Managing inputs from a plurality of user input device actuators

• US 8,418,076 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mail, Scott M., Odell, Dan, Mistry, Tejas, Dmitriev, Vadim, Davuluri, Pavan, Sarmiento, Nino Aldrin Lasco
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US12/120,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20090288039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 715/766, 715802-804, 715/815, 715/783, 715/764, 715/767
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A computing device and method for managing inputs from a plurality of user input device actuators are provided. The computing device may include code stored in memory for implementing, via a processor, an actuator input module configured to receive a first actuator input from a first user input device actuator, and a second actuator input from a second user input device actuator. The computing device may further execute code to implement a window selection module configured to select a first selected window to which the first actuator input is sent according to predetermined selection rules, to select a second selected window to which the second actuator input is sent according to the predetermined selection rules, and to send the first actuator input to the first selected window and to send the second actuator input to the second selected window.

Claims

1. A computing device for managing inputs from a plurality of user input device actuators, the computing device comprising code stored in memory for implementing via a processor:

an actuator input module configured to receive a first actuator input from a first scroll wheel in a mouse, and a second actuator input from a second scroll wheel in the mouse; and

a window selection module configured to select a first selected window to which the first actuator input is sent according to predetermined selection rules and concurrently select a second selected window to which the second actuator input is sent according to the predetermined selection rules, send the first actuator input to the first selected window and to send the second actuator input to the second selected window, and encode the first actuator input to instruct the first selected window to perform a first action in response to receiving the first actuator input and encode the second actuator input to instruct the second selected window to perform a second action in response to receiving the second actuator input.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first and second actions are selected from the group consisting of tabbing, list item selection, scrolling, mode changing, window switching, gadget switching, zooming, window sizing, menu list access, multiple desktop switching, magnification, panning, rate change, sensitivity adjustment, and user re-assignable actions.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined selection rules is based on a detected spatial position of the first selected window and/or the second selected window.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the detected spatial position includes a detected variation in horizontal position or vertical position of the first selected window and the second selected window.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined selection rules is based on a detected temporal property of the first selected window and/or the second selected window.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the temporal property is a chronological order of the first selected window and/or a chronological order of the second selected window.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined selection rules is based on a user specified setting.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the user specified setting includes a user mapping of a GUI element within a window to the first actuator input or second actuator input.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first scroll wheel and the second scroll wheel are mounted in a housing of the mouse.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the first scroll wheel and the second scroll wheel are separated by a divider.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the first and second scroll wheels are constructed to be different in material, shape, size, texture, and/or color.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the first and second scroll wheels have distinguishable haptic responses.

13. A method for operation of a computing device, comprising:

receiving a first actuator input from a first scroll wheel in a mouse;

receiving a second actuator input from a second scroll wheel in the mouse;

associating the first actuator input with a first selected window in response to one or more predetermined selection rules;

associating the second actuator input with a second selected window in response to the predetermined selection rules without receiving user input to manually adjust focus from the first selected window to the second selected window;

triggering a first action in the first selected window in response to the first actuator input; and

triggering a second action in the second selected window in response to the second actuator input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined selection rules are based on factors selected from the group consisting of spatial position of the first and second selected windows, temporal properties of the first and second selected windows, and user specified settings.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the first and second actions is selected from the group consisting of tabbing, list item selection, scrolling, mode changing, window switching, gadget switching, zooming, window sizing, menu list access, multiple desktop switching, magnification, panning, rate change, sensitivity adjustment, and user re-assignable actions.

16. The method of claim 13,

wherein triggering the first action in the first selected window includes sending the first actuator input to the first selected window;

and

wherein triggering the second action in the second selected window includes sending the second actuator input to the second selected window.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the first scroll wheel and the second scroll wheel are substantially parallel and partially enclosed by a housing of the mouse, the housing including a right and a left button proximate to the scroll wheels.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first actuator input and the second actuator input are received concurrently.