Method and apparatus for enabling the adaptation of the input parameters for a computer system pointing device

• US 6,509,889 B2
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael Anthony, Kamper, Robert Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/204,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20020163502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 345/146, 345/173, 345/157, 345/163, 345/160
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Smoothing a mouse pointer track on a screen is accomplished by smoothing mouse movement information using a spatial filtering function. Initially it is determined if the mouse movement information from a pointing device should be smoothed, and if so, which component of the movement information needs smoothing. Then the type of smoothing function is selected and applied to the mouse movement information. The smoothed mouse movement information is then added to the last mouse pointer position thereby smoothing the mouse pointer track.

Claims

1. A method for processing input parameters for a computer system pointing device comprising:

receiving movement information from the computer system pointing device, wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

in response to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold, applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information; and

outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the spatial smoothing function.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function after receiving the movement information.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the spatial smoothing functions include one of replacing the movement information, subtraction from the movement information, percentage multiplier to the movement information, and averaging a history of the movement information.

5. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating movement information from a user action utilizing a pointer device, where in the pointer device is any user actuated interface device.

6. The method recited in claim 2, selecting the spatial smoothing function by:

examining the movement information.

7. The method recited in claim 3, determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function by:

examining the movement information.

8. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the step of determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function being performed by one of a user, a device driver, an operating system or an application.

9. The method recited in claim 1, the step of applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

setting a component of the movement information to a pre-selected value.

10. The method recited in claim 1, the step of applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

subtracting a pre-selected value from a component of the movement information.

11. The method recited in claim 1, the step of applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

multiplying a component of the movement information by a pre-selected value.

12. The method recited in claim 1, the step of applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

averaging a component of the movement information with corresponding components of pre-occurring movement information.

13. The method recited in claim 2, further comprising:

selecting a smoothing function;

applying the smoothing function to the spatially smoothed movement information; and

outputting smoothed and spatially smoothed movement information.

14. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the step selecting the spatial smoothing function comprises:

determining cursor screen position; and

selecting the spatial smoothing function based on cursor screen position.

15. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the step determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function comprises:

determining cursor screen position; and

determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function on cursor screen position.

55. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting step selects at least two different smoothing functions for application to the movement information.

57. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the spatial smoothing function is applied only to an X axis direction of movement.

58. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the spatial smoothing function is applied only to a Y axis direction of movement.

59. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the spatial smoothing function does not allow movement in an X axis direction.

60. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the spatial smoothing function does not allow movement in a Y axis direction.

16. An apparatus for processing input parameters for a computer system pointing means comprising:

receiving means for receiving movement information, wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

application means, responsive to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold, for applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information; and

outputting means for outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

17. The apparatus recited in claim 16, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting the spatial smoothing function.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 16, further comprising:

determining means for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function after receiving the movement information.

19. The apparatus recited in claim 17, wherein the spatial smoothing functions include one of replacing the movement information, subtraction from the movement information, percentage multiplier to the movement information and averaging a history of the movement information.

20. The apparatus recited in claim 16, further comprising:

generating means for generating movement information from a user action utilizing a pointer device, wherein the pointer device is any user actuated interface device.

21. The apparatus recited in claim 17, selecting means for selecting the spatial smoothing function further comprising:

means for examining the movement information.

22. The apparatus recited in claim 18, determining means for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function further comprising:

means for examining the movement information.

23. The apparatus recited in claim 18, wherein the determining means for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function being performed by one of a user, a device driver means, a means for processing or an application means.

24. The apparatus recited in claim 16, the means for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

means for setting a component of the movement information to a pre-selected value.

25. The apparatus recited in claim 16, the means for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

subtraction means for subtracting a pre-selected value from a component of the movement information.

26. The apparatus recited in claim 16, the means for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

multiplication means for multiplying a component of the movement information by a pre-selected value.

27. The apparatus recited in claim 16, the means for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

averaging means for averaging a component of the movement information with corresponding components of pre-occurring movement information.

28. The apparatus recited in claim 17, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting a smoothing function;

applying means for applying the smoothing function to the spatially smoothed movement information;

outputting means for outputting smoothed and spatially smoothed movement information.

29. The apparatus recited in claim 17, wherein the selecting means for selecting the spatial smoothing function comprises:

determining means for determining cursor screen position; and

selecting means for selecting the spatial smoothing function based on cursor screen position.

