Touch-sensitive tablet

• US 6,346,935 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Naoki, Hidaka, Noriyuki, Ano, Tadashi, Asahi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/368,432
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173-178, 345/340, 345/348, 345/810, 345/817, 345/823-825, 345/835, 178/18-1-, 178/18.09, 178/18.11, 340/990, 340/995, 708/146, 708/143, 708/145
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

When an instructor such as a finger moves along a flat surface of a touch-sensitive tablet, a touch-sensitive tablet generates an input signal indicative of information of points touched with the instructor on the flat surface. A frame is provided around the touch tablet with a predetermined gap measured from the edge thereof. A maximum moveable range of the instructor of the flat surface is defined by the frame. The predetermined gap is determined such that the instructor can touch the periphery of the flat surface even when the movement of the instructor is restricted by the frame.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive tablet comprising:

a touch sensor comprising

an integral number of corners, and

a plurality of specific regions provided contiguously to each other, each of said plurality of specific regions are operable to acquire touch information indicative of whether an instructor touches respective specific regions;

a storage operable to store a correspondence table, the correspondence table establishing correspondence between a plurality of operations and a respective plurality of combinations of contiguous specific regions among said plurality of specific regions; and

a controller operable to start a determined operation in response to a successive touching of a combination of contiguous specific regions by the instructor, the determined operation being based on the touch information and the correspondence table;

wherein the plurality of operations are operable to be individually and selectively started in response to corresponding combinations of the successively touched contiguous specific regions,

wherein said plurality of specific regions includes a first specific region, second specific regions and third specific regions,

said first specific region provided in one of said corners of said touch sensor,

said third specific regions provided contiguously to said second specific regions, respectively, and

said second specific regions provided between said first specific region and said third specific regions, and

wherein said controller is operable to

start the operations only when the touch information indicates that said first specific region is touched first, and

suspend start up of the operations when the touch information indicates that said second specific regions are touched.

2. The touch sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first specific region is assigned a plurality of functions.

3. The touch sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller is operable to start the functions assigned to the first specific region when the touch information indicates that said third specific regions are touched.

4. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first specific region is assigned a plurality of functions.

5. The touch sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 4, wherein said controller is operable to start the functions assigned to said first specific region when said touch information indicates that said third specific regions are touched.

6. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller is operable to start the operations when said touch information indicates that said first specific region and one of said second specific regions are successively touched by the instructor.

7. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller starts said operations when said touch information indicates that said first specific region and one of said second specific regions are successively touched by the instructor.

8. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch information comprises information about points where the instructor touches with said touch sensor, and information being detected at a predetermined time interval.

9. A touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch information varies according to the moving speed of the instructor.

10. A touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a display for showing a plurality of windows thereon;

wherein said plurality of windows as functions assigned to said function region; and

wherein said controller switches an input operation mode to a normal cursor moving operation mode based on said touch information and said operations stored in said storage while at least one of said plurality of windows is shown on a screen of said display, and moves a cursor onto a menu entry for one of said plurality of windows shown on said screen.

11. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 10, wherein said controller executes said operations for said active window focused by said cursor.

12. The touch-sensitive tablet of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor further comprises:

a flat surface capable of being touched with an instructor, and operable to generate an input signal in response to a position of the instructor; and

a frame provided around said flat surface with a predetermined gap measured from an edge thereof for defining a maximum moveable range of the instructor on said flat surface, said predetermined gap being determined such that the instructor can touch the periphery of said flat surface even when movement of the instructor is restricted by said frame;

wherein, said predetermined gap is determined based on the curvature of the instructor with respect to said flat surface and the height of said frame above said flat surface; and

wherein said flat surface is formed in a polygonal configuration defined by a plurality of sides said predetermined gap taking a minimum value in the middle of each of said plurality of sides to become larger toward corners defined by the adjacent two sides among said sides and taking a maximum value at said corners.

13. The touch-sensitive tablet of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor further comprises:

a flat surface capable of being touched with an instructor, and operable to generate an input signal in response to a position of the instructor;

a frame provided around said flat surface with a predetermined gap measured from an edge thereof for defining a maximum moveable range of the instructor on said flat surface, said predetermined gap being determined such that the instructor can touch the periphery of said flat surface even when movement of the instructor is restricted by said frame; and

a function region having an assigned specific function and provided on said flat surface, said function region operable to generate a function execution signal when the instructor touches said function region.

14. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 13, wherein a sign is provided on said function region to indicate the contents of the assigned specific function thereto.

15. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 13, wherein a sign is provided in said frame to indicate the contents of the assigned specific function corresponding to said function region.

16. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 15, wherein said sign takes any one form of being printed, engraved and embossed on said frame.

17. The touch-sensitive tablet as claimed in claim 15, wherein said sign takes the form of projections and depressions on an inner periphery of said frame, and wherein said sign indicates the assigned specific function corresponding to said function region.

