Image based touchscreen device

• US 6,738,049 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aquila Technologies Group, Inc. (American Capital Limited)
• Inventors: Hoy, Jason M., Kiser, Willie C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US09/847,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20010035859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 345/352, 345/173, 345/334, 345/864, 345/863, 345/349, 345/348, 345/965, 345/156, 345/159, 395/166, 434/29, 434/30, 434/49, 463/25
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An improved auxiliary input device for use with various computer applications which is more versatile and easier to use than prior devices. A touchscreen device is used to provide easier inputs to the computer applications. The layout of the touchscreen display may be customized using layout software that maps visual indicators on the touchscreen to user-defined key sequences, mouse events, external calling of Dynamic Link Libraries, URL links, or other miscellaneous actions. Control software runs in the background for loading the saved layout configurations and executing the user-defined key sequences or mouse events whenever the touchscreen is touched by the user. The control software can be configured to automatically load layouts based on the active program or game being played. The touchscreen configuration for each game may be programmed with bitmaps and key sequences and then stored for later retrieval. In order to provide rapid retrieval of a configuration, the touchscreen device is connected to the system through the USB port rather than the keyboard port. Once a layout is loaded onto the touchscreen display, the input device senses pressure on the integral touchscreen. Whenever pressure is sensed, the touchscreen display sends a signal back to the computer through the USB port, and the computer microprocessor executes the key sequence or other command associated with the location on the touchscreen that was pressed. Each location or area on the touchscreen is mapped to an entry in the user-defined table created using the layout editor.

Claims

1. A customizable input device for a computer, said customizable input device comprising:

a display device for displaying images;

a touchscreen device for receiving inputs from a user;

a microcontroller connected to said display device and said touchscreen device for loading a plurality of images into said display device and receiving inputs from said touchscreen device wherein said microcontroller is configured to receive a plurality of image files from said computer and wherein said microcontroller is configured to transmit an input from said user to said computer based on an area of said touchscreen device that is activated by said user wherein said input corresponds to a user-defined action to be executed by said computer; and

an interface connected to said microcontroller adapted for communicating with said computer;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said touchscreen device is a transparent touchscreen overlay.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said touchscreen device and said display device are integrally connected such that said touchscreen device overlays said display device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said interface is a serial cable adapted for connecting said microcontroller to a uniform serial bus on said computer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of images are displayed using a plurality of bitmaps files.

6. A computer system with an input device for controlling an application program running on said computer system, said computer system comprising:

a computer for running said application program;

a display device for displaying a plurality of images received from said computer;

a touchscreen device for allowing a user to control said application program wherein said touchscreen device overlays said display device;

a microcontroller connected to said display device and said touchscreen device for interfacing with said computer wherein said microcontroller loads said plurality of images onto said display device and transmits inputs from said touchscreen device to said computer;

an interface connecting said computer and said microcontroller for allowing said computer to communicate with said input device; and

a memory means for storing said plurality of images and for storing a table associating a user-defined action with an input area on said touchscreen device wherein said computer retrieves said user-defined action from said memory means and executes said user-defined action when said input area is activated by said user;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

7. The computer system of claim 6 further comprising:

a touchscreen interface connected between said microcontroller and said touchscreen device for allowing said microcontroller to receive inputs from said touchscreen device;

a video driver connected between said microcontroller and said display device for allowing said microcontroller to display said plurality of images on said display device; and

a video memory device connected to said video driver for storing image data.

8. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said memory means comprises a layout file.

9. The computer system of claim 8 further comprising a layout editor for editing said layout file wherein said layout editor allows said user to choose and arrange said plurality of images as they are to be displayed on said display device and wherein said layout editor allows said user to associate a user-defined action with at least one of said plurality of images.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said input area on said touchscreen device overlays one of said plurality of images displayed on said display device.

11. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said user-defined action comprises a plurality of actions.

12. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said interface is a serial cable connected to a uniform serial bus on said computer.

13. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said touchscreen device is transparent and said display device is integrally connected to said touchscreen device such that said touchscreen device overlays said display device.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said display device is a liquid crystal display and wherein said touchscreen device is a passive resistive touch sensitive panel.

15. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said computer is a personal computer using a Windows operating system.

16. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said application program is a game.

17. A computer system with an input device for controlling an application program running on said computer system, said computer system comprising:

a computer for running said application program;

a display device for displaying a plurality of images received from said computer;

a touchscreen device for allowing a user to control said application program wherein said touchscreen device overlays said display device;

a microcontroller connected to said display device and said touchscreen device for interfacing with said computer wherein said microcontroller loads said plurality of images onto said display device and transmits inputs from said touchscreen device to said computer;

an interface connecting said computer and said microcontroller for allowing said computer to communicate with said input device; and

a memory means for storing said plurality of images and for storing a table associating a user-defined action with an input area on said touchscreen device wherein said computer retrieves said user-defined action from said memory means and executes said user-defined action when said input area is activated by said user;

wherein said user-defined action comprises an action selected from the group consisting of a delay, an external call of a dynamic link library, a string entry, a keyboard entry, a load of a layout, a mouse input, and an opening of a uniform resource locator;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

18. A computer system with an input device for controlling an application program running on said computer system, said computer system comprising:

a computer for running said application program;

a display device for displaying a plurality of images received from said computer;

a touchscreen device for allowing a user to control said application program wherein said touchscreen device overlays said display device;

a microcontroller connected to said display device and said touchscreen device for interfacing with said computer wherein said microcontroller loads said plurality of images onto said display device and transmits inputs from said touchscreen device to said computer;

an interface connecting said computer and said microcontroller for allowing said computer to communicate with said input device; and

a memory means for storing said plurality of images and for storing a table associating a user-defined action with an input area on said touchscreen device wherein said computer retrieves said user-defined action from said memory means and executes said user-defined action when said input area is activated by said user;

wherein said user-defined action comprises a plurality of actions; and

wherein said plurality of actions are chosen from the group consisting of a delay, a dynamic link library call, a string entry, a keyboard entry, a load of a layout, a mouse input, and an opening of a uniform resource locator;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

19. A method for controlling an application program running on a computer system, said method comprising:

downloading a layout file to an input device;

displaying an image from said layout file on said input device using a display device;

sensing inputs from a user on said input device wherein said inputs are sensed using a touchscreen panel;

responsive to sensing an input by said user in a bounding region on said touchscreen panel, determining a user-defined action associated with said bounding region using said layout file; and

responsive to determining a user-defined action, performing said user-defined action;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

monitoring for a second application program becoming an active program; and

responsive to said second application program becoming said active program, downloading a second layout file to said input device such that said second layout file is substituted for said layout file.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising downloading an updated layout file to said input device when said layout file is modified.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein said application program is a game.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein a plurality of layout files are stored on said computer system for use with a plurality of application programs.

24. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for controlling an application program running on a computer system, said computer program product comprising:

first instructions for downloading a layout file to an input device;

second instructions for displaying an image from said layout file on said input device using a display device;

third instructions for sensing inputs from a user on said input device wherein said inputs are sensed using a touchscreen panel;

fourth instructions, responsive to sensing an input by said user in a bounding region on said touchscreen panel, for determining a user-defined action associated with said bounding region using said layout file; and

fifth instructions, responsive to determining a user-defined action, for performing said user-defined action;

wherein said customizable input device is adaptable for use with a plurality of applications on said computer wherein said user may customize said plurality of images for each of said plurality of applications.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 further comprising:

instructions for monitoring for a second application program becoming an active program; and

instructions, responsive to said second application program becoming said active program, for downloading a second layout file to said input device such that said second layout file is substituted for said layout file.

26. The computer program product of claim 24 further comprising instructions for downloading an updated layout file to said input device when said layout file is modified.