Keyboard integrated with trackpad

• US 9,952,683 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamburgen, William, Murphy, Glen, Bowers, Andrew, Lee, Ji, Tom, Kevin, Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Han, Amy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US14/810,086
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-174, 341 22, 341 33, 178 1801- 1806, 715863
• 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 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

An apparatus includes a processor and a keyboard having multiple, separately moveable keys. The keyboard is configured to function as both a keyboard and a trackpad.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor; and

a trackpad and a keyboard, wherein the trackpad and the keyboard are combined in a single surface to receive user input comprising multiple different gestures input in different axes in relation to the trackpad and keyboard, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive and process a typing gesture,

receive and process a click gesture,

receive and process a tracking gesture, and

distinguish between processing the received user input as a typing gesture, a click gesture that differs from the typing gesture, and a tracking gesture responsive at least in part to an input axis of the received user input and any movement of the received user input, wherein

the received user input is distinguished between the click gesture and the typing gesture responsive at least in part to a measure of force of the received user input compared to a measure of force received over a period of time and stored in the memory and a computing context of the received user input,

the received user input is registered as the typing gesture when the measure of the force indicates a typing force and the computing context is a typing context, and

the received user input is registered as the click gesture when the measure of force indicates a selection force and the computing context is a selection context.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive and process combinations of different types of gestures.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the typing gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a keystroke.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the click gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a selection input, wherein the selection input differs from a keystroke.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracking gesture comprises a gesture in a X-axis direction and/or a Y-axis direction input on a surface of the trackpad and the keyboard to control cursor movement.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an entire surface of the trackpad and the keyboard functions to receive gesture input.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trackpad and the keyboard comprise:

a top surface including visual representations of individual keys of a keyboard disposed on the top surface; and

a sensor layer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the visual representations of the individual keys are mapped to corresponding locations on the top surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensor layer comprises a capacitive sensor layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the top surface and the sensor layer are a same layer.

11. A method including executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor, the method comprising:

obtaining user input to a trackpad and a keyboard, wherein the trackpad and the keyboard are combined in a single surface to receive the user input comprising multiple different gestures input in different axes in relation to the trackpad and keyboard; and

distinguishing between processing the received user input as a typing gesture, a click gesture that differs from the typing gesture, and a tracking gesture responsive at least in part to an input axis of the received user input and any movement of the received user input, wherein

the received user input is distinguished between the click gesture and the typing gesture responsive at least in part to a measure of force of the received user input compared to a measure of force received over a period of time and stored in a memory and a computing context of the received user input,

the received user input is registered as the typing gesture when the measure of the force indicates a typing force and the computing context is a typing context, and

the received user input is registered as the click gesture when the measure of force indicates a selection force and the computing context is a selection context.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving and processing combinations of different types of gestures.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the typing gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a keystroke.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the click gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a selection input, wherein the selection input differs from a keystroke.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the tracking gesture comprises a gesture in a X-axis direction and/or a Y-axis direction input on a surface of the trackpad and the keyboard to control cursor movement.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein an entire surface of the trackpad and the keyboard functions to receive gesture input.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed using at least one processor, perform the actions of:

obtaining user input to a trackpad and a keyboard, wherein the trackpad and the keyboard are combined in a single surface to receive the user input comprising multiple different gestures input in different axes in relation to the trackpad and keyboard; and

distinguishing between processing the received user input as a typing gesture, a click gesture that differs from the typing gesture, and a tracking gesture responsive at least in part to an input axis of the received user input and any movement of the received user input, wherein

the received user input is distinguished between the click gesture and the typing gesture responsive at least in part to a measure of force of the received user input compared to a measure of force received over a period of time and stored in a memory and a computing context of the received user input,

the received user input is registered as the typing gesture when the measure of the force indicates a typing force and the computing context is a typing context, and

the received user input is registered as the click gesture when the measure of force indicates a selection force and the computing context is a selection context.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, perform the action of receiving and processing combinations of different types of gestures.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the typing gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a keystroke.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the click gesture comprises a gesture in a Z-axis direction input into the trackpad and the keyboard to input a selection input, wherein the selection input differs from a keystroke.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the tracking gesture comprises a gesture in a X-axis direction and/or a Y-axis direction input on a surface of the trackpad and the keyboard to control cursor movement.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein an entire surface of the trackpad and the keyboard functions to receive gesture input.