Autonomic control of calibration for pointing device

• US 7,986,300 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pagan, William G, Masselle, Eric L.
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US11/319,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/159, 345/163, 345/167, 345/168, 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

A computer system includes a computer, a calibration module, an event detection module, and an application interface module. The computer executes one or more applications and receives pointing device events generated by a pointing device connected to the computer. The calibration module modifies a rate of movement of a cursor displayed by the computer in response to the pointing device events. The event detection module detects a less-than-optimal calibration indicator from the pointing device events and modifies the rate of movement of the cursor. The application interface module communicates with the application being performed on the computer. A storage module for storing calibration information may also be included.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating a rate of movement of a cursor displayed by a computer in response to a pointing device connected to the computer comprising the steps of:

requesting a user to operate the pointing device to indicate a natural range of motion of the user while operating the pointing device;

receiving pointing device events from the pointing device while the user is operating pointing device;

defining the natural range of motion of the user from the pointing device events;

calculating a dimension from the defined natural range of motion;

defining the rate of movement of the cursor using the dimension;

receiving additional pointing device events from the pointing device;

detecting a less-than-optimal calibration indicator for the additional pointing device events; and

autonomously modifying the rate of movement of the cursor based upon the detected indicator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is defined by the cursor moving beyond a boundary of a display area of the computer;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to decrease the rate of movement.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is defined by a plurality of successive long strokes in substantially the same direction;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to increase the rate of movement.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is defined by a stroke greater than a dimension describing a normal range of motion for a user of the pointing device;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to increase the rate of movement.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomously modifying occurs after a defined number of similar indicators have been detected.

6. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer usable program code for calibrating a rate of movement of a cursor displayed by a computer in response to a pointing device connected to the computer, the computer usable program code, which when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform:

requesting a user to operate the pointing device to indicate a natural range of motion of the user while operating the pointing device;

receiving pointing device events from the pointing device while the user is operating pointing device;

defining the natural range of motion of the user from the pointing device events;

calculating a dimension from the defined natural range of motion;

defining the rate of movement of the cursor using the dimension;

receiving additional pointing device events from the pointing device;

detecting a less-than-optimal calibration indicator for the additional pointing device events; and

autonomously modifying the rate of movement of the cursor based upon the detected indicator.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein

the indicator is defined by the cursor moving beyond a boundary of a display area of the computer;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to decrease the rate of movement.

8. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein

the indicator is defined by a plurality of successive long strokes in substantially the same direction;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to increase the rate of movement.

9. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein

the indicator is defined by a stroke greater than a dimension describing a normal range of motion for a user of the pointing device;

and

the modification of the rate of movement of the cursor is to increase the rate of movement.

10. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein

the autonomously modifying occurs after a defined number of similar indicators have been detected.