Sensor-augmented, gesture-enabled keyboard and associated apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,816,964 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Cliff
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US13/009,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/168
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner

Abstract

A keyboard is provided that includes an arrangement of keys, circuitry and a first processor configured to generate a signal in response to a keystroke in which a respective key of the arrangement of keys is depressed, and determine how to interpret the keystroke. The keyboard also includes one or more sensors and a second processor configured to measure a relationship of an object to the sensor(s), and produce a gesture signal based upon a signal representative of the measured relationship. This gesture signal is interpretable into one or more commands or instructions for directing performance of one or more operations of an apparatus or software operating on the apparatus. A related apparatus and computer-readable storage medium are also provided.

Claims

1. A keyboard comprising:

a case;

an arrangement of keys affixed to or extending from the case;

circuitry located within the case and forming a grid of circuits underneath respective keys of the arrangement of keys, a circuit of the grid of circuits being configured to generate a signal in response to a keystroke in which a respective key of the arrangement of keys is depressed;

a first processor configured to receive the signal from the circuit of the grid of circuits, and compare a location of the respective circuit to a character map to determine how to interpret the keystroke;

one or more force sensitive resistors disposed proximate the case, each force sensitive resistor being associated with an operation of an apparatus or software operating on the apparatus, each force sensitive resistor being configured to measure a relationship of an object to the respective force sensitive resistor, and produce a signal representative of the measured relationship;

a second processor configured to receive a signal representative of the measured relationship of the object to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors, and produce a gesture signal based upon the respective signal, the gesture signal being interpretable into one or more commands or instructions for directing performance of the operation associated with the respective force sensitive resistor;

one or more additional sensors, the additional sensors comprising;

one or more capacitive proximity sensors, at least some of which overlay or lie underneath the case or keys of the arrangement of keys, or are integrated within keys of the arrangement of keys, wherein each capacitive proximity sensor is configured to measure a proximity of an object to the respective proximity sensor, and wherein the second processor is further configured to receive a signal representative of the measured proximity of an object to one of the capacitive proximity sensors; and

one or more trigger sensors, wherein the second processor being configured to receive a signal representative of a measured relationship includes being configured to receive signals representative of measured relationships of an object to a trigger sensor and another force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors, wherein the second processor is configured to produce a trigger signal based upon the signal representative of the measured relationship of the object to the trigger sensor, the trigger signal being interpretable to enable interpretation of the gesture signal, which is otherwise ignored.

2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the second processor being configured to produce a gesture signal based upon the respective signal includes being configured to determine at least one of a position or movement of the object relative to the respective force sensitive resistor based on the respective signal, and produce a gesture signal representative of the determined at least one of position or movement.

3. The keyboard of claim 1,

wherein the second processor being configured to receive a signal representative of a measured relationship of an object to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors comprises being configured to receive a signal representative of a measured pressure or force applied to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors.

4. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to at least perform or cause the apparatus to at least perform the following:

receiving a signal from a keyboard, the keyboard comprising;

an arrangement of keys;

one or more force sensitive resistors each of which is associated with an operation of the apparatus or software operating on the apparatus, each force sensitive resistor being configured to measure a relationship of an object to the respective force sensitive resistor, and produce a signal representative of the measured relationship;

one or more additional sensors comprising;

one or more capacitive proximity sensors each of which is configured to measure a proximity of an object thereto; and

one or more trigger sensors configured to cause the second processor to produce a trigger signal based upon a signal representative of the measured relationship of the object to a trigger sensor of the one or more trigger sensors;

a second processor configured to;

receive a first signal representative of the measured relationship of the object to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors, and produce a gesture signal based upon the first signal, the signal received from the keyboard including the gesture signal;

receive a second signal representative of a measured proximity of the object to a capacitive proximity sensor of the one or more capacitive proximity sensors;

determine a trigger signal based upon the measured relationship of the object to a trigger sensor of the one or more trigger sensors; and

determine a gesture signal based at least in part on at least one of the first signal or the second signal, wherein the signal received from the keyboard comprises at least one of the gesture signal or the trigger signal; and

determining one or more commands or instructions for directing performance of the operation associated with the respective force sensitive resistor, the one or more commands or instructions being determined as a function of the gesture signal received from the keyboard, wherein determining one or more commands or instructions occurs in response to receiving the trigger signal to turn on gesture recognition and interpretation from the keyboard, the processor otherwise being configured to ignore the gesture signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein determining one or more commands or instructions includes determining one or more commands or instructions that effectuate a change in a graphical output presented by a display during operation of the software operating on the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein receiving a signal from a keyboard includes receiving a signal from a keyboard including a second processor configured to determine at least one of a position or movement of the object relative to the respective force sensitive resistor based on the respective signal, and produce a gesture signal representative of the determined at least one of position or movement.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein receiving a signal from a keyboard includes receiving a signal from a keyboard including one or more force sensitive resistors each of which is configured to detect contact of an object therewith and measure a pressure or force applied by the object thereto, and wherein the second processor is further configured to receive a signal representative of a measured pressure or force applied to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors, and produce a gesture signal based upon the respective signal.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions being configured to direct a processor to at least perform or cause an apparatus to at least perform the following:

receiving a signal from a keyboard, the keyboard comprising;

an arrangement of keys;

one or more force sensitive resistors each of which is associated with an operation of the apparatus or software operating on the apparatus, each force sensitive resistor being configured to measure a relationship of an object to the respective force sensitive resistor, and produce a signal representative of the measured relationship;

one or more additional sensors comprising;

one or more capacitive proximity sensors each of which is configured to measure a proximity of an object thereto; and

one or more trigger sensors configured to cause the second processor to produce a trigger signal based upon a signal representative of a measured relationship of the object to a trigger sensor of the one or more trigger sensors;

a second processor configured to;

receive a first signal representative of the measured relationship of the object to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistors, and produce a gesture signal based upon the first signal, the signal received from the keyboard including the gesture signal;

receive a second signal representative of a measured proximity of the object to a capacitive proximity sensor of the one or more capacitive proximity sensors;

determine a trigger signal based upon a measured relationship of the object to a trigger sensor of the one or more trigger sensors; and

determine a gesture signal based at least in part on at least one of the first signal or the second signal, wherein the signal received from the keyboard comprises at least one of the gesture signal or the trigger signal; and

determining one or more commands or instructions for directing performance of the operation associated with the respective force sensitive resistor, the one or more commands or instructions being determined as a function of the gesture signal received from the keyboard, wherein determining one or more commands or instructions occurs in response to receiving the trigger signal to turn on gesture recognition and interpretation from the keyboard, the processor otherwise being configured to ignore the gesture signal.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining one or more commands or instructions includes determining one or more commands or instructions that effectuate a change in a graphical output presented by a display during operation of the software operating on the apparatus.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein receiving a signal from a keyboard includes receiving a signal from a keyboard including a second processor configured to determine at least one of a position or movement of the object relative to the respective force sensitive resistor based on the respective signal, and produce a gesture signal representative of the determined at least one of position or movement.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein receiving a signal from a keyboard includes receiving a signal from a keyboard including the one or more force sensitive resistors each of which is configured to detect contact of an object therewith and measure a pressure or force applied by the object thereto, and including a second processor configured to receive a signal representative of a measured pressure or force applied to a force sensitive resistor of the one or more force sensitive resistor, and produce a gesture signal based upon the respective signal.