Multi-touch system and method for emulating modifier keys via fingertip chords
First Claim
1. A multi-touch surface apparatus that interprets 4-finger chords performed concurrently with other input activity as modifiers of that input activity, thereby avoiding awkward thumb or pinky reaches for conventional modifier keys, reducing hand strain and reducing the tendency of hands to drift off of home row, the apparatus comprising:
- multiple-touch sensing means that reports the locations and times of finger contacts with a surface, modifier configuration means establishes modifier zones as horizontal bands across the surface and associates each modifier zone with one or more modifier types;
synchronization detection means that scans for modifier chord touchdowns consisting of substantially simultaneous touches by four and no more than four digits of a hand;
modifier zone selection means that selects modifier types for the chord according to which modifier zones said simultaneous touches fall within;
chord cancellation means that cancels a modifier chord if the remaining unsynchronized digit from its hand touches before other modifiable input activity commits the chord;
modifier applicability search means that commits the modifier chord and sends modifier press signals corresponding to the chord'"'"'s selected modifier types to a host computer upon detection of modifiable input activity that occurs substantially between touchdown and liftoff of the modifier chord; and
, chord liftoff detection means that reports when none of the digits originally constituting the modifier chord are touching the surface and sends modifier release signals to the host computer accordingly.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-touch system is disclosed that recognizes simultaneous touchdown of four fingers on, above, or below the home row of keys as a modifier chord and applies modifiers such as Shift, Ctrl, or Alt to subsequent touch activity until none of the chord fingertips remain touching. Touches by the thumb of the modifier chord hand that occur before any modifiable typing or clicking activity cause the modifier chord to be canceled and reinterpreted as hand resting. The Shift modifier may be released temporarily during thumb keypresses that are intermixed with typing of capitalized characters. Distributing the modifier chord touches across different zones or key rows selects multiple modifiers. In an alternative embodiment, different modifiers can be selected with different arrangements of the fingers relative to one another within the chord, irrespective of absolute hand alignment with the touch surface.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A multi-touch surface apparatus that interprets 4-finger chords performed concurrently with other input activity as modifiers of that input activity, thereby avoiding awkward thumb or pinky reaches for conventional modifier keys, reducing hand strain and reducing the tendency of hands to drift off of home row, the apparatus comprising:
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multiple-touch sensing means that reports the locations and times of finger contacts with a surface, modifier configuration means establishes modifier zones as horizontal bands across the surface and associates each modifier zone with one or more modifier types;
synchronization detection means that scans for modifier chord touchdowns consisting of substantially simultaneous touches by four and no more than four digits of a hand;
modifier zone selection means that selects modifier types for the chord according to which modifier zones said simultaneous touches fall within;
chord cancellation means that cancels a modifier chord if the remaining unsynchronized digit from its hand touches before other modifiable input activity commits the chord;
modifier applicability search means that commits the modifier chord and sends modifier press signals corresponding to the chord'"'"'s selected modifier types to a host computer upon detection of modifiable input activity that occurs substantially between touchdown and liftoff of the modifier chord; and
,chord liftoff detection means that reports when none of the digits originally constituting the modifier chord are touching the surface and sends modifier release signals to the host computer accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A multi-touch surface apparatus that interprets certain finger chords performed concurrently with other input activity as modifiers of that input activity, thereby avoiding awkward thumb or pinky reaches for conventional modifier keys, reducing hand strain and reducing the need to reposition the hands, the apparatus comprising:
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multiple-touch sensing means that reports the locations and times of finger contacts with a surface;
modifier configuration means that establishes finger arrangement templates and associates each template with one or more modifier types;
synchronization detection means that scans for modifier chord touchdowns consisting of substantially simultaneous touches by a predetermined combination of digits of a hand;
finger arrangement matching means that selects for the chord the modifier types associated with the template that most closely matches the arrangement of the modifier chord touches;
chord cancellation means that cancels a modifier chord if the remaining digits from its hand not included in the predetermined combination touch before other modifiable input activity commits the chord;
modifier applicability search means that commits the modifier chord and sends modifier press signals corresponding to the chord'"'"'s selected modifier types to a host computer upon detection of modifiable input activity that occurs substantially between touchdown and liftoff of the modifier chord; and
modifier chord liftoff detection means that reports when none of the digits originally constituting the modifier chord are touching the surface and sends modifier release signals to the host computer accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of controlling a modifier on a multi-touch surface having a key layout thereon, the method comprising:
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activating the modifier by simultaneously dropping a plurality of fingertips of a hand into a modifier zone on or near a home row of the key layout; and
maintaining activation of the modifier by leaving at least one of the plurality of fingertips in contact with the modifier zone. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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- 17. A multi-touch surface having embodied thereon a key layout, the key layout comprising at least one modifier zone on or near a home row of the key layout wherein a modifier will be activated by the simultaneous touchdown of a plurality of fingertips within the at least one modifier zone and maintained by leaving at least one of the plurality of fingertips in contact with the modifier zone.
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20. A method of processing incoming signals from a multi-touch surface, the method comprising:
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detecting modifier chords by monitoring the incoming touch sequence for simultaneous touchdowns of a plurality of fingertips of a hand within one or more predetermined modifier zones; and
, if a new modifier chord is detected;
allocating a corresponding modifier state data structure; and
appending the modifier state data structure to a modifier chord state chain; and
checking for cancellation of a modifier chord; and
, if cancellation of a modifier chord is detected;
recording either a modifier chord liftoff time or modifier chord cancellation. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A multi-touch surface apparatus comprising:
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a multi-touch surface that reports the locations and times of finger contacts with a surface;
a synchronization detector that scans for modifier chord touchdowns consisting of substantially simultaneous touches by a plurality of digits of a hand in a pre-defined modifier zone on the multi-touch surface and sends modifier signals accordingly; and
a chord liftoff detector that reports when none of the digits originally constituting the modifier chord are touching the surface and sends modifier release signals accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A multi-touch surface apparatus comprising:
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a multi-touch surface that reports the locations and times of finger contacts with a surface;
a synchronization detector that scans for modifier chord touchdowns consisting of substantially simultaneous touches by a predetermined combination of digits of a hand in a predetermined arrangement;
finger arrangement matcher that selects a modifier corresponding to the modifier chord and sends modifier signals accordingly; and
a chord liftoff detector that reports when none of the digits originally constituting the modifier chord are touching the surface and sends modifier release signals accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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Specification