Touch sensor usability enhancement on clamshell notebook

• US 8,928,611 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/593,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/168, 715/702
• 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 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards

Abstract

An input device and computing system is provided for a user to input data. An input device may comprise a plurality of input keys, palm rest areas, and a touchpad. The palm rest areas may have a first palm rest area and a second palm rest area with each palm rest area includes a sensor configured to detect a body part of a user. A first sensor may be used for detecting a presence of a first body part of a user. A second sensor may be for detecting a presence of a second body part of a user, such as the left hand of the user. A touchpad may be disposed between the first sensor and the second sensor.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

a touch screen;

a keyboard including a plurality of input keys;

palm rest areas adjacent to the plurality of input keys, wherein the palm rest areas have a first sensor for detecting a presence of a first body part of a user, and a second sensor for detecting a presence of a second body part of the user,

wherein the keyboard is enabled in the event the first body part and the second body part are detected,

wherein only a portion of the keyboard is configured to be disabled if either the first sensor or the second sensor does not detect the presence of the first body part or the second body part of the user; and

a touchpad disposed on the palm rest areas.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

3. The input device of claim 2, wherein the second sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

4. The input device of claim 1, wherein the touchpad has a touch sensor.

5. The input device of claim 4, wherein the touch sensor is connected to the first sensor and the second sensor.

6. A method, comprising:

enabling a first sensor at a first palm rest area to detect a presence of a first body part of a user;

enabling a second sensor at a second palm rest area to detect a presence of a second body part of the user;

enabling a keyboard so that the user uses the keyboard to input when the first sensor and the second sensor detect the presence of the first body part and the second body part of the user respectively; and

disabling the entire keyboard so that the user cannot use the keyboard to input if either the first sensor or the second sensor does not detect the presence of the first body part or the second body part of the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising permitting touch input on a touch screen while disabling the entire keyboard.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising using a touch sensor on a touch pad to detect the first body part of the user and the second body part of the user.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer program code comprising:

computer program code configured to detect a presence of a first body part and a second body part of a user on palm rest areas of an electronic device;

computer program code configured to switch a keyboard between a keyboard disabled state and a keyboard enabled state, wherein in the keyboard disabled state at least a part of the keyboard is disabled and wherein in the keyboard enabled state an input function of the keyboard is enabled;

computer program code configured to enable the keyboard when detecting a presence of the first body part and a second body part of the user on the palm rest areas of the electronic device;

computer program code configured to disable the entire keyboard if both the first body part and the second body part of the user is not detected; and

computer program code configured to enable a touch screen when disabling the entire keyboard.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising computer program code configured to enable the keyboard when the electronic device is started.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising computer program code configured to enable keyboard lock function before detecting a presence of a first body part and a second body part of a user on palm rest areas of the electronic device .

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising computer program code configured to use a touchpad of the electronic device to detect the presence of the first body part and the second body part of the user on the palm rest areas.