Methods and apparatus for pressure-based manipulation of content on a touch screen

• US 8,363,020 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Hao, Maniar, Papu, Wei, Yi, Zhang, Keshu, Li, Haifeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US12/549,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for manipulating content displayed on a touch screen utilizing a transparent pressure-sensing touch panel. A method comprises displaying content on the touch screen and obtaining one or more pressure metrics for an input gesture on the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel. Each pressure metric corresponds to pressure (or force) applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel by a respective impression of the input gesture. The method further comprises adjusting the displayed content on the touch screen in response to the input gesture, wherein the displayed content is adjusted based on to the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture.

Claims

1. A method for using a touch screen display including a transparent pressure-sensing touch panel, the method comprising:

displaying content on the touch screen display, resulting in displayed content;

obtaining one or more pressure metrics for an input gesture on the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel of the touch screen display, each pressure metric corresponding to pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel by a respective impression of the input gesture; and

adjusting the displayed content on the touch screen display in response to the input gesture, wherein the displayed content is adjusted based on to the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel including a transparent composite layer, wherein the method further comprises determining the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture based on resistance of the transparent composite layer underlying the respective impression of the input gesture, wherein the resistance of the transparent composite layer underlying the respective impression of the input gesture corresponds to the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel by the respective impression.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

displaying content on the touch screen display comprises displaying a first object on the touch screen display;

obtaining one or more pressure metrics comprises obtaining a first pressure metric for a first impression of the input gesture corresponding to the first object; and

adjusting the displayed content comprises manipulating the first object on the touch screen display in a manner that is influenced by the first pressure metric.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

displaying content on the touch screen display further comprises displaying a second object on the touch screen display;

obtaining one or more pressure metrics further comprises obtaining a second pressure metric for a second impression of the input gesture corresponding to the second object, the first impression and the second impression being concurrent; and

adjusting the displayed content further comprises manipulating the second object on the touch screen display, wherein the second object is manipulated proportionally to the second pressure metric.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

manipulating the first object on the touch screen display comprises adjusting a perceived depth of the first object such that the perceived depth of the first object corresponds to the first pressure metric; and

manipulating the second object on the touch screen display comprises adjusting a perceived depth of the second object such that the perceived depth of the second object corresponds to the second pressure metric.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the displayed content comprises laterally adjusting the displayed content at a rate corresponding to the magnitude of the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture, such that an increase in the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel increases the rate at which the displayed content is laterally adjusted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the displayed content comprises laterally adjusting the displayed content by an amount corresponding to the magnitude of the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture, such that an increase in the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel increases the amount by which the displayed content is laterally adjusted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the displayed content comprises adjusting a perceived depth of the displayed content in proportion with the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the displayed content comprises rotating the displayed content on the touch screen display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a characteristic of the displayed content to be adjusted based on the input gesture, wherein the characteristic is adjusted in accordance with the magnitude of the one or more pressure metrics for the input gesture.

11. The method of claim 1, the input gesture comprising a first impression and a second impression concurrently applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel, wherein:

determining the one or more pressure metrics comprises;

determining a first pressure metric for the first impression; and

determining a second pressure metric for the second impression; and

adjusting the displayed content comprises adjusting the displayed content based on the first pressure metric and the second pressure metric.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining an axis of rotation for the displayed content based on the first impression and the second impression, wherein adjusting the displayed content comprises rotating the displayed content about the axis of rotation based on a difference between the first pressure metric and the second pressure metric.

13. A device comprising:

a touch screen display comprising;

a display device configured to display graphical content;

a transparent pressure-sensing touch panel aligned with respect to the display device such that at least a portion of the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel overlaps at least a portion of the graphical content displayed on the display device; and

a processing module coupled to the touch screen display, wherein the processing module and the touch screen display are cooperatively configured to adjust graphical content displayed on the display device in response to a pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel, wherein the extent of the adjustment corresponds to the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel comprises a transparent composite layer, wherein resistance of the transparent composite layer is influenced by the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a first transparent electrode layer disposed on the transparent composite layer; and

a second transparent electrode layer, the transparent composite layer being disposed on the second transparent electrode layer, wherein the processing module and the touch screen display are cooperatively configured to determine the pressure applied to the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel based on the resistance of the transparent composite layer between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the transparent pressure-sensing touch panel comprises a resilient material having transparent conductive particles dispersed within the resilient material.

17. A method for using a touch screen display, the touch screen display comprising a transparent touch panel aligned in a line-of-sight with respect to a display device of the touch screen display, the transparent touch panel including a transparent composite layer, the method comprising:

displaying an object on the display device of the touch screen display;

determining pressure applied to the transparent touch panel by a first impression based on a change in a conductivity of the transparent composite layer underlying the first impression, the conductivity of the transparent composite layer being influenced by the pressure applied to the transparent touch panel by the first impression; and

manipulating the object on the display device in response to the first impression, wherein the extent of the manipulation is influenced by the pressure applied to the transparent touch panel by the first impression.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining pressure applied to the transparent touch panel by a second impression, wherein manipulating the object on the display device comprises manipulating the object based on the first impression and the second impression, the extent of the manipulation is based on the pressure applied by the first impression and the pressure applied by the second impression.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein manipulating the object on the display device comprises rotating the object on the display device based on a difference between the pressure applied by the first impression and the pressure applied by the second impression.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein manipulating the object on the display device in response to the first impression comprises repositioning the object on the display device, wherein the rate at which the object is repositioned is proportional to the pressure applied by the first impression.