Method, apparatus and computer program product for user input interpretation and input error mitigation

• US 9,046,958 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Colley, Ashley, Matero, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US13/421,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Provided herein are a method, apparatus and computer program product for interpreting user input and mitigating erroneous inputs on a device. In particular, methods may include receiving an indication of a first touch event, determining, by a touch mediation function, if the first touch event is an erroneous touch event, causing the first touch event to be sent to an application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the touch event is not erroneous; and causing the first touch event to not be sent to the application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the first touch event is erroneous. The first touch event may occur proximate a first capture area for the user interface and the method may further include causing the first capture area for the user interface to be adjusted in response to the first touch event.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first touch event, wherein the first touch event is assigned a first touch event priority in response to being received at a first capture area corresponding to a first priority;

receiving an indication of a second touch event, wherein the second touch event is assigned a second touch event priority in response to being received at a second capture area corresponding to a second priority;

determining, by a touch mediation function, that either the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises a lower priority is an erroneous touch event;

causing either the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises a higher priority to be sent to an application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective first touch event or the second touch event is not erroneous; and

causing the first touch event or the second touch event comprising the lower priority to not be sent to the application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective first touch event or the second touch event is erroneous.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first touch event occurs proximate a first capture area for a user interface, and wherein the method further comprises causing the first capture area for the user interface to be adjusted in response to the first touch event.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch mediation function comprises a touch event map layer, and wherein the touch event map layer comprises at least two priority levels mapped to at least two areas of a touch screen interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting a touch event parameter of at least one user interface component in response to receiving the first touch event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the first capture area corresponds to a relatively low priority in response to being a region with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the second capture area corresponds to a relatively higher priority area in response to being a region with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture area and the second capture area are defined by an application user interface.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

provide for receiving an indication of a first touch event, wherein the first touch event is assigned a first touch event priority in response to being received at a first capture area corresponding to a first priority;

receive an indication of a second touch event, wherein the second touch event is assigned a second touch event priority in response to being received at a second capture area corresponding to a second priority;

provide for determining, by a touch mediation function, that either the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises a lower priority is an erroneous touch event;

provide for causing either the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises higher priority area to be sent to an application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective touch event or the second touch event is not erroneous; and

provide for causing the first touch event or the second touch event comprising the lower priority to not be sent to the application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective first touch event or the second touch event is erroneous.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first touch event occurs proximate a first capture area for a user interface, and wherein the apparatus is further caused to provide for adjusting the first capture area for the user interface to in response to the first touch event.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the touch mediation function comprises a touch event map layer, and wherein the touch event map layer comprises at least two priority levels mapped to at least two areas of a touch screen interface.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to adjust a touch event parameter of at least one user interface component in response to receiving the first touch event.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the first capture area corresponds to a relatively low priority area in response to being a region with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the second capture area corresponds to a relatively higher priority area in response to being a region with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first capture area and the second capture area are defined by an application user interface.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising:

program code instructions for receiving an indication of a first touch event, wherein the first touch event is assigned a first touch event priority in response to being received at a first capture area corresponding to a first priority;

program code instructions for receiving an indication of a second touch event, wherein the second touch event is assigned a second touch event priority in response to being received at a second capture area corresponding to a second priority;

program code instructions for determining, by a touch mediation function, that either the first touch event or the second touch that comprises a lower priority area is an erroneous touch event;

program code instructions for causing either the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises a higher priority to be sent to an application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective first touch event or the second touch event is not erroneous; and

program code instructions for causing the first touch event or the second touch event that comprises the lower priority to not be sent to the application in response to the touch mediation function determining that the respective first touch event or the second touch event is erroneous.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the first touch event occurs proximate a first capture area for a user interface, and wherein the computer program product further includes program code instructions for causing the first capture area for the user interface to be adjusted in response to the first touch event.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the touch mediation function comprises a touch event map layer, and wherein the touch event map layer comprises at least two priority levels mapped to at least two areas of a touch screen interface.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the first capture area corresponds to a relatively low priority area in response to being a region with a relatively higher likelihood of accidental input.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the second capture area comprises a region of a display with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input, and wherein the second capture area corresponds to a relatively higher priority area in response to being a region with a relatively lower likelihood of accidental input.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first capture area and the second capture area are defined by an application user interface.