An Apparatus, Method and Computer Program for Enabling a User to Make User Inputs

• US 20160320915A1
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: WILLIAMSON, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,466,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program wherein the apparatus: includes processing circuitry; and memory circuitry including computer program instructions; wherein the memory circuitry and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus to: detect a user input including one or more fingers; identify a tremor characteristic for each of the one or more fingers; determine a correlation between the tremor characteristic of a first finger and another detected tremor characteristic; wherein if the correlation is above a threshold a first output signal is provided and if the correlation is below a threshold a second output signal is provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and

memory circuitry including computer program instructions;

wherein the memory circuitry and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus to;

detect a user input comprising one or more fingers;

identify a tremor characteristic for each of the one or more fingers;

determine a correlation between the tremor characteristic of a first finger and another detected tremor characteristic;

wherein if the correlation is above a threshold a first output signal is provided and if the correlation is below a threshold a second output signal is provided.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user input comprises a plurality of fingers and a tremor characteristic is identified for each of the plurality of fingers.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein a correlation between the tremor characteristics for the plurality of fingers is determined.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein if the correlation is above a threshold it is determined that the plurality of fingers belong to the same hand and if the correlation is below a threshold a second output it is determined that the plurality of fingers belong to different hands.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detected user input comprises one or more fingers being positioned close to a touch pad.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first output signal causes a first function to be performed and the second output signal causes a second different function to be performed.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tremor characteristic comprises the phase of the tremor.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tremor characteristic comprises the amplitude of the tremor.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the touch pad comprises a capacitive touch pad

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tremor is caused by unintentional movement of a user of the apparatus.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tremor causes fluctuations in the signals provided by sensors within the touch pad.

12. An electronic device comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

13. A mobile telephone comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

14. A method comprising:

detecting a user input comprising one or more fingers;

identifying a tremor characteristic for each of the one or more fingers;

determining a correlation between the tremor characteristic of a first finger and another detected tremor characteristic;

wherein if the correlation is above a threshold a first output signal is provided and if the correlation is below a threshold a second output signal is provided.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the user input comprises a plurality of fingers and a tremor characteristic is determined for each of the plurality of fingers.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein a correlation between the tremor characteristics for the plurality of fingers is determined.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein if the correlation is above a threshold it is determined that the plurality of fingers belong to the same hand and if the correlation is below a threshold it is determined that the plurality of fingers belong to different hands.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the detected user input comprises one or more fingers being positioned close to a touch pad.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the first output signal causes a first function to be performed and the second output signal causes a second different function to be performed, wherein the tremor characteristic comprises the phase of the tremor, wherein the tremor characteristic comprises the amplitude of the tremor, wherein the touch pad comprises a capacitive touch pad, wherein the tremor is caused by unintentional movement of a user of the apparatus, wherein the tremor causes fluctuations in the signals provided by sensors within the touch pad.

29. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine for performing operations, where, when the program of instructions are executed by processing circuitry of the machine, the operations perform at least the method as claimed in claim 14.

20-28. -28. (canceled)