Application programming interface for a multi-pointer indirect touch input device

• US 9,389,679 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Honji, Scott, Millsap, Paul, Kaneko, Masahiko, Hebenstreit, Eric, Descamp, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Bibbins, Latanya
• Application Number:
  US13/306,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

To allow a computer platform to provide a consistent interface for applications to use information from multi-point indirect touch input devices, an application programming interface is provided to a software interface layer that manages interaction of the system with a variety of instantiations of multi-pointer indirect touch input devices.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors and memory; and

at least one input for connection to a multi-pointer touch input devices to receive information from the multi-pointer touch input device into the memory;

a runtime module executed by the one or more processors to provide information from the multi-pointer touch input devices to an input stack accessible by applications executed by the one or more processors, wherein the information includes contacts from an input session with the multi-pointer touch input device in display coordinates of a display of the computer system,

the runtime module being configured to access the information from the memory and to map contacts on the multi-pointer touch input device in device coordinates to the contacts in the display coordinates, by;

detecting a beginning of the input session with the multi-pointer touch input device;

at the beginning of the input session, determining a viewport that maps the device coordinate system to the display coordinate system; and

mapping contacts received from the device during the input session from device coordinates to display coordinates using the viewport;

the runtime module further comprising a touch controller control panel configuring the computer system to provide a user interface enabling users to manipulate settings of the runtime module, the settings comprising at least a mapping mode selected from a group comprising an absolute mapping mode and a relative mapping mode; and

wherein mapping the contacts comprises;

determining displacement of each of the contacts with respect to other contacts;

modifying the locations of the mapped contacts according to the determined displacement for a selected contact with a lowest magnitude displacement, by determining an offset according to the lowest magnitude displacement, and, for each contact, adding the offset to coordinates of the contact.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

for each multi-pointer touch input device, a touch controller module having an interface; and

wherein the runtime module accesses each touch controller module through the interface of the touch controller to access information about contacts on the multi-pointer touch input device.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the touch controller interface provides characteristics of the multi-pointer-touch input device.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the characteristics include resolution of a sensor.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the characteristics include dimensions of a sensor.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the runtime module is further configured to apply acceleration, according to an acceleration function, to the contacts as part of mapping the contacts to the display coordinates.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the user interface of the touch controller control panel further comprises settings for the acceleration function.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the runtime module is further configured to apply span adjustment, according to a span adjustment function, to the contacts as part of mapping the contacts to the display coordinates.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the user interface of the touch controller control panel further comprises settings for the span adjustment function.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display is a virtual display representing multiple monitors.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the multi-pointer touch input device is an indirect touch input device.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the runtime module is further configured to apply boundary conditions to the contacts as part of mapping the contacts to the display coordinates, and the user interface of the touch controller control panel further comprises settings for the boundary conditions.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

computer storage, including at least one of memory and a storage device,

computer program instructions stored on the computer storage which, when processed by a computer, configure the computer to;

receiving user input through a user interface provided by a touch controller control panel, the user input specifying manipulate settings of a runtime module, the settings comprising at least a mapping mode selected from a group comprising an absolute mapping mode and a relative mapping mode;

receive information from a multi-pointer touch input device into a memory, the information describing contacts on the multi-pointer touch input device;

using the received information, detect a beginning of an input session with the multi-pointer touch input device;

at the beginning of the input session, determine a viewport that maps a device coordinate system of the multi-pointer touch input device to a display coordinate system of a display of the computer;

map the contacts received from the device during the input session from device coordinates to display coordinates using the viewport based on at least the settings;

provide the mapped contacts in display coordinates from the input session to an input stack accessible by applications executed by the computer

wherein to map the contacts, the computer is configured to;

determine displacement of each of the contacts with respect to other contacts; and

modify the locations of the mapped contacts according to the determined displacement for a selected contact with a lowest magnitude displacement, by determining an offset according to the lowest magnitude displacement, and, for each contact, adding the offset to coordinates of the contact.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the received information from the multi-pointer touch input device includes a list of contacts for a frame and attributes for the contacts.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the multi-pointer touch input device is an indirect touch input device.

16. A computer-implemented process, comprising:

receiving user input through a user interface provided by a touch controller control panel, the user input specifying manipulate settings of a runtime module, the settings comprising at least a mapping mode selected from a group comprising an absolute mapping mode and a relative mapping mode;

receiving information from a multi-pointer touch input device into a memory, the information describing contacts on the multi-pointer touch input device;

using the received information, detecting a beginning of an input session with the multi-pointer touch input device;

at the beginning of the input session, determining a viewport that maps a device coordinate system of the multi-pointer touch input device to a display coordinate system of a display of the computer;

mapping the contacts received from the device during the input session from device coordinates to display coordinates using the viewport based on at least the settings;

providing the mapped contacts in display coordinates from the input session to an input stack accessible by applications executed by the computer

wherein mapping comprises;

determining displacement of each of the contacts with respect to other contacts; and

modifying the locations of the mapped contacts according to the determined displacement for a selected contact with a lowest magnitude displacement, by determining an offset according to the lowest magnitude displacement, and, for each contact, adding the offset to coordinates of the contact.

17. The computer-implemented process of claim 16, wherein the multi-pointer touch input device is an indirect touch input device.

18. The computer-implemented process of claim 16, wherein the received information from the multi-pointer touch input device includes a list of contacts for a frame and attributes for the contacts.

19. The computer-implemented process of claim 16, further comprising receiving a selection of a mapping mode.