Disambiguating touch-input based on variation in characteristic such as speed or pressure along a touch-trail

• US 8,436,827 B1
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Diao, Lawrence, Zhai, Shumin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Gene W
• Application Number:
  US13/306,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1811, 178 1901- 1907, 178 2001- 2004, 345168-170, 345173-179, 345/156, 715/773, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and corresponding apparatus or system for disambiguating touch-input based on variation in a characteristic such as speed or pressure along a touch-trail. A computing system may detect a variation in a characteristic of a touch-trail, such as variation in speed of movement of touch along the touch-trail and/or a variation in pressure of touch along the touch-trail. Based on the detected variation, the computing system may determine an intended touch position represented by the trail, such as a landing position or lifting position for instance. And the computing system may take action based at least in part on that determined touch position.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to carry out functions comprising:

receiving data representing user input at a touch-sensitive input surface, the user input defining a touch-point trail having a length extending from a landing point to a lifting point;

determining whether an input-point represented by the touch-point trail is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, wherein the determining is based at least in part on a variation in speed of movement of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail, wherein determining whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point comprises (i) determining that the input-point is the landing point if speed of movement of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail increases approaching the lifting point, and (ii) determining that the input-point is the lifting point if speed of movement of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail decreases approaching the lifting point; and

providing output data representing the determined input-point.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying graphical information based at least in part on the determined input-point.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface displays a virtual keyboard including a plurality of virtual keys, the input-point corresponds with a particular virtual key from the plurality of virtual keys, the particular virtual key is associated with a character, and the graphical information comprises the character.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information on the touch-screen.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-pad separate from a display screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information at the display screen.

6. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to carry out functions comprising:

receiving data representing user input at a touch-sensitive input surface, the user input defining a touch-point trail having a length extending from a landing point to a lifting point;

determining whether an input-point represented by the touch-point trail is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, wherein the determining is based at least in part on a variation in pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail, whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, wherein determining whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point comprises (i) determining that the input-point is the landing point if pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail increases approaching the lifting point, and (ii) determining that the input-point is the lifting point if pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail decreases approaching the lifting point; and

providing output data representing the determined input-point.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying graphical information based at least in part on the determined input-point.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface displays a virtual keyboard including a plurality of virtual keys, the input-point corresponds with a particular virtual key from the plurality of virtual keys, the particular virtual key is associated with a character, and the graphical information comprises the character.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information on the touch-screen.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-pad separate from a display screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information at the display screen.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to carry out functions comprising:

receiving data representing user input at a touch-sensitive input surface, the user input defining a touch-point trail having a length extending from a landing point to a lifting point;

determining whether an input-point represented by the touch-point trail is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, wherein the determining is based at least in part on a variation in pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail, whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, wherein determining, based at least in part on the variation in pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail, whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point comprises determining, based at least in part on variation in touch-area of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail, whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point, the touch-area corresponding with the pressure.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining, based at least in part on the variation in touch-area of the user input along the touch-point trail, whether the input-point is the landing point or is rather the lifting point comprises:

determining that the input-point is the lifting point if the touch-area of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail increases approaching the lifting point; and

determining that the input-point is the landing point if pressure of the user input along the length of the touch-point trail decreases approaching the lifting point.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying graphical information based at least in part on the determined input-point.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface displays a virtual keyboard including a plurality of virtual keys, the input-point corresponds with a particular virtual key from the plurality of virtual keys, the particular virtual key is associated with a character, and the graphical information comprises the character.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information on the touch-screen.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the touch-sensitive input surface is embodied in a touch-pad separate from a display screen, and wherein displaying the graphical information comprises displaying the graphical information at the display screen.

17. A method comprising:

detecting, by a computing system, a trail of touch input at a touch-sensitive input surface, the trail being defined by movement of the touch input from a landing position to a lifting position;

detecting, by the computing system, a variation in pressure of the touch input along the detected trail, wherein detecting the variation in pressure of the touch input along the detected trail comprises detecting a corresponding variation in surface area of the touch input along the detected trail;

determining, by the computing system, whether an input-position represented by the detected trail is the landing position or is rather the lifting position, wherein the determining is based at least in part on the detected variation in surface area of the touch input along the detected trail; and

generating, by the computing system, an output signal based at least in part on the determined input-position of the detected trail.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the input-position represented by the detected trail is the landing position or is rather the lifting position comprises:

determining that the input-position is the lifting position if the variation in pressure comprises an increase in pressure approaching the lifting position; and

determining that the input-position is the landing position if the variation in pressure comprises a decrease in pressure approaching the lifting position.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the input-position is the landing position or is rather the lifting position comprises:

determining that the input-position is the lifting position if the variation in surface area comprises an increase in surface area approaching the lifting position; and

determining that the input-position is the landing position if the variation in surface area comprises a decrease in surface area approaching the lifting position.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising conditioning performing the method on an initial determination that the trail does not indicate a gesture or a drag.