Selective rejection of touch contacts in an edge region of a touch surface

• US 9,891,732 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US14/711,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 345104, 178 1801- 2004, 715863
• 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 2203/04105 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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: 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

The selective rejection of touch contacts in an edge region of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. In addition, by providing certain exceptions to the rejection of edge contacts, the functionality of the touch sensor panel can be maximized. Contacts in edge bands around the perimeter of a touch sensor panel can be ignored. However, if a contact in the edge band moves beyond a threshold distance or speed, it can be recognized as part of a gesture. To accommodate different finger sizes, the size of the edge band can be modified based on the identification of the finger or thumb. Furthermore, if contacts in the center region of a touch sensor panel track the movement of contacts in the edge band, the contacts in the edge band can be recognized as part of a gesture.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing contacts on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

detecting a touch contacting a first region of the touch sensor panel, the first region located along an outer boundary of the touch sensor panel having contact rejection or recognition criteria different from other regions of the touch sensor panel;

modifying a width of the first region based on the detected touch contacting the first region;

detecting a gesture in the modified-width first region; and

performing a function in accordance with the detected gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the gesture comprises:

detecting a plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region;

determining a spacing between the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region; and

recognizing the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region as the gesture when the spacing satisfies a predetermined spacing criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined spacing criteria includes a pre-determined x-direction separation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the gesture comprises detecting movement of the detected touch contacting the first region that exceeds a predetermined movement threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold distance.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold speed.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for recognizing contacts on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a touch contacting a first region of the touch sensor panel, the first region located along an outer boundary of the touch sensor panel having contact rejection or recognition criteria different from other regions of the touch sensor panel;

modifying a width of the first region based on the detected touch contacting the first region;

detecting a gesture in the modified-width first region; and

performing a function in accordance with the detected gesture.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein detecting the gesture comprises:

detecting a plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region;

determining a spacing between the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region; and

recognizing the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region as the gesture when the spacing satisfies a predetermined spacing criteria.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the predetermined spacing criteria includes a pre-determined x-direction separation.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein detecting the gesture comprises detecting movement of the detected touch contacting the first region that exceeds a predetermined movement threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold distance.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold speed.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch sensor panel; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the touch sensor panel and capable of

detecting a touch contacting a first region of the touch sensor panel, the first region located along an outer boundary of the touch sensor panel having contact rejection or recognition criteria different from other regions of the touch sensor panel;

modifying a width of the first region based on the detected touch contacting the first region;

detecting a gesture in the modified-width first region; and

performing a function in accordance with the detected gesture.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein detecting the gesture comprises:

detecting a plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region;

determining a spacing between the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region; and

recognizing the plurality of touches contacting the modified-width first region as the gesture when the spacing satisfies a predetermined spacing criteria.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the predetermined spacing criteria includes a pre-determined x-direction separation.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein detecting the gesture comprises detecting movement of the detected touch contacting the first region that exceeds a predetermined movement threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold distance.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the predetermined movement threshold comprises a threshold speed.