CLICK DISAMBIGUATION ON A TOUCH-SENSITIVE INPUT DEVICE

• US 20140320455A1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tabone, Ryan, De los Reyes, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,182,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The surface of an touch-sensitive input device may act as a physical button that the user may push down to perform a click or other operation. For example, the user may push down the surface of the input device with one finger for a left click and push down the surface of the input device with two fingers for a right click. In one aspect, a system for detecting a left click or a right click when the user pushes down the surface of the input device is provided. When the system first detects that the surface of the input device is pushed down, the system may wait for a short period of time before making a determination of whether the user is pushing down the surface with one finger or two fingers. During this time, the system may collect additional information to make a more reliable determination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for reporting button actions generated using a touch-sensitive input device, comprising:

determining that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detecting a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the surface is pushed down;

reporting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is two, a right button down action;

waiting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is one, until a period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during or after the step of waiting.