Dual touch pad interface

• US 8,115,749 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patent Ingenuity, P.C.
• Original Assignee: Dilluvah Corp.
• Inventors: Simpson, Samuel K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US12/960,539
• Time in Patent Office: 436 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 345/173, 701/36
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A smart phone has a dual touch pad interface that includes a graphical user interface. Further, the smart phone includes a first touch pad, which is operably connected to the smart phone, that has a plurality of first touch pad sensors arranged in at least one first touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of first touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a first subset of a set of letters in an alphabet. In addition, the smart phone has a second touch pad, which is operably connected to the smart phone, that has a plurality of second touch pad sensors arranged in at least one second touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of second touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a second subset of the set of letters in the alphabet.

Claims

1. A smart phone having a dual touch pad interface comprising:

a graphical user interface;

a first touch pad, which is operably connected to the smart phone, that has a plurality of first touch pad sensors arranged in at least one first touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of first touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a first subset of a set of letters in an alphabet;

a second touch pad, which is operably connected to the smart phone, that has a plurality of second touch pad sensors arranged in at least one second touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of second touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a second subset of the set of letters in the alphabet, the second subset including remaining letters in the alphabet that are distinct from that of the first subset; and

a processor that (i) receives sensor data from the first touch pad and the second touch pad, (ii) determines a last character in the sensor data received prior to the user removing a digit from the first touch pad or the second touch pad, and (iii) outputs the last character to the graphical user interface.

2. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the at least one first touch pad shaped layout is a square arrangement.

3. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the at least one first touch pad shaped layout is a circular arrangement.

4. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the at least one second touch pad shaped layout is a square arrangement.

5. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the at least one second touch pad shaped layout is a circular arrangement.

6. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the first subset is arranged in consecutive alphabetic order.

7. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the first subset is arranged in nonconsecutive alphabetic order.

8. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the second subset is arranged in consecutive alphabetic order.

9. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the second subset is arranged in nonconsecutive alphabetic order.

10. A smart phone having a dual touch pad interface comprising:

a graphical user interface;

a first touch pad, which is displayed in the graphical user interface, that has a plurality of first touch pad sensors arranged in at least one first touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of first touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a first subset of a set of letters in an alphabet;

a second touch pad, which is displayed in the graphical user interface, that has a plurality of second touch pad sensors arranged in at least one second touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of second touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a second subset of the set of letters in the alphabet, the second subset including remaining letters in the alphabet that are distinct from that of the first subset; and

a processor that (i) receives sensor data from the first touch pad and the second touch pad, (ii) determines a last character in the sensor data received prior to the user removing a digit from the first touch pad or the second touch pad, and (iii) outputs the last character to the graphical user interface.

11. The smart phone of claim 10, wherein the at least one first touch pad shaped layout is a square arrangement.

12. The smart phone of claim 10, wherein the at least one first touch pad shaped layout is a circular arrangement.

13. The smart phone of claim 10, wherein the at least one second touch pad shaped layout is a square arrangement.

14. The smart phone of claim 10, wherein the at least one second touch pad shaped layout is a circular arrangement.

15. A smart phone having a dual touch pad interface comprising:

a graphical user interface;

a first touch pad, which is displayed in the graphical user interface, that has (i) a first rest pad and (ii) a plurality of first touch pad sensors arranged in at least one first touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of first touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a first subset of a set of letters in an alphabet;

a second touch pad, which is displayed in the graphical user interface, that has (i) a second rest pad and (ii) a plurality of second touch pad sensors arranged in at least one second touch pad shaped layout such that each of the plurality of second touch pad sensors corresponds to a letter from a second subset of the set of letters in the alphabet, the second subset including remaining letters in the alphabet that are distinct from that of the first subset; and

a processor that (i) receives sensor data from the first touch pad and the second touch pad, (ii) determines if the first rest pad or the second rest pad is touched by the user, (iii) determines a last character in the sensor data received prior to the user touching the first rest pad or the second rest pad, and (iv) outputs the last character to the graphical user interface.

16. The smart phone of claim 15, wherein the first touch pad is operably connected to the smart phone.

17. The smart phone of claim 15, wherein the second touch pad is operably connected to the smart phone.

18. The smart phone of claim 15, wherein the first touch pad is displayed in the graphical user interface.

19. The smart phone of claim 15, wherein the second touch pad is displayed in the graphical user interface.

20. The smart phone of claim 15, wherein a separate menu for numerals is displayed in the graphical user interface.