DETERMINING INPUT RECEIVED VIA TACTILE INPUT DEVICE

• US 20150022461A1
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: de los Reyes, Andrew, Kempin, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include instructions stored thereon. When executed by at least one processor, the instructions may be configured to cause a computing system including a tactile input device to at least detect a depression of the tactile input device, detect a number of contacts at the tactile input device, each of the detected contacts being associated with a duration and a distance moved, and determine, based on the number of detected contacts on the tactile input device, the durations of the detected contacts, and the distances moved of the detected contacts, a type of input to process.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system including a tactile input device to at least:

detect a depression of the tactile input device;

detect a number of contacts at the tactile input device, each of the detected contacts being associated with a duration and a distance moved; and

determine, based on the number of detected contacts on the tactile input device, the durations of the detected contacts, and the distances moved of the detected contacts, a type of input to process.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the detecting the depression includes determining that a button included in the tactile input device was depressed, actuating a switch included in the tactile input device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the computing system to determine whether to process a left-click or a right-click based on the number of detected contacts on the tactile input device, the durations of the detected contacts, and whether the detected contacts are moving across the tactile input device.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the computing system to determine whether to process a left-click, a middle-click, or a right-click based on the number of detected contacts on the tactile input device, at least one distance between the detected contacts, the durations of the detected contacts, and whether the detected contacts are moving across the tactile input device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the computing system to determine the type of input to process based on the number of detected contacts on the tactile input device, the durations of the detected contacts, the distances moved of the detected contacts, and a distance between the detected contacts.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system including a tactile input device to at least:

detect two contacts at the tactile input device;

if only one of the two detected contacts has moved at least a threshold distance across the tactile input device, determine that a type of input is a first input type; and

if neither of the detected contacts has moved at least a threshold distance across the tactile input device or both of the detected contacts has moved at least the threshold distance across the tactile input device, determine;

that the type of input is a second input type if the two detected contacts are within a threshold distance from each other; and

that the type of input is the first input type if the two detected contacts are not within the threshold distance from each other.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the first input type is a left-click and the second input type is a right-click.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the detecting two contacts is performed in response to detecting a depression of the tactile input device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system including a tactile input device to at least:

detect three or more contacts at the tactile input device;

if a first and second of the at least three detected contacts have moved at least a threshold distance across the tactile input device and a third of the at least three detected contacts has not moved at least the threshold distance, determining whether the third detected contact is a thumb;

if the third detected contact is a thumb, ignoring the third detected contact, and

if the third detected contact is not a thumb, determining that a type of input is a first input type.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the determining the type of input to process includes:

if all of the at least three detected contacts have durations that are less than or equal to a threshold duration, determining whether all of the at least three detected contacts are within a first predefined area within the tactile input device,

if all of the at least three detected contacts are within the first predefined area;

if the at least three detected contacts includes three detected contacts, determining that the type of input is the first input type, and

if the at least three detected contacts includes four detected contacts, determining that the type of input is a second input type.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting two contacts is performed in response to detecting a depression of the tactile input device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system including a tactile input device to at least:

detect at least one contact on the tactile input device; and

classify the at least one detected contact as either a first type, a second type, or a third type,

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the first type based on moving across the tactile input device, and

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the second type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device at least a threshold time before a current time and not moving across the tactile input device,

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the third type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device less than, or no more than, the threshold time before the current time, and not moving across the tactile input device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the first type, and

the second contact is classified as the second type.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the first type, and

the second contact is classified as the third type.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the second type, and

the second contact is classified as the third type.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one contact is classified as the second type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device at least a threshold time before a current time and not moving across the tactile input device, or based on the computing system determining that the at least one contact was a thumb contact.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting at least one contact on a tactile input device; and

classifying the at least one detected contact as either first type, a second type, or a third type,

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the first type based on moving across the tactile input device,

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the second type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device at least a threshold time before a current time and not moving across the tactile input device, and

wherein the at least one contact is classified as the third type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device less than, or no more than, the threshold time before the current time, and not moving across the tactile input device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the first type, and

the second contact is classified as the second type.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the first type, and

the second contact is classified as the third type.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one detected contact includes a first contact and a second contact,

the first contact is classified as the second type, and

the second contact is classified as the third type.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the at least one contact is classified as the second type based on having initiated contact with the tactile input device at least a threshold time before a current time and not moving across the tactile input device, or based on the computing system determining that the at least one contact was a thumb contact.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising determining, based on the determined classification of the at least one contact and a number of other contacts on the tactile input device, ages of each of the contacts, and whether each of the contacts are moving across the tactile input device, a type of input to process.