Unintentional touch rejection

• US 9,594,457 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Townsend, Reed L., Kolmykov-Zotov, Alexander J., Dodge, Steven P., Scott, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US14/979,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method for rejecting an unintentional palm touch is disclosed. In at least some embodiments, a touch is detected by a touch-sensitive surface associated with a display. Characteristics of the touch may be used to generate a set of parameters related to the touch. In an embodiment, firmware is used to determine a reliability value for the touch. The reliability value and the location of the touch is provided to a software module. The software module uses the reliability value and an activity context to determine a confidence level of the touch. In an embodiment, the confidence level may include an evaluation of changes in the reliability value over time. If the confidence level for the touch is too low, it may be rejected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a touch on a touch-sensitive display of a device;

identifying at least one of a height and a width of the touch;

calculating a function of at least one of an area of the touch and a shape of the touch;

based at least in part on the calculated function, determining a probability that the touch is intentional;

based at least in part on the probability, determining whether the touch meets a predetermined confidence level; and

in response to determining that the touch meets the predetermined confidence level, communicate an input associated with the touch to an application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases as the area of the touch decreases.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases when the shape of the touch has substantially the same height and width.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a confidence level for the touch based on the probability; and

comparing the confidence level for the touch to the predetermined confidence level.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the confidence level for the touch is based at least in part on determining a reliability of the touch.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the reliability of the touch is based on one or more reliability factors comprising one or more of:

a pressure associated with the touch;

a rate of change in characteristics of the touch; and

a velocity of movement of the touch.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a location of the touch within the touch-sensitive display.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining an activity context comprising one or more of:

determining whether the location of the touch is in a window associated with an application;

determining whether the application is active;

determining whether the location being touched is an active area; and

determining whether another valid touch is being made in a different location on the touch-sensitive display.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an activity context comprising one or more of:

determining whether multiple touches are being made substantially simultaneously;

determining whether multiple touches are expected;

determining whether a profile of the touch matches a known gesture; and

determining how the application treats touches.

10. A computing device comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory storing computer readable instructions that when executed cause the computing device to;

receive a touch on the touch-sensitive display;

identify at least one of a height and a width of the touch;

calculate a function of at least one of an area of the touch and a shape of the touch;

based on the calculated function, determine a probability that the touch is intentional; and

based on the probability, perform one of;

identify the touch as intentional;

display a visual feedback on the graphical user interface (GUI); and

identify the touch as unintentional.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases as the area of the touch decreases.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases when the shape of the touch has substantially the same height and width.

13. The computing device of claim 10, the computing device further caused to:

based at least in part on the probability, determine whether the touch meets a predetermined confidence level; and

in response to determining that the touch meets the predetermined confidence level, communicate an input associated with the touch to an application.

14. The computing device of claim 10, the computing device further caused to:

identify a location of the touch within the touch-sensitive display.

15. The computing device of claim 14, the computing device further caused to determine an activity context, wherein determining the activity context comprises one or more of:

determine whether the location of the touch is in a window associated with an application;

determine whether the application is active;

determine whether the location being touched is an active area; and

determine whether another valid touch is being made in a different location on the touch-sensitive display.

19. The computing device of claim 10, the computer readable instructions further causing the computing device to perform the method of:

identifying a location of the touch within the touch-sensitive display.

20. The computing device of claim 19, the computer readable instructions further causing the computing device to perform the method of:

determining whether the location of the touch is in a window associated with an application;

determining whether the application is active;

determining whether the location being touched is an active area; and

determining whether another valid touch is being made in a different location on the touch-sensitive display.

16. A computing device comprising at least one processing unit and at least one memory storing computer readable instructions that when executed cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a touch on the touch-sensitive display;

identifying at least one of a height and a width of the touch;

calculating a function of at least one of an area of the touch and a shape of the touch;

based at least in part on the calculated function, determining a probability that the touch is intentional;

based at least in part on the probability, determining whether the touch meets a predetermined confidence level; and

in response to determining that the touch meets the predetermined confidence level, communicating an input associated with the touch to an application.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases as the area of the touch decreases.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the probability that the touch is intentional increases when the shape of the touch has substantially the same height and width.