Touch typing emulator for a flat surface

• US 8,982,104 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujishima, Yuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US13/571,709
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 345173-183, 345166-168, 178 1801- 1802, 178/19.02, 367/13, 367/180
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member

Abstract

A touch typing emulator to be placed on any flat surface is made from as few as two acoustic sensors connected by a wire that determines the separation between the sensors and is connected by a USB cable to a computer. The emulator receives two waves from each finger tap on the surface, a higher velocity wave and a lesser velocity wave. By affixing the sensors to a surface, the sensors, in connection with software in a computer receiving the USB connection, determines the location of the tapping of a users fingers on the surface and uses that information to emulate a typewriter keyboard.

Claims

1. A touch typing emulator for use on a surface comprising

two wave sensors (n=1, 2) adapted to be placed upon the surface, wherein said sensors are each capable of transmitting signals or changing states in response to the arrival at different times at said sensor of first and second acoustic waves of different known velocities travelling to said sensor in different media and caused by typing on the surface,

a processor adapted to determine from said sensors the times of arrival T₁⁽ⁿ⁾ and T₂⁽ⁿ⁾ at sensor n of the two acoustic waves, and programmed to determine, from those times of arrival the time of touch typing

2. The touch typing emulator of claim 1, wherein the sensors are attached to a flexible membrane to be placed on the surface.

3. The touch typing emulator of claim 2, wherein the flexible membranes has drawn upon it a pattern of a typewriter keyboard.

4. The touch typing emulator of claim 3, where the sensors are adapted to determine their distances from each other by exchanging and timing signals.

5. The touch typing emulator of claim 1, wherein the emulator is adapted to determine the velocities of the waves from signals received during placement of the sensors on the surface.

6. The touch typing emulator of claim 1, wherein the emulator is adapted to determine at least one velocity of waves on the surface during setup by touching the surface at a point along a line segment joining two sensors and not between the two sensors.

7. The touch typing emulator of claim 1, wherein each sensor is adapted to detect a surface acoustic wave and an airborne acoustic wave.

8. A method for touch typing upon a surface comprising the steps of placing two wave sensors (n=1, 2) upon the surface,

said sensors each transmitting signals or changing states in response to the arrival at different times at said sensors of first and second acoustic waves of different known velocities travelling through different media caused by touch typing on the surface,

determining from said sensors the times of arrival T₁⁽ⁿ⁾ and T₂⁽ⁿ⁾ at sensor n of the two acoustic waves, and

determining, from those times of arrival the time of touch typing

9. The method for touch typing upon a surface claim 8, further comprising determining the (x,y) coordinates of the point at which the surface was struck form the solution of

10. The method of touch typing upon a flat surface of claim 8, wherein one of said acoustic waves is a surface wave and the other of said acoustic waves is an airborne waves.