Methods and apparatus for controlling a portable electronic device using a touchpad

• US 6,639,584 B1
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tsera LLC
• Original Assignee: Chuang Li
• Inventors: Li, Chuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M.
• Application Number:
  US09/348,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/179, 345/180, 345/358, 345/382, 345/187, 382/181, 382/182, 382/186, 382/187, 382/188, 382/189, 178/18.01, 178/18.02, 178/18-3-, 178/19-1-
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for controlling a portable electronic device, such as an MP3 player; portable radio, voice recorder, or portable CD player are disclosed. A touchpad is mounted on the housing of the device, and a user enters commands by tracing patterns with his finger on a surface of the touchpad. No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced, and the user does not need to view the device to enter commands. A microcontroller within the device matches the pattern traced by the user against a plurality of preset patterns, each of which corresponds to a predefined function or command of the device. If the pattern traced by the user is a reasonably close match to any of the preset patterns, the device performs the predefined function corresponding to the matched pattern. The touchpad replaces the numerous buttons that are typically used to control portable electronic devices, thereby enhancing usability and reducing manufacturing costs.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing; and

a touch-sensitive surface mounted on the housing, the portable electronic device controlled by a user tracing a command pattern on the touch-sensitive surface with a finger, the command pattern matching one of a plurality of preset patterns, each of the plurality of the present patterns corresponding to a predefined function of the portable electronic device, the command pattern being traced without requiring the user to view the portable electronic device,

wherein at least one of the plurality of patterns corresponds to a predefined function that is performed only for so long as contact is maintained with the touch-sensitive surface,

wherein the command pattern is composed of one of more motions of the finger on the touch-sensitive surface, the one or more motions selected from a group of motions consisting of a left-to-right motion, a right-to-left motion, an upward motion, a downward motion, a clockwise circular motion, a counterclockwise circular motion, a diagonal motion, a tapping motion, and holding the pointing device against the touch-sensitive surface.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the command pattern matches one of the plurality of preset patterns imprecisely, within preset bounds.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the preset bounds permit a range of variation in the translation, rotation, scale, timing, and speed of tracing the command pattern.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touchpad.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a display.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a portable entertainment device.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the portable electronic device is a music player.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes predefined functions of one or more devices selected from a group consisting of an MP3 player, a cassette player, a cassette recorder, a CD player, a radio, a voice recorder, a DVD player, a pager, a remote control, and a digital music player.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the command pattern depends on a position at which the command pattern is traced or tapped on the touch-sensitive surface.

10. A portable electronic device comprising:

a microcontroller;

a memory coupled to the microcontroller, the memory storing a plurality of preset patterns, each one of the plurality of preset patterns corresponding to a predefined function of the portable electronic device;

a touch-sensitive device coupled to the microcontroller, wherein the touch-sensitive device provides data indicative of the position or motion of a user'"'"'s finger on a surface of the touch-sensitive device to the microcontroller; and

a housing containing the microcontroller, memory and touch-sensitive device, wherein the housing is configured to be used in any one of a plurality of orientations,

wherein the microcontroller is programmed to;

recognize a selected orientation for the device;

collect the data without requiring a user to view the portable electronic device;

match the data against the plurality of preset patterns while taking into account any one of the plurality of orientations of the housing to determine a matched pattern if any one of the plurality of preset patterns sufficiently matches the data;

cause the portable electronic device to perform the predefined function that corresponds to the matched pattern; and

permit variation, within preset bounds, in translation, rotation, scale, timing, and speed of tracing of a pattern when the data is matched against the plurality of preset patterns.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the microcontroller is programmed to collect the data over a predetermined period of time.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the microcontroller is programmed to perform one or more of the predefined functions of the portable electronic device.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the touch-sensitive device comprises a touchpad.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a display.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device is a portable entertainment device.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the portable electronic device is a music player.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device includes predefined functions of one or more devices selected from a group consisting of an MP3 player, a cassette player, a cassette recorder, a CD player, a radio, a voice recorder, a DVD player, a pager, a remote control, and a digital music player.

18. A method of controlling a portable electronic device using a touch-sensitive device, the method comprising:

establishing a starting orientation for a housing of the device;

contacting a surface of the touch-sensitive device;

collecting data corresponding to a pattern traced across the surface of the touch-sensitive device without requiring a user to view the portable electronic device;

matching the data, based on the starting orientation, against a plurality of preset patterns, each one of the preset patterns corresponding to a predefined function of the portable electronic device;

determining whether a sufficiently close match was found; and

performing the predefined function corresponding to a matched one of the plurality of preset patterns if a sufficiently close match was found only for so long as contact is maintained with the touch-sensitive surface,

wherein matching the data against the plurality of preset patterns permits variation, within preset bounds, in translation, rotation, scale, timing and speed of tracing of a pattern.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein collecting the data is performed over a predetermined period of time.

20. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing; and

a touch-sensitive surface mounted on the housing, the portable electronic device controlled by a user tracing a command pattern on the touch-sensitive surface with a finger, the command pattern matching one of a plurality of preset patterns, each of the plurality of the present patterns corresponding to a predefined function of the portable electronic device, the command pattern being traced without requiring the user to view the portable electronic device,

wherein at least one of the plurality of patterns corresponds to a predefined function that is performed only for so long as contact is maintained with the touch-sensitive surface,

wherein the command pattern depends on a position at which the command pattern is traced or tapped on the touch-sensitive surface.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 20, wherein the command pattern matches one of the plurality of preset patterns imprecisely, within preset bounds.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 21, wherein the preset bounds permit a range of variation in the translation, rotation, scale, timing, and speed of tracing the command pattern.

23. The portable electronic device of claim 20, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touchpad.

24. The portable electronic device of claim 20, wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a display.

25. The portable electronic device of claim 20, wherein the portable electronic device is a portable entertainment device.

26. The portable electronic device of claim 25, wherein the portable entertainment device is a music player.

27. The portable electronic device of claim 20, wherein the portable electronic device includes predefined functions of one or more devices selected from a group consisting of an MP3 player, a cassette player, a CD player, a radio, a voice recorder, a DVD player, a pager, a remote control, and a digital music player.