Touch sensor and touchscreen user input combination

• US 8,988,356 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US12/651,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345172-174
• US Class Current: 345/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. A swiping action between a touch sensor and a touchscreen of a computing device is identified. The identification includes determining, while the computing device is in a state that provides a first graphical display, that the touch sensor has been physically contacted by a user. The identification includes determining that the physical contact with the touch sensor has ended. The identification includes determining, within a predetermined time period of the end of the physical contact, that a dragging motion across the touchscreen has originated at a peripheral edge of the touchscreen. In response to the identifying, a predetermined computerized routine is invoked that replaces the first graphical display with a second graphical display, wherein user interaction with the touch sensor or touchscreen individually do not invoke the predetermined computerized routine.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying a swiping action from a touch sensor button of a computing device to a touchscreen of the computing device, wherein;

(i) the touchscreen includes a touch-sensitive overlay configured to detect user contact with the touchscreen and to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the touchscreen, the touchscreen configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics,

(ii) the touch sensor button is distinct from the touch-sensitive overlay of the touchscreen, the touch sensor button is located outside of the touchscreen and is separated from the touchscreen by at least a portion of a housing of the computing device, the touch sensor button is configured to detect user contact with the touch sensor button but not to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the touch sensor button, and the touch sensor button is not configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics, and

(iii) identifying the swiping action includes;

determining, while the computing device is in a state that provides a first graphical display on the touchscreen, that the touch sensor button has been physically contacted by a user,

determining that the physical contact with the touch sensor button has ended, and

determining, within a predetermined time period of the end of the physical contact with the touch sensor button, that a swiping motion across the touchscreen has originated at a peripheral edge of the touchscreen, the swiping motion across the touchscreen completing the swiping action from the touch sensor button to the touchscreen; and

in response to identifying the swiping action from the touch sensor button of the computing device to the touchscreen of the computing device, changing a display of the touchscreen based on the identified swiping action,

wherein changing the display of the touchscreen based on the identified swiping action comprises invoking a predetermined computerized routine that;

(i) is not otherwise invoked through a physical contact with the touch sensor button alone when the computing device is in the state that provides the first graphical display, and

(ii) is also not otherwise invoked through a single physical user interaction with the touchscreen when the computing device is in the state that provides the first graphical display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the swiping action from the touch sensor button to the touchscreen includes determining that a numerically positive delay between the end of the physical contact with the touch sensor button and an origination of the swiping motion across the touchscreen has occurred.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the single physical user interaction with the touchscreen includes a tap, dragging motion across the touchscreen, or a multi-touch user interaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the swiping action from the touch sensor button to the touchscreen further comprises:

determining a location of a point of release from the touchscreen of the swiping motion across the touchscreen; and

wherein the invocation of the predetermined computerized routine is dependent on the location of the point of release.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the swiping action from the touch sensor button to the touchscreen further comprises:

determining that a termination point of the swiping motion across the touchscreen is at a peripheral edge of the touchscreen;

determining that the termination point is within a particular region from among multiple regions along the peripheral edges of the touchscreen; and

wherein changing the display of the touchscreen based on the identified swiping action comprises changing the computing device to a state that provides a second graphical display on the touchscreen, the second graphical display determined as a result of the termination point being within the particular region in distinction to other regions among the multiple regions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to identifying the swiping action from the touch sensor button and to the touchscreen, placing the computing device into a state in which a location of touchscreen contact from the swiping motion across the touchscreen triggers audio cues that are not otherwise triggered through a single user interaction with the touchscreen when the touchscreen provides the first graphical display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a trajectory of the swiping motion across the touchscreen; and

determining, based on the determined trajectory of the swiping motion, that the touch sensor button is an apparent initiation location of the swiping motion, the apparent initiation location external to the touchscreen; and

wherein the display of the touchscreen in changed in response to determining that the touch sensor button is the apparent initiation location of the swiping motion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the swiping motion across the touchscreen is a dragging motion that is independent of interaction with the touch sensor button.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor button is configured to be placed in only one of two states that correspond to a contacted state and a not contacted state, and wherein the touchscreen is configured to be placed in multiple states that depend on the particular locations of user contact with the touchscreen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the display of the touchscreen based on the identified swiping action comprises displaying a graphical element on the touchscreen that follows the swiping motion across the touchscreen.

17. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising:

a backlight to illuminate a region of the computing device associated with the touch sensor button;

wherein the operations further comprise;

in response to;

(i) determining that the touch sensor button has been physically contacted, (ii) determining that the physical contact with the touch sensor button has ended, or (iii) determining that contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred, turning the backlight on; and

turning the backlight off upon determining that a release of the contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred.

