DATA INPUT PERIPHERALS AND METHODS

• US 20150242120A1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Application Number:
  US14/629,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242120A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A smart watch is equipped with a sensor array adapted to allow the watch (including the watchband) to serve as a text entry device, in lieu of a conventional QWERTY keyboard. A variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. An input peripheral device in a wristwatch form factor, the device including:

a central unit and a wristband;

the wristband including a first portion extending from the central unit in a first direction, and a second portion extending from the central unit in an opposite direction, each of said portions of the wristband including an exposed top surface;

the first portion of the wristband including a first sensor array comprising one or more sensors, and the second portion of the wristband including a second sensor array comprising one or more sensors;

wherein the device is adapted to sense and distinguish taps by index, middle, fourth and pinky fingers of a user'"'"'s hand on the top surface of said first and second portions of the wristband.

2. The device of claim 1 in which:

the first sensor array comprises four sensors adapted to respectively sense taps by index, middle, fourth and pinky fingers of the user'"'"'s first hand on the top surface of the first portion of the wristband; and

the second sensor array comprises four sensors adapted to respectively sense taps by index, middle, fourth and pinky fingers of the user'"'"'s second hand on the top surface of the second portion of the wristband.

3. The device of claim 2 in which each of said four sensors comprises a vibration, capacitive, inductive, acoustic or optical sensor.

4. The device of claim 1 in which:

the first and second portions of the wristband each includes first and second edge regions;

the first sensor array includes additional sensors adapted to sense the user'"'"'s fingers proximate to the first and second edge regions of the first portion of the wristband; and

the second sensor array includes additional sensors adapted to sense the user'"'"'s fingers proximate to the first and second edge regions of the second portion of the wristband.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the first sensor array includes four sensors disposed in the first edge region of the first portion of the wristband, to respectively sense and distinguish presence of the user'"'"'s index, middle, fourth, and pinky fingers proximate to said first edge region.

6. The device of claim 5 in which each of said four sensors comprises a vibration, capacitive, inductive, acoustic or optical sensor.

7. The device of claim 1 including a memory containing instructions that program a processor, the instructions being adapted to cause a touch to a touch-sensitive top surface of the central unit to serve as a shift control for keyboard input, changing a meaning of a finger signal sensed by the sensor array.

8. The device of claim 7 in which the central unit includes a display screen, and said instructions are adapted to present information on the display screen indicating a shift control state for keyboard input.

9. The device of claim 1 including a memory containing instructions that program a processor, the instructions being adapted to cause a touch gesture applied to a touch-sensitive top surface of the central unit to serve as a cursor control signal for moving a cursor on an associated display device.

10-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method comprising the acts:

removing a wearable device from a user'"'"'s wrist and putting it on a first surface;

sensing taps of the user'"'"'s fingers both on the device, and away from the device, said sensing being performed by plural hardware sensors—

at least some of which are disposed in a wristband of the wearable device; and

sending data corresponding to said taps to a second device.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the first surface comprises the user'"'"'s thigh.

14. The method of claim 12 in which the act of sensing taps away from the device employs sensors located in edge portions of the wristband.

15. An input peripheral device in a wristwatch form factor, the device including:

a central unit and a wristband;

the wristband including a first and second portions extending from the central unit in opposite directions along a lengthwise axis, the wristband having a median portion and two edges;

the wristband including plural first sensors disposed in the median portion along a length of the wristband; and

the wristband including plural second sensors disposed along a first edge thereof.

16. The device of claim 15, further including plural third sensors disposed along a second edge thereof.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein there is an unequal number of second and third sensors.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein there is an unequal number of first and second sensors.

19-20. -20. (canceled)