Click disambiguation on a touch-sensitive input device

• US 8,390,593 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tabone, Ryan, De Los Reyes, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US13/447,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-181
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The surface of an touch-sensitive input device may act as a physical button that the user may push down to perform a click or other operation. For example, the user may push down the surface of the input device with one finger for a left click and push down the surface of the input device with two fingers for a right click. In one aspect, a system for detecting a left click or a right click when the user pushes down the surface of the input device is provided. When the system first detects that the surface of the input device is pushed down, the system may wait for a short period of time before making a determination of whether the user is pushing down the surface with one finger or two fingers. During this time, the system may collect additional information to make a more reliable determination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of reporting button actions generated using a touch-sensitive input device, comprising:

determining that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detecting a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the surface is pushed down;

reporting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is two, a first button down action;

waiting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is one, until a period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during or after the step of waiting;

wherein reporting the button actions comprises;

determining, before the period of time has elapsed, that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

wherein reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down comprises;

detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down;

reporting the first button down and up action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two; and

reporting a second button down and up action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the period of time comprises multiple frames, and wherein the step of detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is repeated for each frame until the period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein reporting the button actions further comprises reporting the first button down action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for one of the frames is two.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein reporting the button actions further comprises reporting the second button down action in a case where the period of time has elapsed and the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time was one.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

reporting the first button down and up action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two comprises reporting a right button down action;

and

wherein reporting the second button down and up action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one comprises reporting a left button down action.

6. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of reporting button actions generated using a touch-sensitive input device, the method comprising:

determining that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detecting a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the surface is pushed down;

reporting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is two, a first button action;

waiting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is one, until a period of time has elapsed or the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during or after the step of waiting;

wherein reporting the button actions comprises;

determining, before the period of time has elapsed, that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

wherein reporting the button actions based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down comprises;

detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down;

reporting the first button action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two and

reporting a second button action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the period of time comprises multiple frames, and wherein the step of detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is repeated for each frame until the period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein reporting the button actions further comprises reporting the first button action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for one of the frames is two.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein reporting the button actions further comprises reporting the second button action in a case where the period of time has elapsed and the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time was one.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein

reporting the first button action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two comprises reporting two button actions;

and

wherein reporting the second button action in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one comprises reporting two button actions.

11. A system for reporting gestures corresponding to use of a touch-sensitive input device, the system comprising:

the touch-sensitive input device; and

a processing unit configured to perform comprising;

determining that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detecting a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the surface is pushed down;

reporting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is two, a first gesture;

waiting, in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is one, until a period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the gestures based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during or after the step of waiting;

wherein the reporting the gestures comprises;

determining, before the period of time has elapsed, that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

reporting the gestures based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down; and

wherein the reporting the gestures based on the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down comprises;

detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down;

reporting the first gesture in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two; and

reporting a second gesture in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the period of time comprises multiple frames, and wherein the operations further comprise repeating detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for each frame until the period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the reporting the gestures comprises reporting the first gesture in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for one of the frames is two.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the reporting the gestures comprises reporting the second gesture in a case where the period of time has elapsed and the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time was one.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein

reporting the first gesture in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is two comprises reporting two gestures;

and

reporting the second gesture in a case where the number of fingers detected on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down is one comprises reporting two gestures.