18. A touch-sensitive tablet comprising:

a flat surface capable of being touched with an instructor, and operable to detect information about the position corresponding to the touch of the instructor on said flat surface;

a function region provided on said flat surface and assigned a specific function;

a storage for storing an operation corresponding to the specific function assigned to said function region; and

a controller operable to retrieve the operation from said storage when the instructor successively touches said function region with a first touch and a second touch, within a predetermined time;

wherein on receipt of information about any one of the first touch and the second touch existing in the function region and the other one of the first touch and the second touch existing outside said function region but within a predetermined range measured from said function region, said controller is operable to retrieve the operation from said storage.

19. A method of successively touching a plurality of specific regions provided contiguously to each other on a touch surface of a touch-sensitive tablet having an integral number of corners and executing a function assigned to one of said plurality of specific regions, comprising:

acquiring touch information indicative of whether an instructor touches any one of said plurality of specific regions;

storing a correspondence table, the correspondence table establishing correspondence between a plurality of functions and a respective plurality of combinations of contiguous specific regions among said plurality of specific regions; and

controlling start up of a determined function in response to a successive touching of a combination of contiguous specific regions by the instructor, the determined function being based on the touch information and the correspondence table;

wherein the plurality of functions are operable to be individually and selectively started in response to corresponding combinations of the successively touched contiguous specific regions;

wherein said plurality of specific regions includes a first specific region, second specific regions and third specific regions, said first specific region provided in one of said corners of said touch sensor, said third specific regions each respectively provided contiguously to said second specific regions, and said second specific regions provided between said first specific region and said third specific regions; and

wherein controlling start up further includes

starting the determined function only when the touch information indicates that said first specific region is touched first, and

suspending start up of the determined function when the touch information indicates that said second specific regions are touched.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said controlling start up further includes starting the determined function when the touch information indicates that said second specific regions are touched.

21. A computer program capable of running on a computer so that the system comprising the computer program plus the computer carries out a method according to claim 20.

22. A computer program loadable into a computer so that the computer programmed in this way is capable of carrying out a method according to claim 20.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, having thereon:

computer program code means, when said program is loaded, to make the computer execute a method according to claim 20.

24. A computer program capable of running on a computer so that the system comprising the computer program plus the computer carries out a method according to claim 19.

25. A computer program loadable into a computer so that the computer programmed in this way is capable of carrying out a method according to claim 19.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, having thereon:

computer program code means, when said program is loaded, to make the computer execute a method according to claim 19.

27. An icon display device for displaying an icon corresponding to a specific section in distinction from another icon, comprising:

a touch-sensitive tablet operable to input plane coordinates, a storage, and a controller;

said touch-sensitive tablet comprising an integral number of corners, and a plurality of specific regions provided contiguously to each other, each of said plurality of specific regions are operable to acquire touch information indicative of whether an instructor touches respective specific regions;

said storage operable to store a correspondence table, the correspondence table establishing correspondence between a plurality of operations and a respective plurality of combinations of contiguous specific regions among said plurality of specific regions; and

said controller operable to start a determined operation in response to a successive touching of a combination of contiguous specific regions by the instructor, the determined operation being based on the touch information and the correspondence table;

a section specifier operable to manage one or more sections defined by coordinates inputted from said touch-sensitive tablet, and to specify the section including the inputted coordinates;

a display operable to display icons; and

an icon image generator operable to enable said display to display said icons corresponding to respective sections managed by said section specifier;

wherein the plurality of operations are operable to be individually and selectively started in response to corresponding combinations of the successively touched contiguous specific regions;

wherein said plurality of specific regions includes a first specific region provided in one of said corners of said touch sensor, second specific regions, and third specific regions provided contiguously to said second specific regions, respectively, said second specific regions provided between said first specific region and said third specific regions;

wherein said controller is operable to start the operations only when the touch information indicates that said first specific region is touched first, and to suspend start up of the operations when the touch information indicates that said second specific regions are touched; and

wherein said display is operable to display an icon corresponding to the section specified by said section specifier in distinction from another icon.

28. The icon display device as claimed in claim 27, wherein

one of the sections managed by said section specifier is identified as corresponding to the inputted coordinates, and

said icon image generator is operable to provide the icon with a label corresponding to the identified section of said touch-sensitive tablet.

29. The icon display device as claimed in claim 28, further comprising a cursor image operable to enable said display to display a cursor on the icon which corresponds to the section specified by said section specifier and to the coordinates inputted from said touch-sensitive tablet.

30. The icon display device as claimed in claim 27, further comprising, a cursor image generator operable to enable said display to display a cursor at a position corresponding to the coordinates inputted from said touch-sensitive tablet, the position located on the icon corresponding to the section specified by said section specifier.