MULTIPOINT TOUCHSCREEN

• US 20090066670A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian Huppi, Joshua A. Strickon, Steve Hotelling
• Original Assignee: Brian Huppi, Joshua A. Strickon, Steve Hotelling
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steve, Strickon, Joshua A., Huppi, Brian Q.
• Application Number:
  US12/267,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20090066670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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

Abstract

A touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches is disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium including at least computer code executable by a computer, the computer code comprising:

receiving multiple touches on the surface of a transparent touch screen at the same time;

separately recognizing each of the multiple touches; and

reporting touch data based on the recognized multiple touches.

2. A computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions and to carry out operations associated with the computer system;

a display device that is operatively coupled to the processor;

a touch screen that is operatively coupled to the processor, the touch screen being a substantially transparent panel that is positioned in front of the display, the touch screen being configured to track multiple objects, which rest on, tap on or move across the touch screen at the same time, the touch screen including a capacitive sensing device that is divided into several independent and spatially distinct sensing points that are positioned throughout the plane of the touch screen, each sensing point being capable of generating a signal at the same time, the touch screen also including a sensing circuit that acquires data from the sensing device and that supplies the acquired data to the processor.