Control systems employing novel physical controls and touch screens

• US 9,513,744 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pryor, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moon, Seokyun
• Application Number:
  US11/980,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,324 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/126 Rotatable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/145 Instrument input by combination of touch screen and hardware input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatus, which enable the reconfigurable control of vehicles, homes, computers and other applications. Physical controls and virtual displayed controls on single and multipoint touch screens are used, separately or in combination to enable higher visibility and understanding of control information and easier operation of controls, particularly useful in stressful situations. Some embodiments use optical sensors and rear projection of displayed embodiments, and are advantageous where curved screens are desired such as in a car.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating and associating system functions in a touch-sensitive device, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display of the touch-sensitive device, each icon representing a unique application for performing an operation at the touch sensitive device;

detecting positions of a plurality of objects in contact with the touch-sensitive display, wherein the objects are in contact at the same time;

determining two or more icons corresponding to the detected positions of the plurality of objects;

determining an interconnected operation based on the applications represented by the determined icons; and

causing the touch-sensitive device to perform the interconnected operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more icons corresponding to the detected positions of the plurality of objects are at least partially covered by the plurality of objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display in sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display at about the same time.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for coordinating and associating system functions in a touch-sensitive device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

displaying a plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display of the touch-sensitive device, each icon representing a unique application for performing an operation at the touch sensitive device;

detecting positions of a plurality of objects in contact with the touch-sensitive display, wherein the objects are in contact at the same time;

determining two or more icons corresponding to the detected positions of the plurality of objects;

determining an interconnected operation based on the applications represented by the determined icons; and

causing the touch-sensitive device to perform the interconnected operation.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display in sequence.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display at about the same time.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processor coupled to the touch screen, the processor programmed for

displaying a plurality of icons on the touch screen, each icon representing a unique application for performing an operation at the apparatus;

detecting positions of a plurality of objects in contact with the touch screen, wherein the objects are in contact at the same time,

determining two or more icons corresponding to the detected positions of the plurality of objects,

determining an interconnected operation based on the applications represented by the determined icons; and

causing the apparatus to perform the interconnected operation.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the two or more icons corresponding to the detected positions of the plurality of objects are at least partially covered by the plurality of objects.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display in sequence.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the detected plurality of objects initiate contact with the touch-sensitive display at about the same time.

12. A method for associating different applications triggered by concurrent touch inputs, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of application icons on a display of a computer system, each application icon signifying a unique application capable of being performed by the computer system;

receiving two or more concurrent touch inputs on a touch-sensitive surface coupled to the computer system;

identifying two or more displayed application icons corresponding to the two or more concurrent touch inputs; and

determining a single interconnected operation based on the two or more application icons.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising causing the computer system to perform the interconnected operation.

14. A computing system configured for associating different applications triggered by concurrent touch inputs, the computing system comprising:

a processor programmed for

controlling a display device coupled to the processor to display a plurality of application icons, each application icon signifying a unique application capable of being performed by the computer system,

receiving two or more concurrent touch inputs from a touch-sensitive surface coupled to the computing system,

identifying two or more displayed application icons corresponding to the two or more concurrent touch inputs, and

determining a single interconnected operation based on the two or more application icons.

15. The computing system of claim 14, the processor further programmed for performing the interconnected operation.