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Replacement of physical buttons with virtual controls

  • US 10,534,536 B2
  • Filed: 05/24/2019
  • Issued: 01/14/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2017
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer program product for controlling a computing device without mechanical buttons the computer program product comprising:

  • one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

    program instructions to detect an interaction with a touch capacitive sensing surface on a computing device, wherein the computing device includes touch capacitive sensing surfaces in place of mechanical buttons;

    program instructions to determine whether the detected interaction is a first interaction, wherein the first interaction starts a defined sequence of at least three interactions;

    responsive to determining the detected interaction is the first interaction, program instructions to identify the first interaction with a first touch capacitive surface of the computing device and coordinates of the first interaction;

    program instructions to detect a change in the coordinates of the first interaction;

    program instructions to determine whether the change in coordinates of the first interaction are within the first touch capacitive sensing surface, wherein the change in the coordinates of the first interaction is based on determining whether the first interaction changes from a first geometric plane to a second geometric plane, wherein the coordinates of the first interaction are associated with a single set of coordinates;

    responsive to determining the change in coordinates of the first interaction are not within the first touch capacitive sensing surface, program instructions to identify a second interaction with a second touch capacitive sensing surface of the computing device and coordinates of the second interaction;

    program instructions to detect a change in the coordinates of the second interaction;

    program instructions to determine whether the change in coordinates of the second interaction are within the second touch capacitive sensing surface, wherein the change in the coordinates of the second interaction is based on determining whether the second interaction changes from one of the following;

    the second geometric plane to a third geometric plane, and the second geometric plane to the first geometric plane;

    responsive to determining the change in coordinates of the second interaction are not within the second touch capacitive sensing surface, program instructions to identify a third interaction with a third capacitive surface of the computing device, and coordinates of the third interaction;

    program instructions to compare the first interaction, the second interaction, and the third interaction in order with defined interactions in memory, wherein the first interaction, the second interaction, and the third interaction in order form a single type of defined interaction selected from a group of types of defined interactions stored in memory that include;

    a continuous motion that includes at least three touch capacitive sensing surfaces and a sequence of defined interactions that includes a series of separate interactions with at least three touch sensing capacitive surfaces, wherein the series of separate interaction includes one or more of adjacent interactions and non-adjacent interactions, wherein the detected interaction is a defined interaction that is a customized predefined interaction created by a user wherein the defined interaction links to a specific action that identifies a specific virtual control for operating an aspect of the computing device;

    program instructions to identify a match between the first interaction, the second interaction, and the third interaction in order and the defined interactions in memory based on the comparison;

    program instructions to determine a virtual control button based on the identified match;

    program instructions to determine that a time length of the first interaction, the second interaction, and the third interaction in order at least meets a defined time;

    program instructions to display the determined virtual control button on the computing device in proximity to the third interaction to the user;

    program instructions to receive an interaction with the displayed virtual control button; and

    program instructions to implement an action associated with the determined virtual control button based on the received interaction.

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