Method for scroll bar control on a touchpad and touchpad with scroll bar control function

• US 8,643,606 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation, Elantech Devices Corporation (Elan Microelectronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Chiu, Yen-Chang, Chien, Yung-Lieh, Wu, Zhi-Long
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/230,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20090009366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1907
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• 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

A touchpad includes a controller connected to a touch sensor. The controller detects the fingers touching on the touch sensor to determine to start up and terminate a scroll bar control function. In the scroll bar control function, the movement of the finger or fingers touching on the touch sensor is detected for scrolling on a window, and the vertical distance and the horizontal distance of the movement are evaluated for determining the scrolling amount of a vertical scroll bar or a horizontal scroll bar of the window.

Claims

1. A touch device, comprising:

a touch sensor; and

said touch device having a scroll bar control function for detecting a number of fingers touching on the touch sensor;

wherein if the number of fingers is equal to or larger than a first threshold, the touch device will start up the scroll bar control function independent of a sliding-movement of the fingers, and detect a movement of the fingers on the touch sensor for scrolling on a window accordingly in the scroll bar control function;

wherein the first threshold is larger than one.

2. The touch device according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold is two.

3. The touch device according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar control function is continued if the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is not less than a second threshold which is larger than zero and is equal to or less than the first threshold.

4. The touch device according to claim 1, wherein the scroll bar control function is terminated once the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is equal to or less than a second threshold which is less than the first threshold.

5. The touch device according to claim 4, wherein the second threshold is equal to or less than one.

6. The touch device according to claim 1, wherein a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement for scrolling a vertical scroll bar and a horizontal scroll bar on the window, are respectively evaluated.

7. The touch device according to claim 1, wherein a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement are evaluated for scrolling a vertical scroll bar on the window if the vertical distance is larger than the horizontal distance over a first reference, or scrolling a horizontal scroll bar on the window if the horizontal distance is larger than the vertical distance over a second reference.

8. The touch device according to claim 7, wherein a scrolling amount for the vertical scroll bar is determined in proportion to a difference between the vertical distance and the horizontal distance.

9. The touch device according to claim 7, wherein a scrolling amount for the vertical scroll bar is determined in proportion to the vertical distance.

10. The touch device according to claim 7, wherein a scrolling amount for the horizontal scroll bar is determined in proportion to a difference between the horizontal distance and the vertical distance.

11. The touch device according to claim 7, wherein a scrolling amount for the horizontal scroll bar is determined in proportion to the horizontal distance.

12. A touch device, comprising:

a touch sensor; and

said touch device having a window scrolling control function for detecting a number of fingers touching on the touch sensor;

wherein if the number of fingers is equal to or larger than a first threshold which is larger than one, the touch device will start up the window scrolling control function independent of a sliding movement of the fingers, and detect a movement of the fingers on the touch sensor for scrolling a window accordingly in the window scrolling control function.

13. The touch device according to claim 12, wherein the first threshold is two.

14. The touch device according to claim 12, wherein the window scrolling control function is continued if the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is not less than a second threshold which is larger than zero and is equal to or less than the first threshold.

15. The touch device according to claim 12, wherein the window scrolling control function is terminated once the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is equal to or less than a second threshold which is less than the first threshold.

16. The touch device according to claim 15, wherein the second threshold is equal to or less than one.

17. The touch device according to claim 12, wherein a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement for scrolling the window in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, are respectively evaluated.

18. The touch device according to claim 12, wherein a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement are evaluated for scrolling the window in a vertical direction if the vertical distance is larger than the horizontal distance over a first reference, or scrolling the window in a horizontal direction if the horizontal distance is larger than the vertical distance over a second reference.

19. The touch device according to claim 18, wherein a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the vertical direction is determined in proportion to a difference between the vertical distance and the horizontal distance.

20. The touch device according to claim 18, wherein a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the vertical direction is determined in proportion to the vertical distance.

21. The touch device according to claim 18, wherein a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the horizontal direction is determined in proportion to a difference between the horizontal distance and the vertical distance.

22. The touch device according to claim 18, wherein a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the horizontal direction is determined in proportion to the horizontal distance.

23. A method for window scrolling control on a touch device having a touch sensor, comprising the steps of:

detecting a number of fingers touching on the touch sensor;

starting up a window scrolling control function independent of a sliding movement of the fingers if the number of fingers is equal to or larger than a first threshold which is larger than one; and

detecting a movement of the fingers on the touch sensor for scrolling a window accordingly in the window scrolling control function.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the first threshold is two.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising continuing the window scrolling control function if the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is not less than a second threshold which is larger than zero and is equal to or less than the first threshold.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising terminating the window scrolling control function once the number of fingers touching on the touch sensor is equal to or less than a second threshold which is less than the first threshold.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the second threshold is equal to or less than one.

28. The method according to claim 23, further comprising evaluating a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement for scrolling the window in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, respectively.

29. The method according to claim 23, further comprising evaluating a vertical distance and a horizontal distance of the movement for scrolling the window in a vertical direction if the vertical distance is larger than the horizontal distance over a first reference, or scrolling the window in a horizontal direction on the window if the horizontal distance is larger than the vertical distance over a second reference.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising determining a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the vertical direction in proportion to a difference between the vertical distance and the horizontal distance.

31. The method according to claim 29, further comprising determining a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the vertical direction in proportion to the vertical distance.

32. The method according to claim 29, further comprising determining a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the horizontal direction in proportion to a difference between the horizontal distance and the vertical distance.

33. The method according to claim 29, further comprising determining a scrolling amount for scrolling the window in the horizontal direction in proportion to the horizontal distance.