Method and apparatus for enabling touchpad gestures

• US 8,760,425 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Crisan, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US13/425,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20130249806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1811, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method for touchpad edge gesture detection comprising detecting touch input on a touchpad, determining if the touch input originates externally to the touchpad, determining if the touch input ends internally to the touchpad and performing a command on a computer corresponding to the touch input.

Claims

1. A method for touchpad edge gesture detection comprising:

detecting touch input on a touchpad;

determining if the touch input originates externally to the touchpad by

interpreting the touch input as a plurality of data points;

extracting a first pressure value at an initial data point in the plurality of points;

extracting an average pressure value at a remainder of the data points in the plurality of data points; and

determining if the first pressure value and the average pressure value are equal within a predetermined threshold;

determining if the touch input ends internally to the touchpad; and

performing a command on a computer corresponding to the touch input.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the command controls a display to show a menu of icons on a computer display.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the menu appears in a preconfigured location on the display.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the display is remote from the touchpad.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the command sets the computer in a particular power mode.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining if the touch input originates externally to the touchpad comprises:

determining, a plurality of positions of each of a plurality of data points in the touch input;

extrapolating a velocity of a data point corresponding to a first detected touch input;

performing the command when the velocity is above a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the performed command corresponds to the velocity of the touch input.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring a plurality of commands corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the command is performed on Windows 8 operating system.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a touchpad with a border for detecting touch input;

a gesture detection module for determining if the touch input originates externally to the touchpad by;

interpreting the touch input as a plurality of data points, extracting a first pressure value at an initial data point in the plurality of points, extracting an average pressure value at a remainder of the data points in the plurality of data points and determining if the first pressure value and the average pressure value are equal within a predetermined threshold, and wherein the gesture detection module is configured for determining if the touch input ends internally to the touchpad; and

a command module for performing a command on a computer corresponding to the touch input.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the command module controls a display to show a menu of icons on a computer display.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the menu appears in a preconfigured location on the display.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the display is remote from the touchpad.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the command from the command module sets the computer in a particular power mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the gesture detection module further determines a plurality of positions of each of a plurality of data points in the touch input and extrapolates a velocity of a data point corresponding to a first detected touch input.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the performed command corresponds to the velocity of the touch input.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising configuring a plurality of commands corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the apparatus uses Windows Mobile 8 operating system.