Touch Input Programmatical Interfaces

• US 20060267958A1
• Filed: 05/21/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dodge, Steven P., Townsend, Reed L., Scott, Bryan D., Kolmykov-Zotov, Alexander J.
• Application Number:
  US11/419,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267958A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for enabling a tablet input object is described. A tablet input object can take various inputs from touch, a mouse, and a pen and sends their information to an application or operating system. Also, a pen message pathway may also be used to handle touch messages, thereby reusing an existing pen message pathway for messages created by something other than a pen.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, said computer-readable instructions including a program comprising the steps of:

receiving at a module a request for a type of input device connected to a computer system, said request originating from a requester;

retrieving a property associated with said type of input device from a storage;

forwarding information related to said type of input device to said requester,

said requester using said information related to said type of device to control a type of functionality available to a user.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said type of input device including an active digitizer input device.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said type of input device including a passive digitizer input device.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said requester including an operating system.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said requester including an application.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said type of functionality including stylus-related functionality.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, said type of functionality including touch-related functionality.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 7, said type of functionality further including stylus-related functionality.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, said computer-readable instructions including a program comprising the steps of:

indicating that an application desires to receive at least one of all touch events and only small touch events;

receiving at a module said indication; and

forwarding one of all touch events and only small touch events to said application based on said indication.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, said indication including a property having been set.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, said forwarding of only small touch events rejects palm contacts with a digitizer.

12. A computer readable-medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, said computer-readable instructions including a program comprising the steps of:

receiving messages in the format of mouse messages;

determining which of said messages are pen messages;

determining which of said messages are touch messages;

handling said touch messages as touch messages, said pen messages as pen messages, and remaining messages as mouse messages.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, said touch messages being distinguished from said pen messages based on a property of said touch messages.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, said property being a signature of said touch message.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, said signature of said pen message including “

0×

FF515700”

as a number.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, said signature of said touch message including “

0×

FF515780”

as a number.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a module a request for a type of input device connected to a computer system, said request originating from a requester;

retrieving a property associated with said type of input device from a storage;

forwarding information related to said type of input device to said requester,

said requester using said information related to said type of device to control a type of functionality available to a user.

18. The computer-implemented method according to claim 17, said type of input device including an active digitizer input device.

19. The computer-implemented method according to claim 17, said type of input device including a passive digitizer input device.

20. The computer-implemented method according to claim 17, said requester including an operating system.