywhere on a surface of the trackpad, the mechanical click itself being nondeterminative of a location of a touch on the trackpad;

means for detecting a touch at a particular click region at about a same time as the detection of the mechanical click; and

means for determining an operation to be performed in accordance with the particular click region.

16. The clickable trackpad of claim 15, wherein the trackpad is unmarked.

17. The clickable trackpad of claim 15, further including means for allocating an area of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

18. The clickable trackpad of claim 15, further including means for allocating a location of one or more of the click regions in accordance with button usage patterns.

19. The clickable trackpad of claim 15, further including means for dynamically designating the one or more click regions in accordance with current device usage.

20. The clickable trackpad of claim 15, further including:

triggering a left-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a primary click region on the trackpad, and

triggering a right-click action upon the detection of the touch and mechanical click if the particular click region is a secondary click region on the trackpad.