Click disambiguation on a touch-sensitive input device

• US 8,773,388 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: de los Reyes, Andrew, Tabone, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US13/784,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345169-173
• 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 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• 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

The surface of an touch-sensitive input device may act as a physical button that the user may push down to perform a click or other operation. For example, the user may push down the surface of the input device with one finger for a left click and push down the surface of the input device with two fingers for a right click. In one aspect, a system for detecting a left click or a right click when the user pushes down the surface of the input device is provided. When the system first detects that the surface of the input device is pushed down, the system may wait for a short period of time before making a determination of whether the user is pushing down the surface with one finger or two fingers. During this time, the system may collect additional information to make a more reliable determination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for reporting button actions generated using a touch-sensitive input device, comprising:

detecting a number of fingers on a surface of the touch-sensitive input device using one or more frames;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames, reporting a first button down action, wherein the first button down action corresponds to a right button down;

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames, waiting a period of time before reporting any button actions, wherein the period of time comprises a plurality of the frames;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames during the period of time, reporting the first button down action; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time, reporting a second button down action, wherein the second button down action corresponds to a left button down.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down; and

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting a first button down and up action, wherein the first button down and up action corresponds to a right click.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting a second button down and up action, wherein the second button down and up action corresponds to a left click.

5. A computer-implemented method for reporting button actions generated using a touch-sensitive input device, comprising:

determining that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detecting a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device;

determining whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting a first button down and up action, wherein the first button down and up action corresponds to a right click;

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device, waiting a period of time before reporting any button actions;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device before the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting the first button down and up action; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting a second button down and up action, wherein the second button down and up action corresponds to a left click.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed; and

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting the first button down and up action.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during the period of time; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down, repeating detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the period of time comprises multiple frames, and wherein detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is repeated for each frame until the period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for one of the frames and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting the first button down and up action.

10. A system for reporting actions corresponding to use of a touch-sensitive input device, the system comprising:

a touch-sensitive input device; and

a processing unit configured to;

detect a number of fingers on a surface of the touch-sensitive input device using one or more frames;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames, report a first button down action, wherein the first button down action corresponds to a right button down;

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames, wait a period of time before reporting any button actions, wherein the period of time comprises a plurality of the frames;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames during the period of time, report the first button down action; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time, report a second button down action, wherein the second button down action corresponds to a left button down.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down; and

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device in one of the frames during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report a first button down and up action, wherein the first button down and up action corresponds to a right click.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for all of the frames during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report a second button down and up action, wherein the second button down and up action corresponds to a left click.

14. A system for reporting actions corresponding to use of a touch-sensitive input device, the system comprising:

a touch-sensitive input device; and

a processing unit configured to;

determine that a surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down;

detect a number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device;

determine whether or not the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is still pushed down;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report a first button down and up action, wherein the first button down and up action corresponds to a right click;

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device, wait a period of time before reporting any button actions;

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device before the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report the first button down and up action; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report a second button down and up action, wherein the second button down and up action corresponds to a left click.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

detect the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed; and

responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device after the period of time has elapsed and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, report the first button down and up action.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

detect the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during the period of time; and

responsive to detecting one finger on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device during the period of time and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is pushed down, repeat detecting the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the period of time comprises multiple frames, and wherein the processing unit is configured to detect the number of fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is repeated for each frame until the period of time has elapsed or the surface is no longer pushed down.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured to responsive to detecting two fingers on the surface of the touch-sensitive input device for one of the frames and determining that the surface of the touch-sensitive input device is no longer pushed down, reporting the first button down and up action.