Combined touch input and offset non-touch gesture

• US 9,360,965 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Krulce, Darrell, MacDougall, Francis Bernard, Keating, Virginia Walker, Everitt, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKS, CHARLES V
• Application Number:
  US14/864,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04106 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 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems according to one or more embodiments are provided for combining touch inputs and offset non-touch gestures. In an embodiment, a method includes concurrently capturing touch input data on a screen of a user device and non-touch gesture input data, the non-touch gesture input data being indicative of a gesture performed in an area offset from the screen of the user device to inhibit obstruction of a user'"'"'s view of the screen. The method also includes determining an input command based at least in part on a combination of the concurrently captured touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data. In addition, the method further includes affecting an operation of the user device based on the determined input command.

Claims

1. A method for detecting interactive inputs, comprising:

concurrently capturing touch input data on a screen of a user device and non-touch gesture input data, the non-touch gesture input data being indicative of a gesture performed in an area offset from the screen of the user device to inhibit obstruction of a user'"'"'s view of the screen;

determining an input command based at least in part on a combination of the concurrently captured touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data; and

affecting an operation of the user device based on the determined input command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a touch associated with the touch input data and the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data are captured from a single hand of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the touch associated with the touch input data serves as an anchor point for the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a touch associated with the touch input data and the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data are captured from two hands of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the area offset from the screen of the user device is on a plane parallel to the screen of the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch input data identifies a target item on the screen of the user device, and wherein the input command comprises an adjustment of an aspect of the target item based on the non-touch gesture input data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input command comprises a variable adjustment of the target item, the variable adjustment being determined from the non-touch gesture input data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing of the touch input data further comprises:

receiving a touch, from the user on the screen of the user device, on a desired target item to be affected; and

determining that the target item has been disengaged by detecting a release of the touch on the screen of the user device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing of the non-touch gesture input data comprises detecting a location and a movement of an object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing of the non-touch gesture input data comprises using one or more sensors adapted to detect an object beyond a surface of the user device via ultrasonic technologies, image or video capturing technologies, or IR technologies.

11. A system comprising:

a display configured to display one or more images;

one or more sensors configured to detect touch input data at the display;

one or more sensors configured to detect non-touch gesture input data;

indicative of a gesture performed in an area offset from the display to inhibit obstruction of a user'"'"'s view of the screen; and

one or more processors configured to;

concurrently capture the touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data;

determine an input command based at least in part on a combination of the concurrently captured touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data; and

affect an operation of the system based on the determined input command.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect the touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data as associated with a touch and a gesture captured from a single hand of the user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the touch associated with the touch input data serves as an anchor point for the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect the touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data as associated with a touch and a gesture captured from two hands of the user.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the area offset from the screen of the user device is on a plane parallel to the screen of the user device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the touch input data identifies a target item on the display, and wherein the input command comprises an adjustment of an aspect of the target item based on the non-touch gesture input data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the input command comprises a variable adjustment of the target item, the variable adjustment being determined from the non-touch gesture input data.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a touch from the user on the display on a desired target item and determine that the target item has been disengaged by detecting a release of the touch on the display.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors configured to detect non-touch gesture input data are further configured to capture a location and a movement of an object.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors configured to detect non-touch gesture input data comprise ultrasonic sensors, image or video capturing sensors, or IR sensors adapted to capture the non-touch gesture input data.

21. An apparatus for detecting interactive inputs, comprising:

means for concurrently capturing touch input data on a screen of a user device and non-touch gesture input data, the non-touch gesture input data being indicative of a gesture performed in an area offset from the screen of the user device to inhibit obstruction of a user'"'"'s view of the screen;

means for determining an input command based at least in part on a combination of the concurrently captured touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data; and

means for affecting an operation of the user device based on the determined input command.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a touch associated with the touch input data and the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data are captured from a single hand of the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the touch associated with the touch input data serves as an anchor point for the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a touch associated with the touch input data and the gesture associated with the non-touch user input data are captured from two hands of the user.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the area offset from the screen of the user device is on a plane parallel to the screen of the user device.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the touch input data identifies a target item on the screen of the user device, and wherein the input command comprises an adjustment of an aspect of the target item based on the non-touch gesture input data.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the input command comprises a variable adjustment of the target item, the variable adjustment being determined from the non-touch gesture input data.

28. The apparatus of claim 21,

wherein the means for concurrently capturing the touch input data comprises means for receiving a touch, from the user on the screen of the user device, on a desired target item to be affected;

and

wherein the apparatus further comprises means for determining that the target item has been disengaged by detecting a release of the touch on the screen of the user device.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for concurrently capturing the non-touch gesture input data comprises means for detecting a location and a movement of an object.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for concurrently capturing the non-touch gesture input data comprises one or more sensors adapted to detect an object beyond a surface of the apparatus via ultrasonic technologies, image or video capturing technologies, or IR technologies.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

concurrently capture touch input data on a screen of a user device and non-touch gesture input data, the non-touch gesture input data being indicative of a gesture performed in an area offset from the screen of the user device to inhibit obstruction of a user'"'"'s view of the screen;

determine an input command based at least in part on a combination of the concurrently captured touch input data and the non-touch gesture input data; and

affect an operation of the user device based on the determined input command.