Touch sensitive control

• US 9,557,911 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wallace, Brian William, Conzola, Vincent Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US14/164,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1631 Panel PC, e.g. single housing hosting PC and display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An aspect provides a method, including: activating, using a processor, a touch sensitive surface which comprises at least a bezel portion of a display; accepting, using a processor, user input to the bezel portion of the touch sensitive surface; and controlling, using a processor, an information handling device operatively coupled to the touch sensitive surface in response to touch input in the bezel portion of a display. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

activating, using a processor, a touch sensitive surface which comprises at least a bezel portion of a display, wherein said bezel portion does not display information and comprises said touch sensitive surface overlaying a hardware device selected from the group consisting of a camera, a microphone, and a speaker;

accepting, using a processor, user input to the bezel portion of the touch sensitive surface, said user input selected from the group consisting of a tap and a swipe; and

controlling, using a processor, the hardware device operatively coupled to the touch sensitive surface in response to the user input in the bezel portion of the display overlaying the hardware device;

wherein the controlling comprises activating the hardware device in response to the user input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises transferring a control signal based upon the touch input to an operating system of the information handling device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control signal is the touch input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises controlling a multimedia function of the information handling device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the multimedia function being controlled is input selected from the group consisting of input from a camera, and input from a microphone, and volume of sound being outputted to a speaker.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of:

the input from the microphone and the volume is muted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of touch sensors are embedded in the bezel portion of the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the display comprises a touch sensitive surface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is a swipe.

10. An information handling device, comprising:

a display;

one or more hardware devices;

a touch sensitive surface which comprises at least a bezel portion of the display wherein said bezel portion of the display does not display information;

a processor operatively coupled to the touch sensitive surface; and

a memory device that stores instructions accessible to the processor, the instructions being executable by the processor to;

activate the touch sensitive surface that comprises at least the bezel portion of the display;

accept user input to the bezel portion of the display, wherein said bezel portion comprises said touch sensitive surface overlaying a hardware device of the one or more hardware devices selected from the group consisting of a camera, a microphone, and a speaker;

said user input selected from the group consisting of a tap and a swipe; and

control at least one of the one or more hardware devices in response to the user input in the bezel portion of the display overlaying the at least one of the hardware devices;

wherein the control comprises activating the at least one of the hardware devices in response to the user input.

11. The information handling device of claim 10, wherein the control comprises transferring a control signal based upon the user input to an operating system of the information handling device.

12. The information handling device of claim 11, wherein the control signal is the user input.

13. The information handling device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more hardware devices is selected from the group consisting of a camera, a speaker, a microphone, a volume control, and an antenna.

14. The information handling device of claim 10, wherein the control comprises controlling a multimedia function of the information handling device.

15. The information handling device of claim 14, wherein the multimedia function being controlled is input selected from the group consisting of input from a camera, input from a microphone, and volume of sound being outputted to a speaker.

16. The information handling device of claim 15, wherein at least one of:

the input from the microphone and the volume is muted.

17. The information handling device of claim 10, wherein a plurality of touch sensors are embedded in the bezel portion of the display.

18. The information handling device of claim 17, wherein the display is a touch sensitive surface.

19. The information handling device of claim 10, wherein the touch sensitive surface is within a predetermined distance of at least one of the one or more hardware devices being controlled.

20. A product, comprising:

a non-signal storage device having code stored therewith, the code being executable by a processor and comprising;

code that activates a touch sensitive surface of an information handling device which comprises at least a bezel portion of a display, wherein said bezel portion does not display information and comprises said touch sensitive surface overlaying a hardware device selected from the group consisting of a camera, a microphone, and a speaker;

code that accepts user input to the bezel portion of the display, said user input selected from the group consisting of a tap and a swipe; and

code that controls at least one of the one or more hardware devices in response to the user input in the bezel portion of the display overlaying the hardware device;

wherein the control comprises activating the at least one of the hardware devices in response to the user input.