30. The apparatus recited in claim 18, wherein the determining means for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function comprises:

determining means for determining cursor screen position; and

determining means for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function on cursor screen position.

31. A computer program product comprising computer code instructions embodied on a computer readable medium for enabling input parameters for a computer system pointing device, comprising:

instructions for receiving movement information wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

instructions for applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information in response to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold; and

instructions for outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

32. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, further comprising:

instructions for selecting the spatial smoothing function.

33. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, further comprising:

instructions for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function after receiving the movement information.

34. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 32, wherein the spatial smoothing functions include one of replacing the movement information, subtraction from the movement information, percentage multiplier to the movement information and averaging a history of the movement information.

35. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, further comprising:

instructions for generating movement information from a user action utilizing a pointer device, wherein the pointer device is any user actuated interface device.

36. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 32, instructions for selecting the spatial smoothing function further comprising:

instructions for examining the movement information.

37. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 33, instructions for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function comprising:

instructions for examining the movement information.

38. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 33, wherein the instructions for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function being executed by one a device driver, an operating system or an application.

39. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, the instructions for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

instructions for setting a component of the movement in formation to a pre-selected value.

40. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, the instructions for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

instructions for subtracting a pre-selected value from a component of the movement information.

41. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, the instructions for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

instructions for multiplying a component of the movement information by a pre-selected value.

42. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 31, the instructions for applying the spatial smoothing function further comprises:

instructions for averaging a component of the movement information with corresponding components of pre-occurring movement information.

43. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 32, further comprising:

instructions for selecting a smoothing function;

instructions for applying the smoothing function to the spatially smoothed movement information;

instructions for outputting smoothed and spatially smoothed movement information.

44. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 32, wherein the instructions for selecting the spatial smoothing function comprises:

instructions for determining cursor screen position; and

instructions for selecting the spatial smoothing function based on cursor screen position.

45. The computer program product instructions recited in claim 33, wherein the instructions for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function comprises:

instructions for determining cursor screen position; and

instructions for determining whether to apply the spatial smoothing function on cursor screen position.

46. A pointing device driver for processing input parameters comprising:

logic for receiving movement information from a computer system pointing device, wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

logic for applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information in response to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold; and

logic for outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

47. A pointing device for processing input parameters comprising:

pointer device means for generating smoothed movement signals comprising;

movement information generation means for generating movement information from device movement, wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

application means applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information in response to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold; and

outputting means for outputting spatially smoothed movement information; and

operating system means for processing the outputted spatially smoothed movement information.

48. A pointing device driver for processing input parameters comprising:

input means for detecting user actuated movement;

conversion means for converting user actuated movement to movement information wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

application means, responsive to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold, for applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information; and

outputting means for outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

49. A computer program module comprising computer code instructions embodied on a computer readable medium for processing input parameters for a computer system pointing device, comprising:

instructions for receiving movement information wherein the movement information includes an amount of movement;

instructions for applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information in response to the amount of movement exceeding a threshold; and

instructions for outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

50. A method for adjusting movement input parameters from a computer system pointing device, comprising:

receiving, from the computer system pointing device, movement information representing physical actuation of the computer system pointing device wherein the movement information includes an amount of physical actuation;

applying a spatial smoothing function to the movement information to generate spatially smoothed movement information in response to the amount of physical actuation exceeding a threshold; and

outputting the spatially smoothed movement information.

51. A method for processing input parameters for a computer system pointing device comprising:

receiving movement information from the computer system pointing device, wherein the movement information reflects a non-zero amount of movement of the computer system pointing device;

determining, based on a magnitude of the non-zero amount of movement of the computer system pointing device, whether to apply a function to the movement information;

selecting a spatial smoothing function in response to a determination to apply a function to the movement information;

applying the spatial smoothing function to the movement information in response to a selection of the spatial smoothing function; and

outputting spatially smoothed movement information.

52. The method recited in claim 51, wherein the spatial smoothing function is invoked in response to a screen pointer moving across a selected area on the screen.

53. The method recited in claim 51, wherein the spatial smoothing function is invoked in response to a value of an X axis or a value of a Y axis which is generated from the computer system pointing device.

54. The method recited in claim 51, wherein the spatial smoothing function is invoked by one of a user, a device driver, an operating system or an application.

56. The method of claim 51, wherein the spatial smoothing is selected to smooth data in the movement information generated by user motor skills.