Targeting in a stylus-based user interface

• US 7,728,825 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Dodge, Steven P., Townsend, Reed L., Su, Philip Ti-Fei, Kolmykov-Zotov, Alexander J., Rimas-Ribikauskas, Emily K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIM, YONG H
• Application Number:
  US11/085,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 345/179, 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Aspects of the invention provide virtual hover zones. When a user lowers a hovering stylus while remaining within a hover zone, cursor control is modified to be more easily controllable by the user. If the user pauses the stylus in mid-air before lowering the stylus, and if the stylus remains within the hover zone, then upon touchdown the cursor may be moved to the projection of the location where the stylus was paused. Any action that may be taken in response to the touch down may be sent to the projection location as well. Also provided are cursor control zones. A dampening zone may be used to provide dampened cursor movement feedback in response to movement input provided by a pointing device. Also, a dead zone may be used to prohibit cursor movement in response to movement input provided by the pointing device.

Claims

1. A computer storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing steps including:

(a) detecting a stylus hover input of a stylus relative to a touch-sensitive input surface;

(b) detecting a pause of the stylus occurring during the stylus hover input;

(c) defining a touch zone on the touch-sensitive input surface based on a three-dimensional projection extending from a tip of the stylus to the touch-sensitive input surface at an instant in time when the pause is detected;

(d) determining a location on the touch-sensitive input surface based on a hover location of the stylus at the instant in time when the pause occurred;

(e) detecting a stylus touch input relative to the touch-sensitive input surface after the stylus hover input, the stylus touch input occurring at a different location than the location determined at the instant in time when the pause occurred; and

(f) responsive to detecting the stylus touch input, moving a cursor location to the determined location when the stylus touch input is located within the defined touch zone, and alternatively moving the cursor location to a location of the stylus touch input when the stylus touch input is located outside the defined touch zone.

2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the touch input is a tap input, and wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for sending a tap to the determined location responsive to detecting the stylus touch input.

3. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determined location based on the hover location is based on a perpendicular projection from the tip of the stylus to the touch-sensitive surface.

4. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for determining whether the stylus remains within a predetermined hover zone during the stylus hover input, wherein step (e) is performed responsive to determining that the stylus remains within the predetermined hover zone during the stylus hover input, otherwise the cursor location is moved to a location of the stylus touch input.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for displaying a cursor at the cursor location, wherein the displayed cursor moves in accordance with movement of the stylus, and wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for dampening the movement of the displayed cursor by an amount that depends upon a distance between a projected location of the stylus and the displayed cursor.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the stylus includes a stylus device or a user'"'"'s finger.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 4, wherein the hover zone is a cylinder extending from the tip of the stylus to the touch-sensitive input surface.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the hover zone extends from the touch-sensitive input surface and is conically-shaped.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the input of the stylus is the stylus hover input.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the input of the stylus is a stylus drag input subsequent to the stylus touch input.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the displayed cursor remains undampened responsive to the distance between the input of the stylus and the displayed cursor being greater than a predetermined threshold.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the dampening of the displayed cursor remains at a first level responsive to the distance between the projected location of the stylus and the displayed cursor being less than a predetermined threshold and at a different second level responsive to the distance between the projected location of the stylus and the displayed cursor being greater than the threshold.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 5, wherein the displayed cursor moves in accordance with movement of the stylus during the input of the stylus, and wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for preventing movement of the displayed cursor responsive to the input of the stylus being within a predetermined threshold distance from the displayed cursor.

14. A computer storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing steps including:

(a) detecting a stylus hover input of a stylus relative to a touch-sensitive input surface;

(b) defining a three-dimensional hover zone extending from a tip of the stylus to the touch-sensitive input surface;

(c) detecting a stylus touch input at a first location relative to the touch-sensitive input surface after the stylus hover input;

(d) determining a second location based on a statistical function of a plurality of stylus positions during the stylus hover input, the second location being different from the first location;

(e) determining whether the stylus remained within the three-dimensional hover zone between detection of the stylus hover input and detection of the stylus touch input;

(f) responsive to detecting the stylus touch input and determining that the stylus remained within the three-dimensional hover zone, moving a cursor location to the second location and directing an action associated with the stylus touch input to the second location; and

(g) responsive to detecting the stylus touch input and determining that the stylus did not remain within the three-dimensional hover zone, moving the cursor location to the first location and directing an action associated with the stylus touch input to the first location.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the statistical function includes an average of the plurality of stylus positions.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the statistical function includes a running median of the plurality of stylus positions.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for determining whether the stylus touch input is located within a predefined touch zone, wherein step (d) is performed responsive to determining that the stylus touch input is located within the touch zone, otherwise the cursor location is moved to the location of the stylus touch input.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for displaying a cursor at the cursor location, wherein the displayed cursor moves in accordance with movement of the stylus during an input of the stylus, and wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for dampening the movement of the displayed cursor by an amount that depends upon a distance between the input of the stylus and the displayed cursor.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the stylus includes a stylus device or a user'"'"'s finger.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the displayed cursor moves in accordance with movement of the stylus during the input of the stylus, and wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for preventing movement of the displayed cursor responsive to the input of the stylus being within a predetermined threshold distance from the displayed cursor.