Ergonomic motion detection for receiving character input to electronic devices

• US 9,652,146 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inpris Innovative Products Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Inpris Innovative Products Ltd.
• Inventors: Yaron, Ben Etzion, Yaron, Nissan
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US15/255,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• 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 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

Sliding and non-sliding touch input to an electronic device may be selected so that the motions associated with a character to input are intuitive and thus easy to remember. The motions for the contacts of the touch input may be selected ergonomically in a way enabling touch-typing, thus increasing user comfort for longer periods of use. Multiple repositionable finger contact regions are maintained on a contact surface in an arrangement that is easily accessible for the user'"'"'s fingertips. Each available input character is associated with a unique finger contact or set of simultaneously-entered contacts, each contact being either sliding or non-sliding contact, and the sliding contacts having a direction associated with the character. One example touch surface is a touch screen. Another example touch surface is the table upon which the electronic device sets and thus separate from the electronic device and freeing space on the device for other use.

Claims

1. A method of inputting control commands comprising:

(i) a processor sensing the locations of a plurality of fingers over a surface including the locations of at least a first finger, a second finger, and a third finger of the user'"'"'s hand and positioning a first finger location region including the sensed location of the first finger, a second finger location region including the sensed location of the second finger, and a third finger location region including the sensed location of the third finger;

wherein a plurality of control commands are each associated with a unique sliding motion originating with one or more of the finger location regions, and wherein each finger location region is a unique region of the surface;

(ii) maintaining an association of each of the plurality of control commands with a unique combination of sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts originating with one or more of the finger location regions, including one control command associated with a sliding motion originating with only the first finger location region and a different control command associated with only a sliding motion with only the second finger location region; and

(iii) following the positioning of the finger location regions, entering a first control command by discerning a control command input sliding motion at only the first finger location region, determining the direction of the sliding motion, and identifying the first control command based on the finger location region having the motion and the direction of the sliding motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes a step of entering a second control command different from the first control command by discerning a second control command sliding motion of only the second finger location region;

wherein the second control command sliding motion is the same as the sliding direction of the first control command sliding motion; and

identifying the second control command based on the finger location region the second control command sliding motion originates and the direction of the sliding motion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the first control command includes recognizing the first control command using the association of control commands to finger location regions and sliding direction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands associated with different sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts of three fingers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of control commands includes a first control command associated with a non-sliding contact for a first time interval and a second control command associated with a non-sliding contact for a second time interval, wherein the second time interval is a relatively long time compared with the first timer interval.

21. The method of claim 1,

wherein the step of identifying the first control command includes recognizing the first control command using the association of control commands to finger location regions and sliding direction, and the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion;

wherein the method includes a step of entering a second control command different from the first control command by discerning a second control command sliding motion of only the second finger location region;

wherein the second control command sliding motion is the same as the sliding direction of the first control command sliding motion; and

identifying the second control command based on the finger location region the second control command sliding motion originates and the direction of the sliding motion;

wherein the surface is a touch sensitive surface of a touch screen; and

wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands associated with different sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a touch screen having a touch sensitive surface; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

(i) upon sensing the locations of a plurality of fingers over the touch sensitive surface including the locations of at least a first finger, a second finger, and a third finger of the user'"'"'s hand, defining a first finger location region including the sensed location of the first finger, a second finger location region including the sensed location of the second finger, and a third finger location region including the sensed location of the third finger;

wherein a plurality of control commands are each associated with a unique sliding motion originating with one or more of the finger location regions, and wherein each finger location region is a unique region of the surface;

(ii) maintaining an association of each of the plurality of control commands with a unique combination of sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts originating with one or more of the finger location regions, including one control command associated with a sliding motion originating with only the first finger location region and a different control command associated with only a sliding motion with only the second finger location region; and

(iii) following the positioning of the finger location regions, upon sensing a command input sliding motion originating at only the first finger location region, identifying a first control command associated with the sliding motion.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each finger location region is spaced apart from the other finger location regions.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is connected to an electronic or mechanical device and the processor controls the electronic or mechanical device based on the first control command.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is connected to an electronic or mechanical device and the processor sends the first control command to a processor that controls the electronic or mechanical device.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the touch sensitive surface is also a display.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the association of control commands includes 15 or more different control commands.

15. The device of claim 7, wherein the association of control commands includes a first control command associated with a non-sliding contact for a first time interval and a second control command associated with a non-sliding contact for a second time interval, wherein the second time interval is longer than the first timer interval.

24. The device of claim 7,

wherein the processor is connected to an electronic or mechanical device and

i) the processor controls the electronic or mechanical device based on the first control command;

or

ii) the processor sends the first control command to a processor that controls the electronic or mechanical device;

wherein the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion; and

wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands.

25. The device of claim 24,

wherein the identifying of the first control command includes recognizing the first control command using the association of control commands to finger location regions and sliding direction and the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion;

and

wherein the machine readable storage medium includes instructions for entering a second control command different from the first control command by discerning a second control command sliding motion of only the second finger location region;

wherein the second control command sliding motion is the same as the sliding direction of the first control command sliding motion; and

identifies the second control command based on the finger location region the second control command sliding motion originates and the direction of the sliding motion.

16. A machine readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause a processor of an electronic device to discern input commands by:

(i) sensing the locations of a plurality of fingers over a surface including the locations of at least a first finger, a second finger, and a third finger of the user'"'"'s hand and positioning a first finger location region including the sensed location of the first finger, a second finger location region including the sensed location of the second finger, and a third finger location region including the sensed location of the third finger;

wherein a plurality of control commands are each associated with a unique sliding motion originating with one or more of the finger location regions, and wherein each finger location region is a unique region of the surface;

(ii) maintaining an association of each of the plurality of control commands with a unique combination of sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts originating with one or more of the finger location regions, including one control command associated with a sliding motion originating with only the first finger location region and a different control command associated with only a sliding motion with only the second finger location region; and

(iii) following the positioning of the finger location regions, entering a first control command by discerning a control command input sliding motion at only the first finger location region, determining the direction of the sliding motion, and identifying the first control command based on the finger location region having the motion and the direction of the sliding motion.

17. The machine readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the machine readable storage medium includes instructions for entering a second control command different from the first control command by discerning a second control command sliding motion of only the second finger location region;

wherein the second control command sliding motion is the same as the sliding direction of the first control command sliding motion; and

identifies the second control command based on the finger location region the second control command sliding motion originates and the direction of the sliding motion.

18. The machine readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the identifying of the first control command includes recognizing the first control command using the association of control commands to finger location regions and sliding direction.

19. The machine readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion.

20. The machine readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands.

22. The machine readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein the identifying of the first control command includes recognizing the first control command using the association of control commands to finger location regions and sliding direction and the control command input sliding motion is a single non-curved motion;

wherein the machine readable storage medium includes instructions for entering a second control command different from the first control command by discerning a second control command sliding motion of only the second finger location region;

wherein the second control command sliding motion is the same as the sliding direction of the first control command sliding motion; and

identifies the second control command based on the finger location region the second control command sliding motion originates and the direction of the sliding motion;

wherein the surface is a touch sensitive surface of a touch screen; and

wherein the association of control commands includes 10 or more different control commands associated with different sliding motions and/or non-sliding contacts.

23. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein each finger location region is spaced apart from the other finger location regions.