Selective rejection of touch contacts in an edge region of a touch surface

• US 9,041,663 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): MARINELLI, PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/250,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120023459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 345/104, 178 1801- 2004, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The selective rejection of touch contacts in an edge region of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. In addition, by providing certain exceptions to the rejection of edge contacts, the functionality of the touch sensor panel can be maximized. Contacts in edge bands around the perimeter of a touch sensor panel can be ignored. However, if a contact in the edge band moves beyond a threshold distance or speed, it can be recognized as part of a gesture. To accommodate different finger sizes, the size of the edge band can be modified based on the identification of the finger or thumb. Furthermore, if contacts in the center region of a touch sensor panel track the movement of contacts in the edge band, the contacts in the edge band can be recognized as part of a gesture.

Claims

1. A method for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

designating one or more regions along one or more edges in the touch sensor panel as contact rejection regions; and

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected within the one or more contact rejection regions in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria,

wherein the first contact is rejected unless the first contact is simultaneously detected with one or more second contacts detected in a main region of the touch sensor panel, the main region being separate from the one or more contact rejection regions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if the one or more second contacts are detected within the main region of the touch sensor panel and the first contact is detected as having movement exceeding a particular threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if the first contact is recognized as a part or all of a particular gesture including the one or more second contacts.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with an identification of a finger or thumb as a cause of the first contact.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if the first and the one or more second contacts have substantially synchronous movement.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising recognizing the one or more second contacts as part of a drag gesture and the first contact as being a drag lock component of the drag gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact as changing a first gesture if the one or more second contacts are detected as performing the first gesture within the main region of the touch sensor panel.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with a computed parameter of the first contact.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning different widths to the contact rejection regions along various edges of the touch sensor panel.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the first contact if at least one of the one or more second contacts is detected within the main region of the touch sensor panel and touches down at substantially the same time as the first contact.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria,

wherein the first contact is rejected unless the first contact is simultaneously detected with one or more second contacts detected in a main region of the touch sensor panel, the main region being separate from the one or more contact rejection regions, and

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if the one or more second contacts are detected within the main region of the touch sensor panel and the first contact is detected as having movement exceeding a particular threshold.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if the first contact is recognized as a part or all of a particular gesture including the one or more second contacts.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with an identification of a finger or thumb as a cause of the first contact.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if the first and the one or more second contacts have substantially synchronous movement.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the program code further for recognizing the one or more second contacts as part of a drag gesture and the first contact as being a drag lock component of the drag gesture.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for recognizing the first contact as changing a first gesture if the one or more second contacts are detected as performing the first gesture within the main region of the touch sensor panel.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for varying a size of the contact rejection region in accordance with a computed parameter of the first contact.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for assigning different widths to the contact rejection regions along various edges of the touch sensor panel.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the program code further for recognizing the first contact if at least one of the one or more second contacts is detected within the main region of the touch sensor panel and touches down at substantially the same time as the first contact.

21. A mobile telephone including computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria,

wherein the first contact is rejected unless the first contact is simultaneously detected with one or more second contacts detected in a main region of the touch sensor panel, the main region being separate from the one or more contact rejection regions, and

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.

22. A personal computer including computer-readable storage medium storing program code for selectively rejecting contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

selectively rejecting or recognizing a first contact detected in one or more designated contact rejection regions in the touch sensor panel in accordance with rejection or recognition criteria,

wherein the first contact is rejected unless the first contact is simultaneously detected with one or more second contacts detected in a main region of the touch sensor panel, the main region being separate from the one or more contact rejection regions, and

wherein the one or more contact rejection regions are located along one or more edges of the touch sensor panel.