Method for cursor motion control by a touchpad to move a cursor on a display screen

• US 8,963,846 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lii, Jia-Yih, Chang, Wei-Kuo
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/907,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-177, 178/18.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A cursor control method using a touchpad triggers an automatic movement signal for a cursor when an object moves from a first defined region into a second defined region of a two-dimensional touch sensor, or when an object stays in the second defined region for a preset duration after it moves from the first defined region into the second defined region, and define the automatic movement signal with the direction identical to that of the object moving into the second defined region, so that the cursor will keep moving in its last moving direction.

Claims

1. A cursor control method using a touchpad including a two-dimensional touch sensor for position detection and having a first defined region and a second defined region thereon, the cursor control method comprising the steps of:

detecting a movement of an object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region;

computing and recording an object moving direction of the object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region;

triggering an automatic movement signal for controlling a cursor to automatically move along a cursor moving direction identical to the computed and recorded object moving direction from the first defined region into the second defined region;

after triggering the automatic movement signal, monitoring a movement of the object in, the second defined region; and

upon detection of movement of the object in the second defined region, stopping the automatic movement signal and triggering an automatic scroll signal along an updated direction and an updated speed corresponding to the detection of the movement of the object to scroll a page on a window, wherein the automatic scroll signal has a scrolling direction and a scrolling speed identical to the updated direction and the updated speed of the object moving in the second defined region.

2. The cursor control method of claim 1, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving into the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

3. The cursor control method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after triggering the automatic movement signal, continuously monitoring a movement of the object in the second defined region; and

varying the cursor moving direction of the automatic movement signal with the object moving direction of the object continuously moving in the second defined region.

4. The cursor control method of claim 3, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

5. The cursor control method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after triggering the automatic movement signal, monitoring a movement of the object in the second defined region; and

varying the cursor moving direction of the automatic movement signal depending on a direction of a vector addition determined by the object moving direction of the object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region and the object moving direction of the object moving in the second defined region.

6. The cursor control method of claim 5, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

7. The cursor control method of claim 1, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic scroll signal.

8. A cursor control method using a touchpad including a two-dimensional touch sensor for position detection and having a first defined region and a second defined region thereon, the cursor control method comprising the steps of:

detecting a movement of an object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region;

computing and recording an object moving direction of the object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region;

monitoring a duration of the object staying in the second defined region after the object moves from the first defined region into the second defined region;

in response to the duration reaching a preset value, triggering an automatic movement signal for controlling a cursor to automatically move along a cursor moving direction identical to the computed and recorded object moving direction from the first defined region into the second defined region;

after triggering the automatic movement signal, monitoring a movement of the object in the second defined region; and

upon detection of movement of the object in the second defined region, stopping the automatic movement signal and triggering an automatic scroll signal along an updated direction and an updated speed corresponding to the detection of the movement of the object to scroll a page on a window, wherein the automatic scroll signal has a scrolling direction and a scrolling speed identical to the updated direction and the updated speed of the object moving in the second defined region.

9. The cursor control method of claim 8, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving into the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

10. The cursor control method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

after triggering the automatic movement signal, continuously monitoring a movement of the object in the second defined region; and

varying the cursor moving direction of the automatic movement signal with the object moving direction of the object continuously moving in the second defined region.

11. The cursor control method of claim 10, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

12. The cursor control method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

after triggering the automatic movement signal, monitoring a movement of the object in the second defined region; and

varying the cursor moving direction of the automatic movement signal depending on a direction of a vector addition determined by the object moving direction of the object moving from the first defined region into the second defined region and the object moving direction of the object moving in the second defined region.

13. The cursor control method of claim 12, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic movement signal.

14. The cursor control method of claim 8, further comprising the step of embedding a displacement per unit time of the object moving in the second defined region into the automatic scroll signal.