Computer system with touchpad support in operating system
First Claim
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1. A computer system comprising:
- (a) a central processing unit (CPU) for executing operating system and application programs;
(b) a memory in circuit communication with said CPU for storing operating system and application programs;
(c) a peripheral interface circuit in circuit communication with said CPU for interfacing to said CPU coordinate type data from at least one external input device, the input device having a pressure sensitive bounded plane for detecting localized pressure applied at any location within the boundary of the plane; and
(d) touch region definition logic associated with said CPU and said peripheral interface circuit and responding to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by defining a region of the input device bounded plane and associating the defined region with a region identifier responsive to input from at least one application program executing on said CPU; and
wherein said CPU while executing operating system and application programs divides the input device bounded plane into mapped units of area and said touch region definition logic accepts region definition inputs in units corresponding to the mapped units and further comprising touchpad mapping units logic associated with said CPU and which responds to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by changing the mapped units of the inputs to said touch region definition logic as directed by inputs from the at least one application program.
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Abstract
A computer system comprising a central processing unit (CPU) configured to accept coordinate type data from a touchpad or the like. The CPU has an operating system executing thereon with special support for interfacing to the touchpad. The operating system has the following capabilities: (1) mapping out geometric regions of the touchpad and assign the regions to specific region identifiers responsive to application programs and (2) determining the region identifier of a touched region and passing that region identifier to the application program. Support is also provided for changing the units of the commands used to define the regions.
188 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A computer system comprising:
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(a) a central processing unit (CPU) for executing operating system and application programs; (b) a memory in circuit communication with said CPU for storing operating system and application programs; (c) a peripheral interface circuit in circuit communication with said CPU for interfacing to said CPU coordinate type data from at least one external input device, the input device having a pressure sensitive bounded plane for detecting localized pressure applied at any location within the boundary of the plane; and (d) touch region definition logic associated with said CPU and said peripheral interface circuit and responding to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by defining a region of the input device bounded plane and associating the defined region with a region identifier responsive to input from at least one application program executing on said CPU; and wherein said CPU while executing operating system and application programs divides the input device bounded plane into mapped units of area and said touch region definition logic accepts region definition inputs in units corresponding to the mapped units and further comprising touchpad mapping units logic associated with said CPU and which responds to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by changing the mapped units of the inputs to said touch region definition logic as directed by inputs from the at least one application program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer system comprising:
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(a) a central processing unit (CPU) for executing operating system and application programs; (b) a memory circuit in circuit communication with said CPU for storing operating system and application programs; (c) a video circuit in circuit communication with said CPU and said memory for generating an electrical signal corresponding to a visual image to be displayed on a video display device; (d) a peripheral interface circuit in circuit communication with said CPU for interfacing signals from external devices to said CPU; (e) a pad surface exposed to allow contact by a member for applying localized pressure; (f) a retainer for removably securing a template overlay proximate to said pad surface; (g) a coordinate sensor proximate to said pad surface for generating at least one electrical signal and configured such that the cumulation of said electrical signals correspond to the coordinates of the location of the member touching said pad surface or touching a template overlay proximate to said pad surface; (h) a rigid base proximate to said pad surface; (i) coordinate determining circuitry in circuit communication with said coordinate sensor for determining the coordinates of the member touching said pad surface or touching a template overlay proximate to said pad surface; (j) interface circuitry in circuit communication with said coordinate determining circuitry and said peripheral interface circuit for communicating the determined coordinates thereto; and (k) touch region definition logic associated with said CPU and said peripheral interface circuit and responding to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by defining a region of said pad surface and associating the defined region with a region identifier responsive to input from at least one application program executing on said CPU; and wherein said CPU while executing operating system and application programs divides the input device bounded plane into mapped units of area and said touch region definition logic accepts region definition inputs in units corresponding to the mapped units and further comprising touchpad mapping units logic associated with said CPU and which responds to execution by said CPU of operating system and application programs by changing the mapped units of the inputs to said touch region definition logic as directed by inputs from the at least one application program. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In a computer system having a central processing unit (CPU) for executing operating system and application programs and a peripheral interface circuit in circuit communication with the CPU for electrically interfacing to the CPU an opaque coordinate type input device having a touch-sensitive surface, an operating system program stored accessibly to said CPU;
- said operating system program when executing on said CPU cooperating therewith and comprising;
(a) a region defining routine configured to define at least one region of the coordinate type input device and associate the region with a region identifier responsive to inputs from at least one application program executing on the CPU; (b) a touchpad interface routine configured to acquire coordinate type data from the peripheral interface circuit; (c) a region identification routine configured to determine the region identifier of a region of the coordinate type input device responsive to touches of the touch-sensitive surface; and (d) a region identity communication routine configured to communicate the determined region identifier to the at least one application program; and wherein said operating system program and the CPU cooperate for dividing the touch-sensitive surface of the input device into mapped units of area and said region defining routine accepts inputs in units corresponding to the mapped units and said operating system program further comprises a touchpad mapping units routine configured to change the mapped units of the inputs to said region defining routine as directed by inputs from the at least one application program. - View Dependent Claims (14)
- said operating system program when executing on said CPU cooperating therewith and comprising;
Specification