Methods and systems for facilitating data entry by way of a touch screen

• US 8,854,321 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Xia, Tiejun J., Wellbrock, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/099,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.3, 345156-179, 345/428, 345/659, 345/661, 715/769, 715/773, 715/799, 715/847, 382/189, 178/19.07, 178/30, 178/35, 178/38
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An exemplary method includes 1) detecting an initialization action performed by a first extremity of a user and a second extremity of the user, the initialization action comprising a touching of a first arbitrary location on the touch screen by the first extremity and a touching of a second arbitrary location on the touch screen by the second extremity, 2) designating, in response to the initialization action, the first arbitrary location as a first reference position and the second arbitrary location as a second reference position, 3) detecting one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen, 4) determining a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions, and 5) identifying one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a data entry system, an initialization action performed by a first extremity of a user and a second extremity of the user with respect to a touch screen associated with a computing device, the initialization action comprising a touching of a first arbitrary location on the touch screen by the first extremity of the user and a touching of a second arbitrary location on the touch screen by the second extremity of the user;

designating, by the data entry system in response to the initialization action, the first arbitrary location as a first reference position associated with the first extremity and the second arbitrary location as a second reference position associated with the second extremity;

detecting, by the data entry system, one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of the first and second extremities;

determining, by the data entry system, a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions; and

identifying, by the data entry system, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions based on the relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data entry commands are each representative of one or more text characters, and wherein the method further comprises directing, by the data entry system, the computing device to display one or more text characters represented by each of the one or more data entry commands on the touch screen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining, by the computing system, relationship data defining a relationship between each of the one or more tapping actions and the one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifying of the one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions comprises using the relationship data to identify the one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising customizing, by the data entry system, the relationship data to the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the data entry system before the detecting of the initialization action, a training procedure configured to determine a relative distance between each of the human input elements that are a part of the first extremity of the user and a relative distance between each of the human input elements that are a part of the second extremity of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the data entry system after the one or more tapping actions are performed by the one or more human input elements, another initialization action performed by the first and second extremities of the user, the another initialization action comprising a touching of a third arbitrary location on the touch screen by the first extremity of the user and a touching of a fourth arbitrary location on the touch screen by the second extremity of the user;

designating, by the data entry system in response to the another initialization action, the third arbitrary location as a third reference position associated with the first extremity and the fourth arbitrary location as a fourth reference position associated with the second extremity;

detecting, by the data entry system, one or more additional tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in the plurality of human input elements that are a part of the first and second extremities;

determining, by the data entry system, a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more additional tapping actions with respect to the third and fourth reference positions; and

identifying, by the data entry system, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more additional tapping actions based on the relative position of each of the one or more additional tapping actions with respect to the third and fourth reference positions.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing, by the data entry system, the computing device to display one or more reference markers on the touch screen, the one or more reference markers configured to graphically indicate one or more detection zones on the touch screen that are associated with one or more of the human input elements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first extremity comprises a first hand of the user and the second extremity comprises a second hand of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, for each of the hands of the user, the plurality of human input elements comprise a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, a little finger, a medial palm portion, a lateral palm portion, first and second medial side portions, and first and second lateral side portions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first extremity comprises a first foot of the user and the second extremity comprises a second foot of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing, by the data entry system, the computing device to not display anything on the touch screen while the one or more tapping actions are performed on the touch screen.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data entry subsystem is implemented by at least one service provider computing device communicatively coupled to the computing device by way of a network.

14. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

15. A method comprising:

detecting, by a data entry system, an initialization action performed by a single extremity of a user with respect to a touch screen associated with a computing device, the initialization action comprising a touching of an arbitrary location on the touch screen by the single extremity of the user;

designating, by the data entry system in response to the initialization action, the arbitrary location as a reference position on the touch screen;

detecting, by the data entry system, one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of the single extremity;

determining, by the data entry system, a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the reference position; and

identifying, by the data entry system, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions based on the relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the reference position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the single extremity comprises a hand of the user or a foot of the user.

