Detecting and responding to unintentional contact with a computing device

• US 8,660,978 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Pahud, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Traktovenko, Ilya
• Application Number:
  US12/970,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 706/52, 706/46, 706/45, 706/62, 706/15
• US Class Current: 706/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computing device is described herein for detecting and addressing unintended contact of a hand portion (such as a palm) or other article with a computing device. The computing device uses multiple factors to determine whether input events are accidental, including, for instance, the tilt of a pen device as it approaches a display surface of the computing device. The computing device can also capture and analyze input events which represent a hand that is close to the display surface, but not making physical contact with the display surface. The computing device can execute one or more behaviors to counteract the effect of any inadvertent input actions that it may detect.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a display surface;

plural input mechanisms for providing input events associated with an input action, including;

a touch input mechanism for providing at least one touch input event that indicates contact of a hand with a display surface of the computing device,

a pen input mechanism for providing at least one pen input event that indicates contact of a pen device with the display surface of the computing device, and

at least one other input mechanism for providing at least one other input event;

an interpretation and behavior selection module (IBSM) for receiving the input events;

wherein the IBSM is configured to apply multiple factors to assess a level of confidence that at least part of the input action represents an unintentional contact with the display surface of the computing device;

wherein the IBSM is configured to determine pen orientation information which indicates an orientation at which the pen device is held in the hand during a touch input event concurrent with at least one input event other than the touch input event, wherein the pen orientation information comprises one of the multiple factors;

the IBSM being configured to apply at least one behavior to counteract effects of the unintentional contact, when the unintentional contact has been assessed.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein said at least one other input mechanism comprises one or more of an accelerometer and a gyro device.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein said at least one other input mechanism comprises an input mechanism that senses the hand at least one of prior to, during, and after contact of any object with the computing device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the unintentional contact occurs when a hand portion makes contact with a display surface of the computing device.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine position information that indicates a position of at least one of the hand and pen device during the input action, wherein the position information comprises one of the multiple factors.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine device orientation information that indicates an orientation of the computing device during the input action, wherein the device orientation information comprises one of the multiple factors.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine contact shape information which indicates a shape associated with said at least one touch input event, wherein the shape information comprises one of the multiple factors.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine progression information which indicates a temporal progression associated with application of any input events, wherein the progression information comprises one of the multiple factors.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine user behavior information which indicates a manner in which a user is performing the input action, wherein the user behavior information comprises one of the multiple factors.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the user behavior information includes handedness information which indicates whether the pen device is being held in a right or left hand.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to determine override information which indicates an override command to ignore said at least one touch input event as being an unintentional touch contact, wherein the override information comprises one of the multiple factors.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the IBSM is configured to interpret a prescribed touch gesture as the override command.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the behavior comprises a rejection action which operates to ignore at least part of any input event associated with the unintentional contact.

14. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the behavior comprises a correction action in which an interpretation of the input action is modified to remove effects caused by said at least part of the input action associated with the unintentional contact.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the behavior comprises a restoration action in which a state is restored to a state prior to application of said at least part of the input action associated with the unintentional contact.

16. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the behavior comprises a configuration action which configures the computing device in a prescribed manner to receive subsequent input events, thereby enabling the computing device to address subsequent unintentional contact with the computing device.

17. A method for detecting and addressing unintended contact with a display surface of a computing device, comprising:

receiving input events from plural input mechanisms associated with an input action, at least one of the input mechanisms comprising a touch input mechanism for providing at least one touch input event that indicates contact of a hand with the display surface of the computing device;

wherein the input mechanisms further include one or more of a pen input mechanism for providing at least one pen input event that indicates contact of a pen device with the display surface of the computing device and at least one other input mechanism for providing at least one other input event;

evaluating multiple factors for assessing a level of confidence that at least part of the input action represents an unintentional contact with the display surface of the computing device;

applying at least one behavior to counteract effects of the unintentional contact, when the unintentional contact has been assessed; and

wherein said multiple factors include pen orientation information which indicates an orientation at which the pen device is held in the hand during a touch input event concurrent with at least one input event other than the touch input event and one or more of;

position information that indicates a position of at least one of the hand and the pen device relative to the display surface of the computing device during the input action,

device orientation information that indicates an orientation of the computing device during the input action,

contact shape information which indicates a shape associated with said at least one touch input event,

progression information which indicates a temporal progression associated with application of any input events, and

user behavior information which indicates a manner in which a user is performing the input action.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the unintentional contact occurs when at least one of a hand portion and the pen device makes contact with the display surface.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the multiple factors include four or more of the position information, pen orientation information, device orientation information, device motion information, contact shape information, progression information, and user behavior information.

20. A computing device having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions providing an interpretation and behavior selection module (IBSM) when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer readable instructions comprising:

logic configured to receive input events from plural input mechanisms associated with an input action, at least one of the input mechanisms comprising a touch input mechanism for providing at least one touch input event that indicates contact of a hand with a display surface of the computing device;

wherein the input mechanisms further include one or more of a pen input mechanism for providing at least one pen input event that indicates contact of a pen device with the display surface of the computing device and at least one other input mechanism for providing at least one other input event;

logic configured to evaluate multiple factors to assess a level of confidence that at least part of the input action represents an unintentional contact with the display surface of the computing device;

logic configured to apply at least one behavior to counteract effects of the unintentional contact, when the unintentional contact has been assessed; and

wherein said multiple factors include pen orientation information which indicates an orientation at which the pen device is held in the hand during a touch input event concurrent with at least one input event other than the touch input event and one or more of;

position information that indicates a position of at least one of the hand and the pen device relative to the display surface of the computing device during the input action;

device orientation information that indicates an orientation of the computing device during the input action;

contact shape information which indicates a shape associated with said at least one touch input event;

progression information which indicates a temporal progression associated with application of any input events; and

user behavior information which indicates a manner in which a user is performing the input action.