SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECEIVING GESTURE INPUTS SPANNING MULTIPLE INPUT DEVICES

• US 20130021262A1
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: IMERJ LLC (Flex, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Tong
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Systems and methods for operating a handheld computing device having more than one input device. An input event may be received at one of the input devices. The location of the input event may be translated into a location with respect to a global virtual space. This translated location may in turn be passed to an application executing on the device. Additionally, systems and methods are provided for recognition of a gesture input spanning more than one independent input device.

Claims

1. A method for operating a handheld computing device, comprising:

receiving an input event at one of a plurality of input devices;

generating location data that describes the input event including an identification of the input device that received the input event and a location of the input event on the input device receiving the input event; and

translating the location to a global virtual space location in a global virtual space.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of input devices include touch screen displays.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further includes:

executing an application on the handheld computing device that is displayed in at least one of the plurality of touch screen displays, the application having a location defined in the global virtual space.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method further includes sending the global virtual space location to the application.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sending operation at least partially depends on the location of the application within the global virtual space such that if the application occupies the entire global virtual space, the global virtual space location is unmodified.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein if the application occupies less than the entire global virtual space, the global virtual space location is downscaled based on a portion of global virtual space which is occupied by the application.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the relative location of the applications with respect to the global virtual display is maintained by a window manager service.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of input devices are physically separated on the handheld computing device, and wherein the global virtual space includes a continuous representation of the plurality of input devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the physical arrangement of the plurality of input devices is mimicked in the global virtual space.

10. A method for receiving a gesture input spanning a first input device and a second input device, comprising:

detecting a first gesture initiation event;

receiving motion events related to the first gesture initiation event;

sensing a first gesture termination event;

detecting a second gesture initiation event; and

determining if the first gesture termination event and the second gesture initiation event include portions of a unitary touch gesture spanning the first input device and the second input device at least partially based on one or more characteristics of at least one of the first gesture termination event, the second gesture initiation event, or the motion events.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein if the first gesture termination event and the second gesture initiation event are determined to include portions of a unitary touch gesture spanning the first input device and second input device, the first gesture termination event and second gesture initiation event are not sent to an application executing on the handheld computing device, and wherein if the first gesture termination event and the second gesture initiation event are not determined to include portions of a unitary touch gesture spanning the first input device and second input device, the first gesture termination event and second gesture initiation event are sent to an application executing on the handheld computing device.

12. The method of according to claim 11, wherein the determining operation includes ascertaining whether a termination location of the first gesture termination event is within a threshold distance to an edge of the first input device adjacent to the second input device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the determining operation includes ascertaining whether an initiation location of the second gesture initiation event is within a threshold distance to an edge of the second input device adjacent to the first input device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the determining operation includes analyzing the motion events preceding the first gesture termination event with regard to at least one of a direction of travel, a speed, or an acceleration of the motion events.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the determining operation includes comparing the first gesture termination event and the second gesture initiation event to determine if the events were received at different input devices.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the determining operation includes postponing the release of the first gesture termination event to an application for a pending period.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pending period is determined based on at least one of the location of the first gesture termination event to the edge of the first input device, a distance between the first input device and the second input device, the threshold distance, or the speed of the motion events.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining operation further includes:

maintaining a count of the number of gesture initiation events, wherein receipt of a gesture initiation increases the count by one and receipt of a gesture termination event decreases the count by one;

wherein a gesture initiation event that results in the count being greater than one is not sent to the application, and wherein a gesture termination event that results in the count being greater than zero is not sent to the application.