Touch input interpretation

• US 8,836,645 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hoover, Paul Armistead
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/330,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,107 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-177, 345179-183, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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

A method of operating a touch display includes interpreting a touch input on the touch display as a first kind of gesture if a source of the touch input is of a first type and a parameter of the touch input is below a first threshold. The touch input is interpreted as a second kind of gesture if the source is of the first type and the parameter of the touch input is above the first threshold. The touch input is interpreted as the first kind of gesture if the source is of a second type and the parameter of the touch input is below a second threshold, the second threshold being different than the first threshold. The touch input is interpreted as the second kind of gesture if the source is of the second type and the parameter of the touch input is above the second threshold.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a touch display;

a logic subsystem operatively coupled to the touch display; and

a data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to;

recognize a touch input from a source on the touch display, the touch input having an initial point of contact on the touch display and a final point of contact on the touch display;

determine if the source is of a first type or if the source is of a second type;

interpret the touch input as a tap gesture if the source is of the first type and a distance between the initial point of contact and the final point of contact is less than a first threshold distance;

interpret the touch input as a scroll gesture if the source is of the first type and the distance between the initial point of contact and the final point of contact is more than the first threshold distance;

interpret the touch input as the tap gesture if the source is of the second type and the distance between the initial point of contact and the final point of contact is less than a second threshold distance, the second threshold distance having a greater magnitude than the first threshold distance if the first type of source has a smaller touch contact area than the second type of source, and the second threshold distance having a lesser magnitude than the first threshold distance if the first type of source has a larger contact area than the second type of source; and

interpret the touch input as the scroll gesture if the source is of the second type and the distance between the initial point of contact and the final point of contact is more than the second threshold distance.

2. The computing device of claim 1, where the touch display comprises:

a display surface;

a rear projector configured to project images at the display surface;

a light source positioned to direct infrared reference light through the display surface; and

a sensor operatively positioned to detect reference light reflected from a touch input on the display surface and back through the display surface.

3. The computing device of claim 1, where the touch display includes a capacitive touch screen.

4. The computing device of claim 1, where a source of the first type includes a finger and a source of the second type includes a stylus or an unidentified object.

5. A method of operating a touch display, the method comprising:

interpreting a touch input on the touch display as a tap gesture if a source of the touch input is of a first type and a distance parameter of movement of the touch input from an initial point of contact on the touch display to a final point of contact on the touch display is a non-zero distance below a first distance threshold;

interpreting the touch input as a scroll gesture if the source is of the first type and the distance parameter of movement of the touch input from the initial point of contact on the touch display to the final point of contact on the touch display is above the first distance threshold;

interpreting the touch input as the tap gesture if the source is of a second type and the distance parameter of movement of the touch input from the initial point of contact on the touch display to the final point of contact on the touch display is a non-zero distance below a second distance threshold, the second distance threshold having a greater value than the first distance threshold if the first type of source has a smaller touch contact area than the second type of source, and the second distance threshold having a lesser value than the first distance threshold if the first type of source has a larger touch contact area than the second type of source; and

interpreting the touch input as the scroll gesture if the source is of the second type and the distance parameter of movement of the touch input from the initial point of contact on the touch display to the final point of contact on the touch display is above the second distance threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, where a source of the first type includes a finger.

7. The method of claim 6, where a source of the second type includes a nonfinger.

8. The method of claim 7, where the nonfinger includes a stylus.

9. The method of claim 7, where the nonfinger includes an unidentified object.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

recognizing the touch input from the source on the touch display;

recognizing a parameter of the touch input; and

determining if the source is of the first type or if the source is of the second type.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising transforming a state of the touch display in a first manner if the touch input is interpreted as the tap gesture and transforming a state of the touch display in a second manner if the touch input is interpreted as the scroll gesture, the first manner of transformation being different than the second manner of transformation.

12. A method of operating a touch display, the method comprising:

recognizing a touch input from a source on the touch display;

recognizing a distance of the touch input between an initial point of contact of the source on the touch display and a final point of contact of the source on the touch display;

determining if the source is a finger or if the source is a nonfinger;

interpreting the touch input as a tap gesture if the source is a finger and the distance of the touch input is below a first distance threshold;

interpreting the touch input as a scroll gesture if the source is a finger and the distance of the touch input is above the first distance threshold;

interpreting the touch input as a tap gesture if the source is a nonfinger and the distance of the touch input is below a second distance threshold, the second distance threshold having a greater value than the first distance threshold if the finger has a smaller touch contact area than the nonfinger, and the second distance threshold having a lesser value than the first distance threshold if the finger has a larger touch contact area than the nonfinger; and

interpreting the touch input as a scroll gesture if the source is a nonfinger and the distance of the touch input is above the second distance threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, where the nonfinger includes a stylus.

14. The method of claim 12, where the nonfinger includes an unidentified object.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising transforming a state of the touch display in a first manner if the touch input is interpreted as a tap gesture and transforming a state of the touch display in a second manner if the touch input is interpreted as a scroll gesture, the first manner of transformation being different than the second manner of transformation.