17. The method of claim 15, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

18. A method comprising:

detecting, by a data entry system, an initialization action performed by a hand and a foot of a user, the initialization action comprising a touching of a first arbitrary location on a first touch screen associated with a computing device by the hand of the user and a touching of a second arbitrary location on a second touch screen associated with the computing device by the foot the user;

designating, by the data entry system in response to the initialization action, the first arbitrary location on the first touch screen as a first reference position associated with the hand of the user and the second arbitrary location on the second touch screen as a second reference position associated with the foot of the user;

detecting, by the data entry system, one or more tapping actions performed on the first touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of the hand and one or more tapping actions performed on the second touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of the foot;

determining, by the data entry system, a relative position on the first touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions performed by the hand with respect to the first reference position;

determining, by the data entry system, a relative position on the second touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions performed by the foot with respect to the second reference position; and

identifying, by the data entry system, one or more data entry commands associated with the tapping actions performed by the hand and the foot based on the relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions performed by the hand with respect to the first reference position and the relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions performed by the foot with respect to the second reference position.

19. The method of claim 18, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

20. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a service provider subsystem, relationship data customized for a particular user, the relationship data defining a relationship between a plurality of tapping actions and a plurality of data entry commands;

detecting, by a service provider subsystem, that the particular user is interacting with a touch screen of a computing device communicatively coupled to the service provider subsystem by way of a network;

detecting, by the service provider subsystem, one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of one or more extremities of the particular user; and

identifying, by the service provider subsystem, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions based on a relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to one or more reference positions on the touch screen and in accordance with the maintained relationship data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting, by a service provider subsystem, that the particular user is interacting with another touch screen of another computing device communicatively coupled to the service provider subsystem by way of another network;

detecting, by the service provider subsystem, one or more tapping actions performed on the another touch screen by one or more human input elements included in the plurality of human input elements that are a part of the one or more extremities of the particular user; and

identifying, by the service provider subsystem, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions performed on the another touch screen based on a relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to one or more reference positions on the another touch screen and in accordance with the maintained relationship data.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

maintaining, by a service provider subsystem, additional relationship data customized for an additional user;

detecting, by a service provider subsystem, that the additional user is interacting with the touch screen of the computing device;

detecting, by the service provider subsystem, one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of one or more extremities of the additional user; and

identifying, by the service provider subsystem, one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions performed by the additional user based on a relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions performed by the additional user with respect to one or more additional reference positions on the touch screen and in accordance with the maintained additional relationship data.

23. A data entry system comprising:

a detection facility configured to detecting an initialization action performed by a first extremity of a user and a second extremity of the user with respect to a touch screen associated with a computing device, the initialization action comprising a touching of a first arbitrary location on the touch screen by the first extremity of the user and a touching of a second arbitrary location on the touch screen by the second extremity of the user; and

a data entry management facility communicatively coupled to the detection facility and configured to designate, in response to the initialization action, the first arbitrary location as a first reference position associated with the first extremity and the second arbitrary location as a second reference position associated with the second extremity;

wherein the detection facility is further configured to detect one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of the first and second extremities; and

wherein the data entry management facility is further configured to

determine a relative position on the touch screen of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions, and

identify one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions based on the relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to the first and second reference positions.

24. The data entry system of claim 23, wherein the detection facility and data entry management facility are implemented by at least one service provider computing device communicatively coupled to the computing device by way of a network.

25. A service provider computing device comprising:

a storage device configured to maintain relationship data customized for a particular user, the relationship data defining a relationship between a plurality of tapping actions and a plurality of data entry commands; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device and configured to

detect that the particular user is interacting with a touch screen of a computing device communicatively coupled to the service provider computing device by way of a network,

detect one or more tapping actions performed on the touch screen by one or more human input elements included in a plurality of human input elements that are a part of one or more extremities of the particular user, and

identify one or more data entry commands associated with the one or more tapping actions based on a relative position of each of the one or more tapping actions with respect to one or more reference positions on the touch screen and in accordance with the maintained relationship data.