PHYSICAL OBJECT DETECTION AND TOUCHSCREEN INTERACTION

• US 20140327628A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Tijssen, Remon, Kukulski, Timothy W., Gough, Michael W., Dowd, Geoffrey Charles, Muscolino, Gregory Cy
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An input device, such as a multifunction straight edge or a keyboard, has a recognizable contact shape when placed on a touchscreen display surface of a computing device. The contact shape of the input device can be a defined pattern of contact points, and a location and orientation of the input device on the touchscreen display surface is determinable from the defined pattern of the contact points. The input device includes an interaction module that interfaces with a companion module of the computing device. The companion module can initiate a display of an object responsive to the input device being recognized on the touchscreen display surface. The interaction module can receive a user input to the input device, and communicate the user input to the companion module of the computing device to modify the display of the object on the touchscreen display surface.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

a contact shape that is recognizable as the input device when placed on a touchscreen display surface of a computing device that initiates an object for display, the object maintained at a display position relative to the input device on the touchscreen display surface;

a processing system to implement an interaction module that interfaces with a companion module of the computing device, the interaction module configured to;

receive a user input to the input device; and

communicate the user input to the companion module of the computing device to modify the display of the object on the touchscreen display surface.

2. The input device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a defined pattern of contact points that are recognizable as the contact shape of the input device, and wherein a location and an orientation of the input device on the touchscreen display surface is determinable from the defined pattern of the contact points.

3. The input device as recited in claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a multifunction straight edge;

the interaction module of the multifunction straight edge is configured to;

receive the user input as a user shape input on the multifunction straight edge; and

communicate the user shape input to the companion module of the computing device that initiates the object for display as a shape object on the touchscreen display surface.

4. The input device as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape object is a drawing shape template configured to display on the touchscreen display surface while the multifunction straight edge is on the touchscreen display surface.

5. The input device as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape object is one or more stylus guide lines configured to display on the touchscreen display surface as a guide for stylus inputs.

6. The input device as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape object is tethered to the multifunction straight edge to maintain the display position relative to the multifunction straight edge.

7. The input device as recited in claim 3, wherein the shape object remains displayed as a drawing element on the touchscreen display surface when the multifunction straight edge is removed from the touchscreen display surface.

8. The input device as recited in claim 3, wherein the interaction module of the multifunction straight edge is configured to initiate a user interface of digital drawing tools for display on the touchscreen display surface responsive to the multifunction straight edge being placed on the touchscreen display surface.

9. The input device as recited in claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard;

the companion module of the computing device initiates the object for display as a text object on the touchscreen display surface responsive to the keyboard being recognized; and

the interaction module of the keyboard is configured to;

receive the user input as user key inputs to the keyboard; and

communicate the user key inputs for display as alphanumeric characters in the text object.

10. The input device as recited in claim 9, wherein a displayed text object is selected based on proximity of the keyboard to the displayed text object to enable editing text that is displayed prior to the keyboard being placed on the touchscreen display surface.

11. The input device as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the text object is not displayed when the keyboard is removed from the touchscreen display surface; and

the text object is redisplayed responsive to the keyboard being replaced back on the touchscreen display surface.

12. The input device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to maintain an identifier of the input device, and wherein the interaction module of the input device is configured to communicate the identifier to the companion module of the computing device.

13. A method, comprising:

recognizing an input device when placed on a touchscreen display surface based on a contact shape of the input device;

initiating an object for display on the touchscreen display surface, the object maintained at a display position relative to the input device on the touchscreen display surface;

receiving a user input; and

modifying the object that is displayed on the touchscreen display surface based on the user input.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein a defined pattern of contact points are recognizable as the contact shape of the input device, the method further comprising:

determining a location and an orientation of the input device on the touchscreen display surface from the defined pattern of the contact points.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the input device comprises a multifunction straight edge;

said receiving the user input as a user shape input on the multifunction straight edge; and

said initiating the object for display as a shape object on the touchscreen display surface based on the user shape input.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the shape object is one of:

a drawing shape template displayed on the touchscreen display surface while the multifunction straight edge is on the touchscreen display surface;

or

a drawing element that remains displayed on the touchscreen display surface when the multifunction straight edge is removed from the touchscreen display surface.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

initiating a user interface of digital drawing tools for display on the touchscreen display surface responsive to said recognizing the multifunction straight edge being placed on the touchscreen display surface.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the input device comprises a keyboard;

said initiating the object for display as a text object on the touchscreen display surface responsive said recognizing the keyboard; and

said receiving the user input as user key inputs to the keyboard for display as alphanumeric characters in the text object.

19. A multifunction straight edge, comprising

a defined pattern of contact points that are recognizable as the multifunction straight edge when placed on a touchscreen display surface of a computing device;

a processing system to implement an interaction module that is configured to;

communicate with a companion module implemented by the computing device and operable with the touchscreen display surface;

receive a user shape input on the multifunction straight edge; and

initiate a shape object that corresponds to the user shape input for display on the touchscreen display surface.

20. The multifunction straight edge as recited in claim 19, wherein:

a location and an orientation of the multifunction straight edge on the touchscreen display surface is determinable from the defined pattern of the contact points; and

the shape object is maintained at a display position relative to the multifunction straight edge based on the location and the orientation of the multifunction straight edge on the touchscreen display surface.