Touch input data handling

• US 8,816,971 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kolmykov-Zotov, Alexander J., Townsend, Reed L., Dodge, Steven P., Scott, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US13/041,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A system for enabling a tablet input object is described. A tablet input object can take various inputs from touch, a mouse, and a pen and sends their information to an application or operating system. Also, a pen message pathway may also be used to handle touch messages, thereby reusing an existing pen message pathway for messages created by something other than a pen.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first tablet input object associated with a first contact area of a digitizer, wherein the digitizer is touch-enabled;

receiving, by the processor, a second tablet input object associated with a second contact area of the digitizer;

distinguishing between the first contact area that is sufficiently small to indicate contact by a finger and the second contact area that is not sufficiently small to indicate contact by the finger, the second contact area indicating contact by a palm; and

determining whether to ignore the palm contact based on a display area of the digitizer and orientation of the display area of the digitizer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processor receives input information from the digitizer, the digitizer responsive to touch input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a plurality of different input types including touch input, made via the finger, and pen input; and

providing a corresponding set of options for each of the plurality of different input types.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a plurality of different input types including touch input, made via the finger, and mouse events; and

providing a corresponding set of options for each of the plurality of different input types.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating mouse events based on information from the digitizer, the mouse events based on touch input, made via the finger, wherein the mouse events are passed to a client side application, the client side application using the mouse events to make touch-specific modifications to the client side application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining accidental touch input or intentional touch input based on a contact pressure.

7. A computer readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first tablet input object associated with a first contact area of a digitizer, wherein the digitizer is touch-enabled;

receiving a second tablet input object associated with a second contact area of the digitizer;

distinguishing between the first contact area that is sufficiently small to indicate contact by a finger and the second contact area that is not sufficiently small to indicate contact by the finger, the second contact area indicating contact by a palm; and

determining whether to ignore the palm contact based on a display area of the digitizer and orientation of the display area of the digitizer.

8. The computer readable storage device of claim 7, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a plurality of different input types including touch input, made via the finger, and pen input; and

providing a corresponding set of options for each of the plurality of different input types.

9. The computer readable storage device of claim 7, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a plurality of different input types including touch input, made via the finger, and mouse events; and

providing a corresponding set of options for each of the plurality of different input types.

10. The computer readable storage device of claim 7, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

generating mouse events based on information from the digitizer, the mouse events based on touch input, made via the finger, wherein the mouse events are passed to a client side application, the client side application using the mouse events to make touch-specific modifications to the client side application.

11. The computer readable storage device of claim 7, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising determining accidental touch input or intentional touch input by analyzing a contact pressure.

12. The computer readable storage device of claim 10, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

modifying an interface when the mouse events are created from touch input to a digitizer.

13. The computer readable storage device of claim 12, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations further comprising:

modifying the interface to prevent touch from controlling at least a part of the interface.

14. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving a first tablet input object associated with a first contact area of a digitizer, wherein the digitizer is touch-enabled;

receiving a second tablet input object associated with a second contact area of the digitizer;

distinguishing between the first contact area that is sufficiently small to indicate contact by a finger and the second contact area that is not sufficiently small to indicate contact by the finger, the second contact area indicating contact by a palm; and

determining whether to ignore the palm contact based on a display area of the digitizer and orientation of the display area of the digitizer.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations further comprising:

defining a plurality of different input types including touch input, made via the finger, and pen input; and

providing a corresponding set of options for each of the plurality of different input types.