11. A computing device comprising:

a housing;

a touchscreen display coupled to the housing so that a display surface of the touchscreen display is visible to a user of the computing device, wherein the touchscreen display includes a touch-sensitive overlay that is operable to detect user contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display and to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display, and wherein the touchscreen display is configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics;

a touch sensor button of the computing device that is distinct from the touch-sensitive overlay of the touchscreen display, wherein the touch sensor button is located outside of the touchscreen display and is separated from the touchscreen display by at least a portion of the housing of the computing device, wherein the touch sensor button is configured to detect user contact with the touch sensor button but not to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the touch sensor button, and wherein the touch sensor button is not configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics;

one or more processors included in the housing; and

a computer-readable medium connected to the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining, while the computing device is in a state that provides a graphical display on the touchscreen display, that the touch sensor button has been physically contacted by a user;

determining that contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display at a peripheral edge of the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred;

determining that the physical contact with the touch sensor button has ended within a predetermined period of time following the determination that contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred; and

changing, in response to determining that the physical contact with the touch sensor button has ended within the predetermined period of time following the determination that contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred, the graphical display of the touchscreen display,

wherein changing the graphical display of the touchscreen display comprises invoking a predetermined computerized routine that;

(i) is not otherwise invoked through a physical contact with the touch sensor button alone when the computing device is in the state that provides the graphical display on the touchscreen display, and

(ii) is also not otherwise invoked through a single physical user interaction with the touchscreen when the touchscreen is in the state that provides the graphical display on the touchscreen display.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein determining that contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display has occurred includes determining that the contact is with a portion of the display surface of the touchscreen display that is along the peripheral edge of the touchscreen display, the peripheral edge of the touchscreen display being adjacent to the touch sensor button.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a location of a point of release of the contact of the display surface of the touchscreen display, the point of release terminating a swiping motion that originated with the contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display;

wherein changing the graphical display of the touchscreen display comprises invoking a predetermined computerized routine that is dependent on the location of the point of release being within a particular region of the touchscreen from among multiple regions of the touchscreen, the multiple regions of the touchscreen associated with different predetermined computerized routines.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the touch sensor button is a capacitive touch switch.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the touch sensor button is a resistive touch switch.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the touch sensor button is a physical touch switch.

18. A computing device comprising:

a housing;

a touch sensor button coupled to the housing so that a user may physically contact and activate the touch sensor button, the touch sensor button being configured to detect user contact with the touch sensor button but not to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the touch sensor button, the touch sensor button not being configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics;

a touchscreen display coupled to the housing so that a display surface of the touchscreen is visible to a user, wherein the touchscreen display includes a touch-sensitive overlay that is distinct from the touch sensor button, and wherein the touchscreen display is configured to detect user contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display and to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the display surface of the touchscreen display, the touchscreen display configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics;

one or more processors coupled to the housing;

means for (i) identifying a swiping user input that includes user interaction with the touch sensor button and the touchscreen display and for (ii) invoking a predetermined computerized routine that modifies a graphical display of the touchscreen display in response to the identification of the swiping user input,

wherein the touch sensor button is located outside of the touchscreen display and is separated from the touchscreen display by at least a portion of the housing of the computing device,

wherein the predetermined computerized routine that modifies the graphical display of the touchscreen display;

(i) is not otherwise invoked through a physical contact with the touch sensor button alone, and

(ii) is also not otherwise invoked through a single physical user interaction with the touchscreen display.

19. A computer storage medium encoded with instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

identifying a swiping action from a touchscreen display to a touch sensor button of a computing device, the identification of the swiping action including;

determining, when the computing device is in a state that provides a first graphical display, a dragging across a surface of the touchscreen display that terminates at a peripheral edge of the touchscreen; and

determining, within a predetermined time window that includes time after the termination of the lateral motion, that the touch sensor button has been physically contacted by a user; and

in response to identifying the swiping action from the touchscreen display to the touch sensor button of the computing device, changing a display of the touchscreen display based on the identified swiping action,

wherein the touchscreen display includes a touch-sensitive overlay that is configured to detect user contact with the surface of the touchscreen display and to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the surface of the touchscreen display, the touchscreen display configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics,

wherein the touch sensor button is distinct from the touch-sensitive overlay of the touchscreen display, the touch sensor button being located outside of the touchscreen display and being separated from the touchscreen display by at least a portion of a housing of the computing device, the touch sensor button being configured to detect user contact with the touch sensor button but not to distinguish among multiple different locations of user contact with the touch sensor button, the touch sensor button not being configured to output displays of different multiple-pixel graphics, and

wherein changing the display of the touchscreen display based on the identified swiping action comprises invoking a predetermined computerized routine that;

(i) is not otherwise invoked through a physical contact with the touch sensor button alone when the computing device is in the state that provides the first graphical display, and

(ii) is also not otherwise invoked through a single physical user interaction with the touchscreen display when the computing device is in the state that provides the first graphical display.