Stylus settings

• US 9,727,149 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, Jonathan R., Allen, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sugent, James F
• Application Number:
  US14/103,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 2203/04105 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0488 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: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

Stylus settings techniques are described. In implementations, an input is recognized as selecting at least one object displayed in a user interface by a display device of a computing device. Responsive to the recognition, an indication is displayed on the display device that is selectable.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a first input as indicating a body of a stylus is placed flat against a touchscreen of a display device of a computing device, the recognizing distinguishing the body of the stylus from at least one end of the stylus;

responsive to the recognizing the first input as indicating the body of the stylus, displaying a portion in a user interface on the display device that is selectable to specify an action performed by the computing device; and

receiving a second input as indicating initiating the action performed by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed portion in the user interface is a menu related to settings for the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed portion in the user interface is a menu of settings for the display device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action performed by the computing device comprises manipulating an object displayed on the display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input is a touch input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input is a stylus input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing the first input includes recognizing that the first input indicates the body of the stylus is placed on the touchscreen of the display device that is horizontally-oriented.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing the first input includes recognizing that the first input indicates the body of the stylus is placed flat against the touchscreen of the display device that is vertically-oriented.

9. A computing device comprising:

a display device;

a stylus;

one or more processors coupled to the display device;

memory, coupled to the one or more processors, comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

detecting a first input to the computing device;

differentiating whether the first input is a touch input or a stylus input;

responsive to differentiating that the first input is the stylus input, determining that a body of the stylus, the stylus having ends and the body being other than the ends of the stylus, is displaced flat against a touchscreen of the display device, the determining distinguishing the body of the stylus from at least one of the ends of the stylus;

responsive to determining that the body of the stylus is displaced flat against the touchscreen of the display device, displaying a portion in a user interface on the display device that is selectable to specify settings for the computing device; and

receiving a second input as indicating initiating an action relating to the settings for the computing device.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein said differentiating is performed by detecting an amount of the touchscreen of the display device that is contacted by a finger of a user'"'"'s hand as compared to the amount of the touchscreen of the display device that is contacted by the stylus.

11. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising performing the action relating to the settings for the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein said differentiating between the touch input and the stylus input is performed using a camera.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the stylus further comprises one or more sensors in the stylus communicatively coupled to the one or more processors.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein said detecting the first input to the computing device is performed at least in part using the one or more sensors in the stylus.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein said determining that the body of the stylus is displaced flat against the touchscreen of the display device is performed at least in part using the one or more sensors in the stylus.

16. One or more computer-readable storage memories comprising stored instructions executable by one or more processors to perform:

recognizing a first input as indicating a body of a stylus, the stylus having ends and the body being other than the ends of the stylus, is placed flat against a touchscreen of a display device of a computing device, the recognizing distinguishing the body of the stylus from at least one end of the stylus;

responsive to the recognizing the first input as indicating the body of the stylus, displaying a portion in a user interface on the display device that is selectable to specify an action performed by the computing device; and

receiving a second input as indicating initiating the action performed by the computing device.

17. The computer-readable storage memories of claim 16, wherein the displayed portion in the user interface is a menu related to settings for the computing device.

18. The computer-readable storage memories of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to perform ceasing display of the portion in the user interface responsive to recognizing that the body of the stylus is no longer placed against the touchscreen of the display device.

19. The computer-readable storage memories of claim 16, wherein the action performed by the computing device comprises manipulating an object displayed on the display device.

20. The computer-readable storage memories of claim 16, wherein the second input is one of a touch input or a stylus input.