Gradual proximity touch screen

• US 8,373,669 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miernik, Jerzy
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US12/506,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/169, 345173-175, 345/619, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

In an example embodiment, there is disclosed herein an apparatus comprising a touch screen display, a sensing mechanism operable to sense an object in proximity of the touch screen display, and control logic coupled to the sensing mechanism and the touch screen display. The control logic is operable to calculate an anticipated touch point for the object on the touch screen. The control logic is responsive to calculating the anticipated touch point to increase a size of a portion of the touch screen display around the anticipated touch point.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen display;

a sensing mechanism operable to sense an associated object spaced a distance from the touch screen display; and

,

control logic operatively coupled with the sensing mechanism and the touch screen display;

wherein the control logic is operable to calculate an anticipated touch point for the associated object on the touch screen; and

,

wherein the control logic is responsive to calculating the anticipated touch point to gradually discover the associated object by scaling a size of a portion of the touch screen display around the anticipated touch point in accordance with the distance, wherein the portion of the touch screen display that is scaled is scaled in accordance with a size of the associated object wherein a relative larger area is scaled in accordance with the associated object being a finger of an associated user of the apparatus and a relative smaller area is scaled in accordance with the associated object being a stylus pointing device.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to increase the size of the portion of the touch screen display responsive to sensing that the associated object is moving towards the touch screen display.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to decrease the size of the portion of the touch screen display responsive to sensing that the associated object is moving away from the touch screen display.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further configured to change the size of the portion of the touch screen display inversely proportionate to the distance of the associated object to the touch screen display.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the control logic is further configured to compute a trajectory of the associated object; and

the control logic is responsive to computing the trajectory of the associated object to determine the anticipated touch point.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic determines a point on the touch screen closest to the associated object;

and

wherein the anticipated touch point is the point on the touch screen closest to the associated object.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is responsive to determining that the associated object is moving across the screen to adjust the portion of the screen that is increased to follow movement of the associated object.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is operable to scale a size of a first portion of the touch screen display in accordance with the distance of the associated object from the touch screen and to shrink a second portion of the touch screen not part of the first portion to remain visible during the scaling of the first portion.

9. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the sensing mechanism is a three dimensional sensor;

the control logic is configured to determine the distance of the associated object from the touch screen display; and

the control logic is configured to generate a display of a rendered surface on the touch screen display corresponding to the distance of the associated object from the touch screen display.

10. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the control logic is responsive to display an icon on the touch screen display;

the control logic is responsive to detecting the associated object is pointing towards the icon to change a size of items on the entire display.

11. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises an optical sensor.

12. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises an infrared sensor.

13. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a projected capacitance sensor.

14. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is configured to prevent dragging of an item on the touch screen display while the associated object is not touching the touch screen display.

21. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the control logic is responsive to calculating the anticipated touch point to gradually discover the associated object by scaling a size of a touch sensitive area of the touch screen display in accordance with the size of the associated object.

22. The apparatus set forth in claim 8, wherein the control logic is operable to shrink the second portion of the touch screen by shrinking only a first display area of the second portion not part of and immediately adjacent to the first portion of the touch screen.

15. A method of gradual discovery of an associated object, the method comprising:

detecting an associated object spaced a distance from a touch screen display;

determining an anticipated touch point on the touch screen display for the associated object; and

enlarging a first portion of the touch screen display surrounding the anticipated touch point proportional to the distance of the associated object relative to the touch screen display, and shrinking a second portion of the touch screen not part of the first portion to remain visible during the enlarging of the first portion.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising increasing the portion of the touch screen display responsive to determining that the associated object is moving closer to the touch screen display.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising decreasing the portion of the touch screen display responsive to determining that the associated object is moving away from the touch screen display.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising computing a trajectory for the associated object;

and

wherein the anticipated touch point is based on the trajectory of the associated object.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining a point on the touch screen display closest to the associated object;

and

wherein the point on the touch screen display closest to the associated object is determined to be the anticipated touch point.

20. A gradual proximity discovery apparatus, comprising:

means for detecting an associated object in proximity of a touch screen display;

means for calculating an anticipated touch point on the touch screen display for the associated object; and

means for selectively scaling a portion of the touch screen display surrounding the anticipated touch point in accordance with;

i) a distance of the associated object spaced from the touch screen display, and ii) a relative size of the associated object.