METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING TOUCH INPUT VIA A TOUCH SENSITIVE SURFACE UTILIZING A SUPPORT OBJECT

• US 20150077348A1
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Cliff, Noordvyk, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

Methods and a support object are provided to facilitate the receipt of a wide variety of touch inputs from a user, such as in a manner that is comfortable and does not fatigue the user. In the context of a method, touch input is received from a user who engages and moves a support object relative to a touch sensitive surface. The method also includes receiving the touch input from the user via the touch sensitive surface. The method further includes determining a relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object and then determining a type of touch input based upon the relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object. The method also includes causing an action to be taken in response to the type of touch input. Corresponding apparatus and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of receiving touch input from a user who engages and moves a support object relative to a touch sensitive surface, the method comprising:

receiving the touch input from the user via the touch sensitive surface;

determining a relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object;

determining, with processing circuitry, a type of touch input based upon the relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object; and

causing an action to be taken in response to the type of touch input.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising determining an orientation of the support object, wherein determining the relative position of the touch input comprises determining the relative position of the touch input based upon the orientation of the support object.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the touch input comprises receiving an initial touch input followed by movement of the touch input over the touch sensitive surface as a result of corresponding movement of the support object.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the touch input comprises receiving the touch input comprised of touch input components concurrently provided by two or more fingers of the user upon the touch sensitive surface.

5. An apparatus comprising the processing circuitry configured to perform the method of claim 1.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, upon execution by the processing circuitry, to cause the method of claim 1 to be performed.

7. A method of identifying a type of support object upon a touch sensitive surface, the method comprising:

receiving input from a plurality of contact points of the support object via the touch sensitive surface;

determining relative positions of the contact points of the support object in order to define a signature of the support object, wherein the support object is one of a plurality of types of support objects with each type of support object having differently positioned contact points that define a different signature; and

identifying, with processing circuitry, the type of support object based upon the signature of the support object.

8. A method according to claim 7 further comprising:

receiving touch input from a user via the touch sensitive surface;

determining a type of touch input based upon the relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object; and

causing an action to be taken in response to the type of touch input.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising determining an orientation of the support object based upon the relative positions of the contact points.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein determining the type of touch input comprises determining the type of touch input based upon the relative position of the touch input with respect to the support object and its orientation.

11. A method according to claim 7 further comprising:

receiving touch input via a touch surface carried by the support object; and

causing an action to be taken in response to the touch input.

12. A method according to claim 7 wherein the support object includes a scroll device, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input via the scroll device of the support object; and

causing an action to be taken in response to the input via the scroll device.

13. An apparatus comprising the processing circuitry configured to perform the method of claim 7.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, upon execution by the processing circuitry, to cause the method of claim 7 to be performed.

15. A support object configured to be identified by a touch sensitive surface, the support object comprising:

a first surface configured to be engaged by a user;

a second surface opposite the first surface; and

a plurality of contact members extending outwardly from the second surface, wherein the plurality of contact members comprise a first set of at least three contact members that define a first signature of the support object and a second set of at least three contact members that define a second signature of the support object, wherein the first and second sets of contact members each include at least one contact member that is different than the contact members of the other set of contact members, and wherein the plurality of contact members are configured such that only one of the first and second sets of contact members contacts the touch sensitive surface at any instance.

16. A support object according to claim 15 wherein the first and second sets of contact members define respective triangular configurations having different dimensions.

17. A support object according to claim 15 wherein the first set of contact members includes at least one contact member that is in common with the second set of contact members.

18. A support object according to claim 15 wherein the second surface comprises a convex surface.

19. A support object according to claim 18 wherein the convex surface comprises a plurality of faces, including first and second faces, positioned at an angle relative to one another, wherein one or more of the first set of contact members extend outwardly from the first face and one or more of the second set of contact members extend outwardly from the second face.

20. A support object according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of contact members comprise a plurality of sets of at least three contact members including the first and second sets of contact members, and wherein the plurality of sets of contact members are positioned in a spiral configuration.