DETECTING A PALM TOUCH ON A SURFACE

• US 20100117961A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl
• Granted Patent: US 8,446,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The detection of a palm touch on a touch surface, such as a mouse surface, is disclosed. A palm touch can be determined as the touch on the touch surface that has a radius exceeding a predetermined palm touch radius. Alternatively, a palm touch can be determined as the touch on the touch surface located beyond the expected distance between finger touches.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a palm touch on a touch surface, comprising:

receiving a plurality of touches substantially simultaneously on a touch surface;

determining locations on the touch surface of the received touches relative to each other; and

identifying the location determined to be substantially lower on the touch surface relative to the other locations as the location corresponding to a touch of a palm of a hand.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the locations comprises determining vertical distances of the received touches from the top of the touch surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the locations comprises:

determining the received touch that is nearest to the top of the touch surface; and

determining vertical distances of the remaining received touches from the determined nearest touch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the location comprises:

calculating a predetermined distance between fingers of the hand;

determining vertical distances between the received touch that is nearest to the top of the touch surface and the remaining received touches; and

identifying the touch having the vertical distance that exceeds the predetermined distance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the calculating of the predetermined distance comprises:

determining the number of received touches; and

calculating the predetermined distance based on the determined number of received touches.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the calculating of the predetermined distance comprises:

ranking the received touches; and

calculating the predetermined distance based on the ranks of the received touches.

7. A method for detecting a palm touch on a touch surface, comprising:

receiving a plurality of touches substantially simultaneously on a touch surface;

determining sizes of the received touches relative to each other; and

identifying the touch having the size determined to be substantially larger relative to the sizes of the other touches as a touch of a palm of a hand.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the sizes comprises calculating radii of areas formed by the touches on the touch surface.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the touch comprises identifying the touch determined to have a radius substantially larger than the radii of the other touches as the touch of a palm of a hand.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the touch comprises identifying the touch determined to have a radius larger than a predetermined palm radius as the touch of a palm of a hand.

11. A method for determining a palm touch on a touch surface, comprising:

receiving a plurality of touches substantially simultaneously on a touch surface;

selectively marking the touches having at least a portion thereof within designated regions of the touch surface; and

identifying the touch corresponding to a touch of a palm of a hand from among the non-marked touches.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selectively marking of the touches comprises:

designating one or more edge regions of the touch surface as the designated regions; and

marking the touches having at least a portion thereof within the designated one or more edge regions of the touch surface.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifying of the touch comprises identifying the touch corresponding to a touch of a palm of a hand from among the touches outside of the designated regions of the touch surface.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

ignoring the marked touches.

15. A computer readable medium comprising program code for detecting a palm touch on a surface, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

responsive to a plurality of touches received substantially simultaneously on a surface, identifying a touch as a palm touch based on a plurality of touch parameters for the touch.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of touch parameters comprises a touch radius and a relative distance to other touches.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identifying of the touch comprises:

comparing at least one of the plurality of touch parameters for a received touch with at least one of corresponding predefined palm touch parameters, and

identifying the touch as a touch of a palm of a hand based on the comparison.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the comparing of at least one of the plurality of touch parameters comprises comparing radii of the touches to a predetermined palm touch radius.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the comparing of at least one of the plurality of touch parameters comprises comparing relative vertical distances between the touch nearest the top of the touch surface and the other touches to a predetermined vertical distance.

20. A computing system comprising the computer readable medium of claim 15.

21. A computing system, comprising:

an input device having a plurality of input sensors configured to detect a input on a surface of the input device; and

a processor in communication with the input device and configured to

locate the detected input on the surface of the input device,

determine a size of the located input, and

based on at least one of the location or the size, determine whether the input corresponds to a touch of a palm of a hand.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of input sensors is a plurality of touch sensors configured to detect a touch on the surface of the input device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of touch sensors is incorporated into a touch sensor panel disposed on the surface of the input device.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the input device is a mouse.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of input sensors is a plurality of touch sensors configured to detect a touch on the surface of the mouse and incorporated into a touch sensor panel disposed on the surface of the mouse.