Touch-sensitive device for scrolling a document on a display

• US 7,688,312 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cauthorn, James H., Muss, Timothy Michael, Kerestegian, Stiven, Bathiche, Steven N., Hinckley, Kenneth P., McLoone, Hugh E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US10/985,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 345156-181
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A touch-sensitive device for use as an electronic input device for controlling by scrolling the visible portion of a document or image relative to a display. The device can include various improved configurations such as physically separate opposed input surfaces at opposite longitudinal ends and/or lateral sides. The end regions of a touch sensitive surface may be rounded and/or tapered to provide relative positional feedback to the user. Tactile positional feedback can also include surface texture changes on the scrolling area and/or changes in the surface of the frame in the region immediately adjacent the scrolling area. The touch sensitive areas may be provided within a split alphanumeric section of an ergonomic keyboard to enable scrolling without the user having to remove his or her hands from the alphanumeric section.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive device for scrolling a document on a display screen, said device comprising:

a scrolling area extending along a longitudinal axis, the scrolling area having a width in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and opposed first and second ends each having a distal end

wherein the width of the scrolling area substantially enlarges or tapers along the longitudinal axis toward the first or second end from a central portion of the scrolling area for providing tactile feedback to a user prior to the user'"'"'s finger reaching either the first or second end of the scrolling area that the user'"'"'s finger is approaching one of the first and second ends;

tactile feedback means being located on or proximate to the scrolling area between the distal ends, wherein the tactile feedback provided to the user is indicative of how close the user'"'"'s finger is to one of the first and second ends prior to the user'"'"'s finger reaching the one of the first and second ends while inside the scrolling area,

wherein the scrolling area is configured to sense movement of the user'"'"'s finger on the scrolling area along the longitudinal axis and cause the document to be moved relative to the display screen in tandem with the movement of the user'"'"'s finger,

wherein the tactile feedback means is located on an outer surface on the scrolling area,

wherein the tactile feedback means includes surface texture on the outer surface of the scrolling area, and

wherein the tactile feedback means includes discrete surface texture changes on the outer surface of the scrolling area spaced apart along the longitudinal axis so that each discrete surface texture change is indicative of a relative position along the longitudinal axis between the first and second ends.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housing with an opening that frames the scrolling area, and wherein the tactile feedback means includes discrete changes in the surface of the frame in the region immediately adjacent the opening, the discrete changes being spaced apart along the longitudinal axis so that each discrete surface texture change is indicative of a relative position along the longitudinal axis between the first and second ends.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the discrete changes comprise raised projections of the surface of the frame in the region immediately adjacent the opening.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the discrete changes comprise recesses in the surface of the frame in the region immediately adjacent the opening.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback means includes at least one member coupled to the housing and extending into a boundary of the scrolling area.

6. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, further comprising:

a frame having an opening exposing the scrolling area,

wherein the tactile feedback means comprises changes in a surface of the frame immediately adjacent to the scrolling area between the first and second ends and variations in a bezel immediately adjacent to the scrolling area, and

wherein the variations include elements spaced apart along the longitudinal axis so that each element is indicative of a relative position along the longitudinal axis between the first and second ends, the elements being either grooves or protrusions.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the elements include grooves.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the elements include spaced elements.

9. A touch sensitive device according to claim 1, which is implemented in a keyboard having a housing and an alphanumeric section, wherein the scrolling area is located along a left or right edge of the alphanumeric section.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the width of the scrolling area near or at the first and second ends differs from the width at the central portion of the scrolling area, wherein the difference in width comprises an enlarging or tapering of the width which indicates the user'"'"'s finger is approaching one of the first and second ends.

11. A touch-sensitive device implemented in a keyboard, said keyboard having a housing and an alphanumeric section, said device comprising:

a scrolling area extending along a longitudinal axis, the scrolling area having a width in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the scrolling area being configured to sense movement of a user'"'"'s finger on the scrolling area along the longitudinal axis and generate signals causing a processor to scroll a document up or down relative to a display screen in tandem with the sensed movement of the user'"'"'s finger, wherein the scrolling area has opposed first and second ends relative to the longitudinal axis, each of the first and second ends having a distal end, wherein the width of the scrolling area substantially enlarges or tapers along the longitudinal axis toward the first or second end from a central portion of the scrolling area for providing tactile feedback to the user prior to the user'"'"'s finger reaching either the first or second end to indicate that the user'"'"'s finger is approaching one of the first and second ends, wherein the width of the scrolling area at the first and second ends differs from the width at the central portion of the scrolling area,

wherein the scrolling area'"'"'s width at the central portion is substantially less than or greater than the enlarged scrolling area width or the tapered scrolling area width, respectively; and

one or more tactile feedback elements located on or proximate to the scrolling area between the distal ends, the one or more tactile feedback elements being configured to provide a user tactile feedback prior to the user'"'"'s finger reaching either the first or second end of the scrolling area, wherein the tactile feedback provided to the user is indicative of how close the user'"'"'s finger is to one of the first and second ends prior to the user'"'"'s finger reaching the one of the first and second ends while inside the scrolling area,

wherein the one or more tactile feedback elements are incorporated as part of a boundary transition region between the keyboard housing and the scrolling area, such that the one or more tactile feedback elements include at least one of;

a contoured edge of the boundary transition region, and a protrusion or groove positioned along the edge of the boundary transition region, and

wherein the scrolling area is located along a left or right edge of the alphanumeric section.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein

the alphanumeric section of the keyboard is split into two subsections to provide an ergonomic benefit to the user, and

the scrolling area is located in a region separating the two sub-sections of the alphanumeric section, such that the scrolling area is within range of the user'"'"'s finger while the user'"'"'s hands are positioned for normal typing.