Apparatus and method for tactile feedback from input device

• US 6,473,069 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1995
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Inventors: Gerpheide, George E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Application Number:
  US08/556,614
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.19, 341/20-23, 341/34, 345/168, 345/169, 345/156, 345/160, 345/157, 345/104, 345/145, 345/163, 345/173, 345/174, 178/18, 178/19, 178/18-1-, 178/19-1-, 273/148.B, D14/106, D14/114, 463/37
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing tactile feedback to a user moving his/her finger across the touch-sensitive surface of a touchpad or tablet. Different regions of the touch-sensitive surface are differentiated from each other by providing a different human perceptible textural surfaces within the regions. A different texture provides immediate tactile feedback to the user through the finger making contact with the touchpad. Increased functionality is important because it solves problems which are inherent to the small touchpad surfaces used as computer input devices. Particularly, it is a problem to drag an object from one side of a display to another without repeatedly raising a finger to repeat the dragging motion because of the limited surface area of the touchpad surface. Providing increased functionality such as a drag extend function solves the movement problem. The present invention then solves the problem of conveying to the user through touch, information about the location of the finger without having to look away from the display screen, thereby facilitating input and cursor manipulation for a computer. The apparatus of the present invention preferably includes an electronic touch-sensitive touchpad or tablet which can be actuated by a human finger, an associated processing device such as a computer, and a display screen whereon a cursor being manipulated by the touchpad is displayed.

Claims

1. A method for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a continuous touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, thereby enabling a user to manipulate a cursor on the display without viewing the cursor manipulation device and determining a location of the finger, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device having at least one generally continuous and planar sensor surface for contact and movement thereover of the finger;

(b) disposing on the generally continuous and planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart regions separated by a ridge of material which rises above the generally continuous and planar sensor surface such that the finger moving over said surface from one of the space-apart regions to another will touch said ridge of material; and

(c) providing a plurality of cursor manipulation functions in a stored program in the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first region to a second region of the plurality of spaced-apart regions.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of providing the plurality of cursor manipulation functions in the stored program in the computer includes providing a drag extend function which comprises the steps of:

(a) manipulating the touch-sensitive device such that the finger is caused to select an object on the display with the cursor;

(b) sliding the finger across the surface of the touchsensitive device from the first region to the second region, thereby causing a corresponding movement of the selected object across the display and activation of the drag extend function in the stored program;

(c) lifting the finger off the surface, yet not deselecting the selected object;

(d) placing the finger in contact with the surface within the first region;

(e) sliding the finger across the surface; and

(f) repeating steps (b) through (e) until the selected object is dragged to a desired location on the display.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of disposing on the generally planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart regions on the touch-sensitive device further comprises the step of separating the first region from the second region by forming the ridge of material on a boundary between the first and second regions.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the step of disposing on the generally planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart regions on the touch-sensitive device further comprises the steps of:

(a) disposing the second region about a first perimeter of the generally planar surface of the touch-sensitive device; and

(b) disposing the first region within the first perimeter of the generally planar surface so as not to overlap the second region.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the steps of disposing on the generally planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart regions on the touch-sensitive device further comprises the step of disposing at least a third region on the touch-sensitive device so as to simulate a mouse button, said third region not overlapping the first or second regions.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of providing a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device further comprises the step of providing a touchpad.

7. A method for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a continuous touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, thereby enabling a user to manipulate a cursor on the display without viewing the cursor manipulation device and determining a location of the finger, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device having at least one generally continuous and planar sensor surface for contact and movement thereover of the finger;

(b) disposing on the generally continuous and planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions in which the texture of each region is different from the texture of at least one other region; and

(c) providing a plurality of cursor manipulation functions in a stored program in the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first textured region to a second textured region of the plurality of spaced-apart textured regions.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the step of providing the plurality of cursor manipulation functions in the stored program in the computer includes providing a drag extend function which comprises the steps of:

(a) manipulating the touch-sensitive device such that the finger is caused to select an object on the display with the cursor;

(b) sliding the finger across the textured surface of the touch-sensitive device from a the first textured region to the second textured region, thereby causing a corresponding movement of the selected object across the display and activation of the drag extend function in the stored program;

(c) lifting the finger off the surface, yet not deselecting the selected object;

(d) placing the finger in contact with the surface within the first region;

(e) sliding the finger across the surface; and

(f) repeating steps (b) through (e) until the selected object is dragged to a desired location on the display.

9. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the step of disposing on the generally planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions on the touch-sensitive device further comprises the steps of:

(a) disposing the second textured region about a first perimeter of the generally planar surface of the touch-sensitive device; and

(b) disposing the first textured region within the first perimeter of the generally planar surface so as not to overlap the second textured region.

10. The method as define in claim 7 wherein the step of disposing a plurality of textured regions on the touch-sensitive input device comprises the more specific step of disposing thereon a first perceptibly textured region and a differently textured and humanly distinguishable second perceptibly textured region.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein the steps of disposing on the generally planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions on the touch-sensitive device further comprises the step of disposing at least a third textured region on the touch-sensitive device so as to simulate a mouse button, said third textured region not overlapping the first or second textured regions, and being differently textured and humanly distinguishable from the first and second textured regions.

12. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the step of providing a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device further comprises the step of providing a touchpad.

13. A system for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, said system comprising:

(a) sensing surface means for sensing contact by the human finger on the sensing surface means, said contact corresponding to a touch function sequence;

(b) a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions disposed on the sensing surface means, the texture of each region being different from the texture of at least one other region; and

(c) a plurality of cursor manipulation functions stored in a memory of the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the sensing surface means, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first textured region to a second textured region of the plurality of spaced-apart textured regions.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 wherein the sensing surface means is a touchpad.

15. A system for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, said system comprising:

(a) a sensing surface device including a generally continuous and planar surface for sensing contact by the human finger on the sensing surface device, said contact corresponding to a touch function sequence;

(b) a plurality of spaced-apart regions disposed on the generally continuous and planar sensing surface means, said regions being separated by a ridge of material which rises above the sensing surface device such that the finger moving over said sensing surface device and moving from one of the spaced-apart regions to another will touch said ridge of material; and

(c) a plurality of cursor manipulation functions stored in a memory of the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the generally continuous and planar sensing surface device, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first region to a second region of the plurality of spaced-apart regions.

16. The system as defined in claim 15 wherein the sensing surface means is a touchpad.