Smart touchscreen key activation detection

• US 8,436,828 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhai, Shumin
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US13/360,242
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 340 58- 583, 382115-116, 382124-127, 434227-233, 713186-202, 178 1801- 1811
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems for, and methods of, detecting attempted space key activations on a touchscreen. Such systems and methods allow for error-tolerant data input on a touchscreen. The systems and methods may be adaptive and grow progressively more accurate as additional user data is received.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, a location of a thumb contact detected at a touchscreen of the computing device, wherein the thumb contact detected at the touchscreen is not detected at a region of the touchscreen associated with a virtual space key;

determining, by the computing device, a size of an area of the thumb contact;

determining an orientation of the thumb contact;

comparing the size of the area, the orientation, and the location to data associated with previous contacts detected at the touchscreen;

determining, based on the comparing, that the thumb contact constitutes an intended activation of the virtual space key; and

outputting, in response to the determining an electronic representation of a space character.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a texture of the thumb contact on the touchscreen, wherein the comparing further comprises comparing the texture to the data associated with previous contacts.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting a texture of the thumb contact on the touchscreen comprises detecting thumbprint ridges associated with the thumb contact.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting comprises outputting the electronic representation of the space character to a keyboard buffer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting comprises outputting the electronic representation of the space character to an application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting an orientation comprises detecting a maximal diameter of the thumb contact on the touchscreen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting an orientation comprises determining an orientation of a line segment comprising the maximal diameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the size of an area comprises determining a centroid of the thumb contact and a radius of the thumb contact detected at the touchscreen.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a likelihood score to each of the size of the area, the orientation, and the location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises comparing using Bayesian statistics.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises using a maximum likelihood test.

12. A system comprising:

a touchscreen configured to display a representation of a keyboard; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the touchscreen, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

compute information based at least in part on

     1) a location, a size and an orientation of a thumb contact area detected at the touchscreen, wherein the thumb contact area does not include a portion of the touchscreen associated with a virtual space key, and

     2) data associated with previous contacts detected at the touchscreen;

determine, based on the information, that the thumb contact constitutes an intended activation of the virtual space key; and

output an electronic representation of a space character.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect one of:

a texture of the thumb contact area detected at the touchscreen; and

thumbprint ridges of the thumb contact area detected at the touchscreen.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to output the electronic representation of the space character to a keyboard buffer.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect a maximal diameter of the thumb contact area detected at the touch screen.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect an orientation of a line segment comprising a maximal diameter of the thumb contact area on the touchscreen.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect a centroid and a radius of the thumb contact area detected at the touchscreen.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assign a likelihood score to each of the size of the area, the orientation, and the location.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the information comprises a probability computed using Bayesian statistics.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the information comprises an output of a maximum likelihood test.

21. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

determine a location of a thumb contact detected at a touchscreen of a computing device, wherein the thumb contact detected at the touchscreen is not detected at a region of the touchscreen associated with a virtual space key;

determine a size of an area of the thumb contact;

determine an orientation of the thumb contact;

calculate comparison information based at least in part on a comparison of the size of the area, the orientation, and the location to data associated with one or more previous contacts detected at the touchscreen;

determine, based on the comparison information, that the thumb contact constitutes an intended activation of the virtual space key; and

output an electronic representation of a space character.