Keyboard with integrated touch surface

• US 8,982,069 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Original Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Inventors: Laubach, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US13/489,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 345/160, 345/168, 345173-183
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a single integrated multi-functional input device (1) that provides the discrete input functionality of a keyboard to facilitate efficient text insertion operations and (2) that provides the functionality of a trackpad to facilitate efficient spatially dependent navigation in a graphical user interface (GUI) whereby each such functionality is accessible by the user'"'"'s hands positioned at the home position keys of the keyboard. More specifically, some embodiments provide an enhanced keyboard with at least one touch sensitive key and software for adapting touches applied over the touch sensitive key to emulate trackpad functionality without interfering with regular text insertion (typing).

Claims

1. A touch sensitive key based input device comprising:

a plurality of keys, each key configured to generate a character output when depressed and released within a time threshold;

a spacebar key with a touch sensitive surface area, wherein said touch sensitive surface area is enlarged relative to a surface area of each key of the plurality of keys to provide an emulated trackpad directly on said spacebar key; and

a controller (i) generating a first output for entry of a space when said spacebar key is physically depressed and then released within a specified time duration, (ii) generating a second output directed to a first set of trackpad emulated functionality in response to a non-stationary touch over the touch sensitive surface area of the spacebar key when the spacebar key is not depressed, and (iii) generating, without output for continuous entry of a space, a third output directed to a second set of trackpad emulated functionality in response to a non-stationary touch over the touch sensitive surface area of the spacebar key while the spacebar key is depressed beyond the specified time duration.

2. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive surface area generates the second output identifying a directional motion for a touch that moves from a first location at the spacebar key to a second location at the spacebar key.

3. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein said first set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises pointer movement within a graphical user interface (GUI).

4. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality excludes mouse click messages and the second set of trackpad emulated functionality includes mouse click messages.

5. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 4, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises any of pointer movement within a GUI and scrolling within a scroll area presented in said GUI.

6. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 4, wherein the first set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises performing at least one defined gesture involving at least two distinct touches.

7. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 6, wherein the at least one defined gesture comprises at least one of a drag, expand, contract, rotate, and swipe.

8. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 4, wherein the second set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises mouse click functionality involving pressing a button of a mouse while moving the mouse.

9. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 4, wherein the second set of trackpad emulated functionality comprises emulating pressing a button of a trackpad when pressing the spacebar key in conjunction with applying a touch over said touch sensitive surface area.

10. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further for generating the third output in response to (i) a non-stationary touch over the touch sensitive surface area of the spacebar when the spacebar key is not depressed and (ii) a key press of at least one key of the plurality of keys.

11. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein said second output comprises coordinates for detecting movement of a touch across said touch sensitive surface area.

12. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 11, wherein said third output comprises output emulating a mouse button click when a tap is detected on the touch sensitive surface area of the spacebar key when the spacebar key is held down.

13. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises at least one of firmware, driver, and software application.

17. The touch sensitive key based input device of claim 1, wherein said spacebar key further ignores the non-stationary touch when a key of the plurality of keys is pressed within the specified time duration of the non-stationary touch being initiated.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for a controller of a key based input device, said key based input device for issuing output to a device with a graphical user interface (GUI) that is coupled to said key based input device, said key based input device comprising a plurality of keys that are configured to generate a first output when activated and a spacebar key with a touch sensitive surface that generates a second output when activated, a third output when a touch is issued over said touch sensitive surface without activating the spacebar key, and a fourth output when the spacebar key is activated and a touch is issued over said touch sensitive surface while continuing to hold the spacebar key in an activated state, wherein said program instructs a microprocessor to perform a set of instructions for:

producing character output for said device based on said first output;

producing space output for said device based on said second output;

performing a mouse operation that does not involve pressing or holding of a mouse button in response to said third output, wherein the mouse operation that does not involve GUI of said device; and

performing a mouse operation that involves pressing or holding of a mouse button in response to said fourth output, wherein performing the mouse operation that involves pressing or holding of a mouse button comprises one of selecting an item within said GUI and dragging and dropping an item.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the mouse operation that does not involve pressing or holding of a mouse button comprises further comprises a set of instructions for scrolling within said GUI.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for issuing a mouse button click when said spacebar key is held down and a touch is tapped on said touch sensitive surface.