Touchscreen user interface: Bluetooth™ stylus for performing right mouse clicks

• US 6,952,203 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Kamper, Robert J., Banerjee, Dwip
• Primary Examiner(s): Lamarre, Guy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US10/042,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 345/179, 345/173, 345/177, 345/169, 345/180, 178/18, 178/19.04, 178/87, 401/195
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A method, program and system for enabling alternate input commands by means of a stylus associated with a personal digital assistant (PDA) are provided. The method comprises applying pressure to a pressure sensor on the stylus, which invokes an application on the PDA that interprets stylus input as equivalent to a right mouse click on a computer. In response to the stylus being touched to an object displayed by the PDA, the application opens a menu associated with that object, wherein the menu allows a user to initiate specified object functions and to change specified properties of the object. Invoking the application on the PDA is accomplished via a Bluetooth™ signal between the stylus and PDA.

Claims

1. A method for enabling alternate input commands by means of a stylus associated with a personal digital assistant (PDA), the method comprising:

detecting activation of a pressure sensor on the stylus; and

in response to the activation of the pressure sensor, invoking an application on the PDA, and establishing a two-way link with said PDA, using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA, wherein the application, in response to the stylus touching an object displayed by the PDA, opens a menu associated with that object, wherein the menu allows a user to initiate specified object functions and to change specified object properties;

in response to the stylus drawing a perimeter around a plurality of objects displayed by the PDA, opening a menu of object functions and object properties associated with all objects in the perimeter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of invoking the application on the PDA is accomplished by means of a BlueTooth™

signal between the stylus and the PDA.

3. A method for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the method comprising:

detecting activation of a pressure sensor on a stylus; and

in response to the activation of said pressure sensor, establishing a two-way link with said PDA, using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA; and

invoking an application on said PDA, wherein said application opens at least one of the following function on the PDA;

e-mail, wherein e-mail messages can be band written by means of said stylus; and

calendar, wherein annotations to said calendar may be hand written by means said stylus.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of invoking the application on the PDA is accomplished by means of a BlueTooth™

signal between the stylus and the PDA.

5. A method for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the method comprising:

detecting activation of a pressure sensor on a wireless-enabled stylus; and

in response to the activation of said pressure sensor, invoking an application to establish a two-way link with said PDA;

using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA; and

invoking one of said services supported by said PDA.

6. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, for enabling alternate input commands by means of a stylus associated with a personal digital assistant (PDA), the computer program product comprising:

instructions for detecting activation of a pressure sensor on the stylus; and

instructions for invoking an application on the PDA in response to the activation of the pressure sensor and establishing a two-way link with said PDA, using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA, wherein the application, in response to the stylus touching an object displayed by the PDA, opens a menu associated with that object, wherein the menu allows a user to initiate specified object functions and to change specified object properties;

instructions for opening a menu of object functions and object properties associated with a plurality of objects displayed by the PDA, in response to the stylus drawing a perimeter around said plurality of objects.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the instructions for invoking the application on the PDA are executed in BlueTooth™

.

8. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the computer program product comprising:

instructions for detecting activation of a pressure sensor on a stylus; and

instructions for establishing a two-way link with said PDA, using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA; and

invoking an application on said PDA in response to the activation of said pressure sensor, wherein said application opens at least one of the following function on said PDA;

e-mail, wherein e-mail messages can be hand written by means of the stylus; and

calendar, wherein annotations to the calendar may be hand written by means the stylus.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the instructions for invoking the application on the PDA are executed in BlueTooth™

.

10. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the computer program product comprising:

instructions for detecting activation of a pressure sensor on a BlueTooth™

-enabled stylus;

instructions for establishing a two-way link to said PDA, via BlueTooth™

in response to the activation of the pressure sensor;

instructions for using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA; and

instructions for invoking one of said services supported by said PDA.

11. A system for enabling alternate input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the system comprising:

a pressure sensor on a stylus;

a module on said stylus for establishing a two-way link with said PDA in response to activation of the pressure sensor; and

instructions on said PDA for opening a menu in response to said stylus drawing a perimeter around a plurality of objects displayed by the PDA, wherein said menu contains object functions and object properties associated with said plurality of objects.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said module for establishing a two-way link with said PDA is a BlueTooth™

module.

13. A system for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the system comprising:

a pressure sensor on a stylus; and

a module on said stylus which invokes an application on said PDA and establishes a two-way link with said PDA, using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA in response to activation of said pressure sensor, wherein said application opens at least one of the following function on said PDA;

e-mail, wherein e-mail messages can be hand written by means of said stylus; and

calendar, wherein annotations to said calendar may be hand written by means said stylus.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said module that invokes said application on said PDA is a BlueTooth™

module.

15. A system for enabling input commands to a personal digital assistant (PDA), the system comprising:

a pressure sensor on a BlueTooth™

-enabled stylus; and

a BlueTooth™

module on said stylus for establishing a two-way link with a BlueTooth™

module on said PDA in response to activation of said pressure sensor;

instructions in memory on said stylus for using service discovery protocol to determine services supported by said PDA; and

instructions in memory on said stylus for invoking one of said services supported by said PDA.