System and process for selectable input with a touch screen
First Claim
1. A process for selectable input with a touch screen having a plurality of selectable regions therein, the process comprising the steps of:
- tracking motion that corresponds to interaction of a user in relation to the touch screen, wherein the tracked motion defines a path comprising path data, wherein the path data comprises sequential positions and corresponding times;
for each sequential position, comparing the current position and corresponding time to the path data;
detecting if the current position meets a threshold of a selectable position along the defined path, wherein the defined path comprises at least two selectable positions,wherein the threshold of a selectable position in relation to the touch screen comprises any of starting the defined path, looping the defined path, changing direction of the defined path, changing velocity of the defined path, pausing motion in the defined path, and ending the defined path, andwherein the threshold of changing direction comprises any of a curve having an estimated radius that is less than a threshold geometry, a comparison of the defined path direction before and after a curve, a sharp cusp edge in the defined path, and a comparison of path direction before and after a cusp;
determining which of the detected selectable positions along the defined path correspond to one of the selectable regions; and
adding a selection that corresponds to the detected selectable region to a sequence of selections that corresponds to the defined path.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A selective input system and associated method is provided which tracks the motion of a pointing device over a region or area. The pointing device can be a touchpad, a mouse, a pen, or any device capable of providing two or three-dimensional location. The region or area is preferably augmented with a printed or actual keyboard/pad. Alternatively, a representation of the location of the pointing device over a virtual keyboard/pad can be dynamically shown on an associated display. The system identifies selections of items or characters by detecting parameters of motion of the pointing device, such as length of motion, a change in direction, a change in velocity, and or a lack of motion at locations that correspond to features on the keyboard/pad. The input system is preferably coupled to a text disambiguation system such as a T9® or Sloppytype™ system, to improve the accuracy and usability of the input system.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A process for selectable input with a touch screen having a plurality of selectable regions therein, the process comprising the steps of:
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tracking motion that corresponds to interaction of a user in relation to the touch screen, wherein the tracked motion defines a path comprising path data, wherein the path data comprises sequential positions and corresponding times; for each sequential position, comparing the current position and corresponding time to the path data; detecting if the current position meets a threshold of a selectable position along the defined path, wherein the defined path comprises at least two selectable positions, wherein the threshold of a selectable position in relation to the touch screen comprises any of starting the defined path, looping the defined path, changing direction of the defined path, changing velocity of the defined path, pausing motion in the defined path, and ending the defined path, and wherein the threshold of changing direction comprises any of a curve having an estimated radius that is less than a threshold geometry, a comparison of the defined path direction before and after a curve, a sharp cusp edge in the defined path, and a comparison of path direction before and after a cusp; determining which of the detected selectable positions along the defined path correspond to one of the selectable regions; and adding a selection that corresponds to the detected selectable region to a sequence of selections that corresponds to the defined path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A process for selectable input for a device, comprising the steps of:
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tracking motion that corresponds to interaction of a user with a touch screen having a plurality of selectable regions therein, wherein the tracked motion defines a path comprising path data, wherein the path data comprises sequential positions and corresponding times; for each sequential position, comparing the current position and corresponding time to the path data; determining if the current position meets a threshold of a selectable position along the defined path; wherein when the current position of the device meets the threshold of a selectable position along the path, the process determines if the selectable position corresponds to a selectable region; and adding a selection that corresponds to the selectable region to a sequence of selections that corresponds to the defined path. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for selectable input in relation to a touch screen having a plurality of selectable regions therein, the system comprising:
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a mechanism for tracking motion associated with the interaction of a user in relation to the touch screen, wherein the tracked motion defines a path comprising path data, wherein the path data comprises sequential positions and corresponding times; and at least one processor programmed for comparing the current position and corresponding time for each sequential position to the path data; and determining if the current position meets a threshold of a selectable position along the defined path, wherein when the current position of the device meets the threshold of a selectable position along the path, the processor is programmed to determine if the selectable position corresponds to a selectable region, and wherein the processor is programmed to add a selection that corresponds to the selectable region to a sequence of selections that corresponds to the defined path. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification