Keyboard integrated with trackpad

• US 9,092,068 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamburgen, William, Murphy, Glen, Lee, Ji, Tom, Kevin, Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Han, Amy, Bowers, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US14/303,062
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-174, 178 1801- 1806, 715/863, 341/22, 341/33
• 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 3/0213 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 3/023 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 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

An apparatus includes a processor and a keyboard having multiple, separately moveable keys. The keyboard is configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a trackpad, wherein the trackpad comprises;

a top surface including visual representations of individual keys of a keyboard disposed on the top surface, and

a sensor layer;

wherein the processor is configured to;

determine if an input on the top surface of the trackpad is in a single location or is sliding,

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is sliding, determine if the sliding is across multiple keys or if the sliding is within an area of one of the individual keys,

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either in the single location or is sliding within the area of one of the individual keys, determine whether the input occurs in a typing context,

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad occurs in the typing context, register a keystroke for one of the individual keys associated with a location of the input, and

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either sliding across multiple keys or does not occur in the typing context, register and process the input as one of a click gesture or a tracking gesture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual representations of the individual keys are mapped to corresponding locations on the top surface of the trackpad.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual representations of the individual keys are displayed on the top surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual representations of the individual keys are painted on the top surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top surface of the trackpad is substantially flat.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor layer comprises a capacitive sensor layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top surface and the sensor layer are a same layer.

8. A method including executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor, the method comprising:

obtaining an input to a trackpad, the trackpad comprising;

a top surface including visual representations of individual keys of a keyboard disposed on the top surface, and

a sensor layer;

determining if an input on the top surface of the trackpad is in a single location or is sliding;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is sliding, determining if the sliding is across multiple keys or if the sliding is within an area of one of the individual keys;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either in the single location or is sliding within the area of one of the individual keys, determining whether the input occurs in a typing context;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad occurs in the typing context, registering a keystroke for one of the individual keys associated with a location of the input; and

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either sliding across multiple keys or does not occur in the typing context, registering and processing the input as one of a click gesture or a tracking gesture.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising mapping the visual representations of the individual keys to corresponding locations on the top surface of the trackpad.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the top surface of the trackpad is substantially flat.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the sensor layer comprises a capacitive sensor layer.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the top surface and the sensor layer are a same layer.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

obtaining an input to a trackpad, the trackpad comprising;

a top surface including visual representations of individual keys of a keyboard disposed on the top surface, and

a sensor layer;

determining if an input on the top surface of the trackpad is in a single location or is sliding;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is sliding, determining if the sliding is across multiple keys or if the sliding is within an area of one of the individual keys;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either in the single location or is sliding within the area of one of the individual keys, determining whether the input occurs in a typing context;

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad occurs in the typing context, registering a keystroke for one of the individual keys associated with a location of the input; and

responsive to determining the input on the top surface of the trackpad is either sliding across multiple keys or does not occur in the typing context, registering and processing the input as one of a click gesture or a tracking gesture.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising instructions that, when executed, perform the action of mapping the visual representations of the individual keys to corresponding locations on the top surface of the trackpad.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the top surface of the trackpad is substantially flat.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the sensor layer comprises a capacitive sensor layer.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the top surface and the sensor layer are a same layer.