Method of interacting with a computer using a proximity sensor in a computer input device

• US 6,396,477 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sinclair, Michael J., Hinckley, Kenneth P., Kaneko, Steven T., Holmdahl, Todd E., Brewer, Timothy T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/152,443
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173,157,145,168,339,333,156,159,163,179 178/19.01
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

In a method of the present invention, a device message is generated indicating that a touch sensor on an input device has been touched without indicating what location on the touch sensor has been touched. The device message is routed to an application and instructions within the application are executed based on the device message.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of touch sensors on a mouse device coupled to the computer system, receiving an indication of whether a user is touching a touch sensor;

setting a display characteristic associated with moving a cursor across a display to a first setting if the user is touching a first combination of touch sensors while moving the mouse device and to a second setting if the user is touching a second combination of touch sensors while moving the mouse device; and

generating a display that moves the cursor while the user moves the mouse device based on the setting of the display characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the display characteristics comprises setting the distance a cursor moves across a display based on which combination of touch sensors the user is touching.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein setting the distance comprises setting the distance at a first distance for a movement of the input device if the user is touching the first combination of touch sensors and at a second distance, further than the first distance, for the first movement of the input device if the user is touching the second combination of touch sensors.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the display characteristics comprises setting the size of an ink trail produced on a display.

5. In a computer system having a mouse device wherein said mouse device comprises a plurality of touch sensors, a method comprising:

setting a display characteristic to a first setting if a user is touching a first predetermined combination of non-contiguous touch sensors on the mouse device while moving the mouse device and to a second setting if a user is touching a second predetermined combination of non-contiguous touch sensors on the mouse device while moving the mouse device, said display characteristic being associated with moving a cursor across a display; and

generating a display that moves the cursor while the user moves the mouse device based on the setting of the display characteristic.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein setting the display characteristic comprises setting the distance a cursor moves across a display based on which combination of touch sensors on the mouse device the user is touching.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein setting the distance comprises setting the distance at a first distance for a first movement of the input device if the user is touching the first predetermined combination of touch sensors and at a second distance, further than the first distance, for the first movement of the input device if the user is touching the second predetermined combination of touch sensors.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein setting the display characteristic comprises setting the size of an ink trail produced on a display.

9. A method in a computer system, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of touch sensors on a pointing device coupled to the computer system, receiving an indication of whether a user is touching at least one of the touch sensors on said pointing device;

setting a display characteristic associated with moving a cursor across a display to a first setting if the user is touching a first combination of touch sensors while moving the pointing device and to a second setting if the user is touching a second combination of touch sensors while moving the pointing device, wherein said first combination of touch sensors and said second combination of touch sensors are on said pointing device; and

generating a display that moves the cursor while the user moves the pointing device based on the setting of the display characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein setting the display characteristic comprises setting the distance a cursor moves across a display based on which combination of touch sensors on the mouse device the user is touching.

11. The method of claim 10 setting the distance comprises setting the distance at a first distance for a first movement of the input device if the user is touching the first predetermined combination of touch sensors and at a second distance, further than the first distance, for the first movement of the input device if the user is touching the second predetermined combination of touch sensors.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein setting the display characteristic comprises setting the size of an ink trail produced on a display.