Keyboard integrated with trackpad

• US 8,754,854 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamburgen, William, Murphy, Glen, Bowers, Andrew, Tom, Kevin, Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Han, Amy, Lee, Ji
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US12/973,577
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-174, 178 1801- 1806, 715/863, 341/22, 341/33
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

An apparatus includes a processor and a keyboard having multiple, separately moveable keys. The keyboard is configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a keyboard comprising a plurality of separately moveable keys, the keyboard being configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad, wherein each of the separately moveable keys comprises;

a key surface,

a tracking layer disposed beneath the key surface, the tracking layer comprising a capacitive surface,

a keystroke sensor for each of the separately moveable keys disposed beneath the tracking layer, and

a support layer disposed beneath the keystroke sensor and the tracking layer;

wherein the processor is configured to characterize and process typing gestures, click gestures and tracking gestures, wherein the click gestures include click-type functions, and the processor is configured to;

determine if a keyboard input activates one of the keystroke sensors on one of the separately moveable keys,

responsive to determining a keystroke sensor activation, register a typing gesture for a key associated with the activated keystroke sensor,

responsive to determining no keystroke sensor activation, determine if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key, and

responsive to determining if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key, characterize and process the keyboard input as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the processor is configured to determine a software application context of the keyboard input and process the keyboard input as a typing gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is in a typing context.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the processor is configured to determine a software application context of the keyboard input and process the keyboard input as a click gesture or a tracking gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is not in a typing context.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to process the keyboard input as a tracking gesture on the single key.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the keyboard further comprises a separate sensor array configured to detect touch gestures made on or near a surface of the keyboard; and

the processor is configured to process the touch gestures detected by the separate sensor array into one or more actions.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein:

the processor is further configured to classify the touch gestures between a typing gesture, a click gesture and a tracking gesture in response to detecting the touch gestures by the separate sensor array.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separately moveable keys are individual keys.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the individual keys are arranged such that each of the keys is an approximately planar surface arranged together to cover a substantial portion of a key support.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a spring mechanism for each separately movable key.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the keystroke sensor includes a force sensor for each separately movable key.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein:

the processor is configured to;

store a history of keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections to characterized gestures of the keyboard inputs in the memory, and

characterize and process new keyboard inputs as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture based on the history of the stored keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections.

12. A method including executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor, the method comprising:

obtaining an input to a keyboard, the keyboard comprising a plurality of separately movable keys, the keyboard being configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad;

determining if a keyboard input activates a keystroke sensor on one of the separately moveable keys;

responsive to determining a keystroke sensor activation, registering a typing gesture for a key associated with the activated keystroke sensor;

responsive to determining no keystroke sensor activation, determining if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key;

responsive to determining if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key, characterizing and processing the keyboard input as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture;

storing a history of keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections to characterized gestures of the keyboard inputs in a memory; and

characterizing and processing new keyboard inputs as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture based on the history of the stored keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a software application context of the keyboard input and wherein characterizing and processing the keyboard input includes processing the keyboard input as a typing gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is in a typing context.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a software application context of the keyboard input and wherein characterizing and processing the keyboard input includes processing the keyboard input as a click gesture or a tracking gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is not in a typing context.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the keyboard input includes processing the keyboard input as a tracking gesture on the single key.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein characterizing and processing the keyboard input includes processing the keyboard input as a click gesture or a tracking gesture in response to determining the gesture is over multiple keys.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

obtaining an input to a keyboard, the keyboard comprising a plurality of separately movable keys, the keyboard being configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad;

determining if a keyboard input activates a keystroke sensor on one of the separately moveable keys;

responsive to determining a keystroke sensor activation, registering a typing gesture for a key associated with the activated keystroke sensor;

responsive to determining no keystroke sensor activation, determining if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key;

responsive to determining if the keyboard input is a gesture over multiple keys or a gesture on a single key, characterizing and processing the keyboard input as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture;

storing a history of keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections to characterized gestures of the keyboard inputs in a memory; and

characterizing and processing new keyboard inputs as one of a typing gesture, a click gesture or a tracking gesture based on the history of the stored keyboard inputs and corresponding user corrections.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions that, when executed, perform the action of determining a software application context of the keyboard input and wherein the instructions that, when executed, perform the action of characterizing and processing the keyboard input include instructions that, when executed, perform the action of processing the keyboard input as a typing gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is in a typing context.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions that, when executed, perform the action of determining a software application context of the keyboard input and wherein the instructions that, when executed, perform the action of characterizing and processing the keyboard input include instructions that, when executed, perform the action of processing the keyboard input as a click gesture or a tracking gesture in response to determining the gesture is on a single key and the software application context is not in a typing context.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions that, when executed, perform the action of processing the keyboard input include instructions that, when executed, perform the action of processing the keyboard input as a tracking gesture on the single key.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions that, when executed, perform the action of characterizing and processing the keyboard input include instructions that, when executed, perform the action of processing the keyboard input as a click gesture or a tracking gesture in response to determining the gesture is over multiple keys.