TOUCH-SENSITIVE POINTING DEVICE WITH GUIDING LINES

• US 20100127975A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jens Martin Jensen
• Original Assignee: Jens Martin Jensen
• Inventors: Jensen, Jens Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touchpad-or touch screen-based device has a touch-sensitive sensor surface and can generate electrical and/or optical signals dependent on the placement and/or movement of a finger physically contacting the sensor surface. The sensor surface comprises a corrugated surface in at least one sub-area, thereby providing a user with two modes for finger movement across the sensor surface, namely a first mode for sliding movement at a first finger pressure, and a second mode for guided movement at a second finger pressure higher than the first finger pressure.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A touch-sensitive pointing device, in the form of a touchpad, for controlling at least two coordinates of a movement of a cursor on a computer display and/or the vertical and horizontal scrolling in a window on a computer display, said pointing device comprising:

a touch-sensitive sensor surface generating signals dependent on the placement and/or movement of a finger in physical contact with said sensor surface;

wherein said touch-sensitive sensor surface comprises a corrugated area formed by a plurality of alternating grooves and ridges extending in a first direction along substantially straight lines, wherein neighbouring ridges are arranged substantially parallel and with a mutual distance from each other between 0.1 mm and 3 mm.

12. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said signals are electrical signals.

13. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said signals are optical signals.

14. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said corrugated area has a wavy cross-section.

15. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said corrugated area has a serrated cross-section.

16. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is such that, when said touch-sensitive pointing device is in use, said finger is simultaneously in contact with at least three neighbouring ridges.

17. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is such that, when said touch-sensitive pointing device is in use, said finger is simultaneously in contact with five or more neighbouring ridges.

18. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is between 0.2 mm and 2 mm.

19. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 18, wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is 1 mm.

20. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 11, wherein corrugation amplitude of said corrugated area is between 0.05 mm and 2 mm.

21. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 20, wherein corrugation amplitude of said corrugated area is between 0.1 mm and 1 mm.

22. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to claim 21, wherein corrugation amplitude of said corrugated area is 0.5 mm.

23. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to 11, wherein said grooves have a width essentially equal to a width of said ridges.

24. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to 11, wherein said touch-sensitive sensor surface further comprising a non-corrugated area.

25. A touch-sensitive pointing device for controlling at least two coordinates of a movement, said pointing device comprising:

a touch-sensitive sensor surface generating signals dependent on the placement and/or movement of a finger in physical contact with said sensor surface;

wherein said touch-sensitive sensor surface comprises a corrugated area formed by a plurality of alternating grooves and ridges extending in a first direction along substantially straight lines, wherein neighbouring ridges are arranged substantially parallel and with a mutual distance from each other;

wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is such that, when said touch-sensitive pointing device is in use, said finger is simultaneously in contact with at least three neighbouring ridges;

wherein said distance between neighbouring ridges is between 0.1 mm and 3 mm;

wherein corrugation amplitude of said corrugated area is between 0.05 mm and 2 mm.

26. The touch-sensitive pointing device according to 25, wherein said grooves have a width essentially equal to a width of said ridges.

27. A method of using a touch-sensitive pointing device for moving a cursor on a computer display from a first cursor position to a second cursor position in response to a finger'"'"'s movement on a touch-sensitive sensor surface of said touch-sensitive pointing device, wherein said touch-sensitive sensor surface is provided with a corrugated area formed by a plurality of alternating grooves and ridges extending in a first direction along substantially straight and mutually parallel lines, wherein neighbouring ridges are arranged at a distance a from each other, said method comprising the steps of:

a) bringing said finger in contact with said touch-sensitive sensor surface at a first point on said touch-sensitive sensor surface;

b) aligning said cursor with a first coordinate of said second cursor position by moving said finger across said corrugated area to an intermediate point on said touch-sensitive sensor surface while applying a first finger pressure; and

c) bringing said cursor to said second cursor position by moving said finger from said intermediate point to a second point on said touch-sensitive sensor surface in a guided movement along said ridges in said first direction while applying a second finger pressure higher than said first finger pressure.

28. The method according to claim 28, wherein in step b) said finger is moved essentially perpendicular to said first direction,

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein a cursor line is provided on said computer display when pressing a key or bringing said finger in contact with said touch-sensitive sensor surface, said cursor line having a constant first coordinate equal to said first coordinate of said cursor.