INPUT INTERACTION ON A TOUCH SENSOR COMBINING TOUCH AND HOVER ACTIONS

• US 20140282279A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Inventors: Woolley, Richard D.
• Application Number:
  US14/208,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282279A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system and method for defining a gesture to be any combination of touch and hover actions, the touch and hover actions being combined in any order and any number of discrete touch and hover actions that define a single gesture or a series of gestures.

Claims

1. A method of performing a touch and hover gesture using a touch and hover sensor, said method comprising:

providing a touch and hover sensor that is capable of detecting direct contact of at least one pointing object, and that is also capable of detecting a presence of the at least one pointing object in a detection volume adjacent to the touch and hover sensor;

performing a single gesture that includes at least one touch action by making direct contact by the at least one pointing object with touch and hover sensor, and which includes at least one hover action by moving the at least one pointing object into the detection volume;

combining the at least one touch action and the at least one hover action into the single gesture; and

performing at least one function associated with the single gesture.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one pointing object is selected from the group of pointing objects that includes a stylus, a finger and a plurality of fingers.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises selecting the hover action from the group of hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, pivoting, grasping, pushing, pulling, spreading apart fingers, bringing fingers together, lifting, putting down, movements of the fingers alone, movements of the fingers combined with movement of a hand, movement of the hand and not the fingers.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises selecting the touch action from the group of hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, pivoting, grasping, pushing, pulling, spreading apart fingers, bringing fingers together, lifting, putting down, movements of the fingers alone, movements of the fingers combined with movement of a hand, movement of the hand and not the fingers.

5. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises the at least one hover action including movement of one or more fingers that are detectable by the touch and hover sensor.

6. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises the at least one touch action including movement of one or more fingers that are detectable by the touch and hover sensor.

7. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises the single gesture being comprised of at least one touch action being performed simultaneously with the at least one hover action.

8. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises selecting the touch action and the hover action of the stylus from the group of touch and hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, and pivoting.

9. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises applying inertia to the at least one touch action or the at least one hover action such that the function being performed continues on for a period of time after the single gesture has been terminated.

10. A method of performing a touch and hover gesture using a touch and hover sensor, said method comprising:

providing a touch and hover sensor that is capable of detecting direct contact of at least one pointing object, and that is also capable of detecting a presence of the at least one pointing object in a detection volume adjacent to the touch and hover sensor;

performing a single gesture that includes at least one touch action by making direct contact by the at least one pointing object with touch and hover sensor, or which includes a hover action by moving the at least one pointing object into the detection volume, or a combination of at least one touch action and at least one hover action;

combining the at least one touch action and the at least one hover action if they were performed as part of the single gesture; and

performing at least one function associated with the single gesture.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein the at least one pointing object is selected from the group of pointing objects that includes a stylus, a finger and a plurality of fingers.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises selecting the hover action from the group of hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, pivoting, grasping, pushing, pulling, spreading apart fingers, bringing fingers together, lifting, putting down, movements of the fingers alone, movements of the fingers combined with movement of a hand, movement of the hand and not the fingers.

13. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises selecting the touch action from the group of hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, pivoting, grasping, pushing, pulling, spreading apart fingers, bringing fingers together, lifting, putting down, movements of the fingers alone, movements of the fingers combined with movement of a hand, movement of the hand and not the fingers.

14. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the at least one hover action including movement of one or more fingers that are detectable by the touch and hover sensor.

15. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the at least one touch action including movement of one or more fingers that are detectable by the touch and hover sensor.

16. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the single gesture being comprised of at least one touch action being performed simultaneously with the at least one hover action.

17. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises selecting the touch action and the hover action of the stylus from the group of touch and hover actions comprised of twirling, moving back and forth, waving, and pivoting.

18. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises applying inertia to the at least one touch action or the at least one hover action such that the function being performed continues on for a period of time after the single gesture has been terminated.