Universal user interface device

• US 8,866,750 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Flanagan, Dennis Edward, Cox, Gregory Sean, Abanami, Thamer A., Bentsen, Brett Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US11/402,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20070236472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,116 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 345/179
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer

Abstract

A flexible, scalable hardware input device for interacting with a variety of devices ranging from a phone, to a media playback device to a steering wheel or a tablet PC is provided. The input device includes a set of mechanical input controls, each mapping to one or more independent functions and a set of touch sensitive input control areas (e.g., capacitive), where each touch sensitive input control area receives touch input independently. In addition, one or more of the touch sensitive input control areas interchangeably overlay one or more of the mechanical input controls, whereby interaction with the touch sensitive input control areas is processed together to determine a corresponding function for controlling the application, service or computing device.

Claims

1. A user interface component comprising:

a mechanical layer comprising a plurality of mechanical input controls actuatable to provide a corresponding first set of input functionality for controlling at least one of an application, service, or computing device, wherein each mechanical input control maps to an independent function; and

a touch sensitive layer comprising a plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, with each touch sensitive input control area comprising at least one touch sensitive sensor, wherein;

each touch sensitive input control area receives touch input independently from each of the other touch sensitive input control areas;

at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas overlays at least one of the plurality of mechanical input control areas;

at least a first portion of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas recognizes directional gestures made substantially in a plane defined by the touch sensitive layer, the directional gestures comprising a horizontal gesture that crosses a center area of the touch sensitive layer overlaying a mechanical input control area and causes a media item that is being rendered to skip forward a predetermined amount of time or a predetermined percentage of the duration of the media item; and

at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas comprises a touch sensitive layer configured to simulate a trackball, wherein a finger gesture when crossing a center portion of the touch sensitive layer translates to a greater velocity input than when reaching an edge of the touch sensitive layer.

2. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas comprise at least one of a plurality of independent capacitive input control areas or a plurality of independent touchscreen control areas.

3. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas comprises at least one of an indentation or a bump.

4. A user interface component according to claim 3, wherein the indentation comprises a bowl having a circular configuration.

5. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the directional gestures are utilized at least for navigating a list on a display associated with the application, service or computing device.

6. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein at least a second portion of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas is configured to recognize a vertical stroke gesture and in response thereto, move a current position in a list on display to any of:

a predetermined distance up or down the list, to a predetermined location in the list, a predetermined percentage up or down the list or to a next alphanumeric character in the list.

7. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising input processing software stored on a computer readable medium that processes input from the mechanical layer and the touch sensitive layer, whereby said input processing software blocks unintended interaction with the touch sensitive layer when a user moves a finger or thumb across the surface of the touch sensitive layer to reach a mechanical input control.

8. A user interface component according to claim 7, wherein the input processing software blocks operations based on input received by the touch sensitive layer until the movement of the finger or thumb across the surface of the touch sensitive layer reaches or maintains a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined velocity.

9. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising at least one light that illuminates a predetermined color to indicate a state of the application, service or computing device or a notification received by the application, service or computing device.

10. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a dedicated volume input control for controlling a volume of the application, service or computing device.

11. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a dedicated home input control or a back input control for automatically navigating the state of the application, service or computing device to a home state, or previous state, respectively, via a single click operation or a press and hold operation.

12. A user interface component according to claim 1, further comprising a supplemental input control that initiates a display of a context specific menu based on a state of the application, service or computing device to give a user contextual information about what devices are around the user from a physical proximity perspective.

13. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical input controls include mappings to a directional pad including up, down, left, and right functionality via a single click operation or a press and hold operation.

14. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical input controls include functionality mappings that dynamically change based on a state of the application, device or service.

15. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas are user substitutable in order to personalize, or customize, the appearance of the user interface component.

16. A computing device including the user interface component of claim 1.

18. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time that the media item is skipped forward is based on the duration of the media item.

19. A user interface component according to claim 1, wherein if the duration of the media item exceeds a first threshold, the media item is skipped forward by a first amount;

and if the duration of the media item is less than the first threshold, the media item is skipped forward by a second amount that is less than the first amount.

20. A user interface component according to claim 19, wherein the media item is at least one of a song or a movie;

the first threshold corresponds to a length of time of the song or movie;

the first amount is a percentage of the length of time of the song or movie; and

the second amount is a fraction of the length of time of the song or movie.

17. A method for receiving user input from a user via a user interface component including a touch sensitive input layer including a plurality of touch sensitive input control areas and a mechanical input layer including a plurality of mechanical input controls, the method comprising:

receiving input via the user interface component including receiving input via at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, which is located on top of a mechanical input control of the plurality of mechanical input controls,

wherein at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas comprises a touch sensitive layer configured to simulate a trackball, wherein a finger gesture when crossing a center portion of the touch sensitive layer translates to a greater velocity input than when reaching an edge of the touch sensitive layer; and

determining whether said input applies to said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas or to said mechanical input control beneath said at least one of the plurality of touch sensitive input control areas, wherein said determining includes filtering out input determined to be inadvertent according to pre-determined algorithms.

21. A user interface comprising:

a first layer comprising a plurality of mechanical switches; and

a second layer located adjacent to the first layer, the second layer comprising a touch sensitive area overlaid upon at least one of the plurality of mechanical switches, the touch sensitive layer configured to simulate a trackball input wherein a finger gesture when crossing a center portion of the touch sensitive layer translates to a greater velocity input than when reaching an edge of the touch sensitive layer.

22. A user interface according to claim 21, wherein the touch sensitive area has a circular configuration, and wherein at least one of the plurality of mechanical switches is a central switch located at the center of an array of mechanical switches and below the center portion of the touch sensitive area that has the circular configuration.

23. A user interface according to claim 22, wherein the finger gesture comprises a vertical stroke or a horizontal stroke made across and over the central switch.