Touch-sensitive user input device failure prediction

• US 8,874,977 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCallum, Jeffrey R., Hajas, Tiberiu M., Rodriguez, Esperanza D., Gunatilaka, Harsha
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US14/045,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Detection of degradation of a touch-based user input device may allow for notifying a user of an impending failure of the touch-sensitive user input device so that the device may be taken out of service or repaired. Systems for detecting degradation of a touch-based user input device may carry out one or more operations including, but not limited to: determining that a signal indicative of a user touch is erroneous; providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a signal indicative of a user touch is erroneous.

Claims

1. A method for detecting degradation of a touch-based user input device comprising:

determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device, the two or more received signals being indicative of one or more user touches; and

providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

detecting at least one first signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a first region of the touch-based user input device;

detecting, within a threshold time period, at least one second signal associated with a second region of the touch-based user input device;

determining that a distance between the first region and the second region is greater than a threshold distance; and

determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on the distance between the first region and the second region being greater than the threshold distance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

detecting at least one first signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a region of the touch-based user input device;

detecting, within a threshold time period, two or more signals indicative of two or more repeated user touches at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device; and

determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on detecting, within a threshold time period, two or more signals indicative of two or more repeated user touches at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

detecting at least one signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a region of the touch-based user input device;

detecting two or more repeated signals at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device;

determining that a number of the two or more repeated signals is greater than a threshold value; and

determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on determining that a number of the two or more repeated signals is greater than a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

determining, at least twice, that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device, the two or more received signals being indicative of one or more user touches,

wherein providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises;

upon determining, at least a threshold number of times, that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded, providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

providing at least one of a visual notification, an audible notification, and an electronic messaging notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch-based user input device comprises a touch-screen user input device.

8. A system for detecting degradation of a touch-based user input device comprising:

means for determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device, the two or more received signals being indicative of one or more user touches;

means for providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

means for detecting at least one first signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a first region of the touch-based user input device;

means for detecting, within a threshold time period, at least one second signal associated with a second region of the touch-based user input device;

means for determining that a distance between the first region and the second region is greater than a threshold distance; and

means for determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on the distance between the first region and the second region being greater than the threshold distance.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

means for detecting at least one first signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a region of the touch-based user input device;

means for detecting, within a threshold time period, two or more signals indicative of two or more repeated user touches at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device; and

means for determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on detecting, within a threshold time period, two or more signals indicative of two or more repeated user touches at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

means for detecting at least one signal indicative of at least one user touch associated with a region of the touch-based user input device;

means for detecting two or more repeated signals at least partially associated with the region of the touch-based user input device;

means for determining that a number of the two or more repeated signals is greater than a threshold value; and

means for determining that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on determining that a number of the two or more repeated signals is greater than a threshold value.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device, the two or more received signals being indicative of one or more user touches comprises:

means for determining, at least twice, that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device, the two or more received signals being indicative of one or more user touches,

wherein the means for providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises;

means for upon determining, at least a threshold number of times, that the portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded, providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on two or more received signals of the touch-based user input device comprises:

means for providing at least one of a visual notification, an audible notification, and an electronic messaging notification.

14. A method for detecting degradation of a touch-based user input device comprising:

detecting signals of the touch-based user input device, each of the signals being associated with a particular user touch of a plurality of user touches, wherein signals are indicative of at least one dimension of the particular user touch;

computing at least one dimension for each user touch of the plurality of user touches upon detecting signals of the touch-based user input device;

computing at least one average user touch dimension upon computing at least one dimension for each user touch of the plurality of user touches;

detecting one or more subsequent signals of the touch-based user input device, the one or more subsequent signals being associated with a subsequent user touch, wherein the one or more subsequent signals are indicative of at least one subsequent dimension of the subsequent user touch;

computing at least one dimension of the subsequent user touch upon detecting one or more subsequent signals of the touch-based user input device;

computing a difference between a) a particular subsequent dimension of the at least one subsequent dimension associated with the subsequent user touch and b) a particular average dimension of the at least one average user touch dimension associated with the plurality of user touches;

determining that said computed difference exceeds a threshold value;

determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on said computed difference exceeding the threshold value; and

providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on said computed difference exceeding the threshold value comprises:

determining, at least twice, that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on said computed difference exceeding the threshold value,

wherein providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded comprises;

upon determining, at least a threshold number of times, that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded based on said computed difference exceeding the threshold value, providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein providing a user notification indicative of a degradation of the touch-based user input device in response to determining that a portion of the touch-based user input device is degraded comprises:

providing at least one of a visual notification, an audible notification, and an electronic messaging notification.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the touch-based user input device comprises a touch-screen user input device.