TYPING WITH A TOUCH SENSOR

• US 20080042989A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Elias, John, WESTERMAN, WAYNE
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24137 Distances to cluster centroïds
• 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 2203/04104 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 2203/04106 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 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• 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 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/19173 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1983 Syntactic or structural pattern recognition, e.g. symbolic string recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 : Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960725 : Charge-transfer

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a. examining a human hand with respect to sensor surface and periodically producing first indications regarding the nature and position of sensed contacts, the contacts comprising identified hand parts;

b. evaluating the first indications to determine if two or more hand parts activate the sensor surface substantially simultaneously, and producing second indications identifying any such hand parts;

c. evaluating the first indications to determine if the character of sensed contacts is consistent with typing and producing third indication identifying such typing in response thereto;

d. evaluating second indications and third indications and making corrections regarding the third indication based upon the second indication, but only if the second indication identifies fingers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensed contacts comprise a plurality of fingers and a portion of a hand other than a finger.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sensed contacts comprise portions of a human hand that are within sensing range of the sensor surface but not physically touching the sensor surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein periodically producing first indications comprises producing a first set of first indications at time t0;

producing a second set of first indications at time t1; and

producing a third set of first indications at time t2.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the time interval between times t0 and t1 is different than the time interval between times t1 and t2.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein two or more fingers activating the sensor surface comprises a plurality of fingers initiating contact with the sensor surface.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein two or more fingers activating the sensor surface comprises a plurality of fingers terminating contact with the sensor surface.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the correction is to reverse a portion of the third indication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the third indication is a basis for a result;

and the correction is the reversal of such result.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the third indication is a basis for a plurality of results;

and the correction is the reversal of a portion of such results.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the sensed contacts comprise a plurality of fingers and a portion of a hand other than a finger.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein sensed contacts comprise portions of a human hand that are within sensing range of the sensor surface but not physically touching the sensor surface.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein two or more fingers activating the sensor surface comprises a plurality of fingers initiating contact with the sensor surface.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein two or more fingers activating the sensor surface comprise a plurality of fingers terminating contact with the sensor surface.

11. A method comprising the steps of:

e. examining a human hand with respect to sensor surface and periodically producing first indications regarding the nature and position of sensed contacts, the contacts comprising identified hand parts;

f. evaluating the first indications to determine if two or more hand parts activate the sensor surface substantially simultaneously, and producing second indications identifying any such hand parts;

g. evaluating the first indications to determine if the character of sensed contacts is consistent with typing;

h. evaluating second indications and third indications and if the second indication does not identify fingers, producing a third indication identifying the typing.

16. A sensing apparatus comprising:

i. a contact identification unit that examines a human hand with respect to a sensor surface and periodically produces first indications regarding the nature and position of sensed contacts, the contacts comprising identified hand parts;

j. a simultaneous contact unit that evaluates the first indications to determine if two or more hand parts activate the sensor surface substantially simultaneously and that produces second indications identifying any such hand parts;

k. a typing unit that evaluates the first indications to determine if the character of sensed contacts is consistent with typing and produces third indications based thereon;

l. a result production unit that evaluates second indications and third indications and determines an action based thereon.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein third indications comprise identification of the typing, and wherein the result production unit obviates any effects of the identification of typing if the second indication identifies such fingers.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the typing unit identifies the typing only if the second indication does not identify any such fingers.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the sensed contacts comprise a plurality of fingers and a portion of a hand other than a finger.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein sensed contacts comprise portions of a human hand that are within sensing range of the sensor surface but not physically touching the sensor surface.