Devices and methods for processing touch inputs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10241599-B2
Application number	US-201514871415-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 7, 2015
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device, with a touch-sensitive surface and display, displays a user interface at a first display rate. While displaying the user interface in accordance with the first display rate, the device detects movement of a touch input, including detecting the touch input at a first set of sequential locations on the touch-sensitive surface, including a plurality of locations on the touch-sensitive surface, and predicts for the touch input a first set of one or more predicted locations on the touch-sensitive surface based on multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations. The device updates the user interface in accordance with the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and display:
displaying a user interface at a first display rate;
while displaying the user interface in accordance with the first display rate:
detecting movement of a touch input, including detecting the touch input at a first set of sequential locations on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the first set of sequential locations includes a plurality of locations on the touch-sensitive surface; and
predicting for the touch input a first set of one or more predicted locations on the touch-sensitive surface based on multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations;

and
updating the user interface in accordance with the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein updating the user interface in accordance with the first set of one or more predicted locations includes:
in accordance with a determination that there is a first confidence value in the prediction of predicted locations, the user interface is updated based on a first number of predicted locations; and
in accordance with a determination that there is a second confidence value in the prediction of predicted locations, wherein the second confidence value is lower than the first confidence value, the user interface is updated based on a second number of predicted locations that is less than the first number of predicted locations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the movement of the touch input is detected at a first detection rate that is higher than the first display rate.

3. The method of claim 1 , including:
at an application-independent touch processing module:
predicting for the touch input the first set of one or more predicted locations on the touch-sensitive surface; and
sending to an application-specific portion of a first software application the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface; and,

at the first software application, updating the user interface in accordance with the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subsequent to detecting the touch input at the first set of sequential locations on the touch-sensitive surface:
detecting the touch input at a second set of sequential locations on the touch-sensitive surface;
comparing the second set of sequential locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface with the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface; and,
in accordance with a determination that a difference between the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface and the second set of sequential locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface satisfies predefined criteria, updating the user interface in accordance with the second set of sequential locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
predicting for the touch input a second set of one or more locations on the touch-sensitive surface; and
updating the user interface in accordance with the second set of sequential locations on the touch-sensitive surface and the second set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein a portion of the user interface that is updated in accordance with one or more predicted locations is visually distinguished from a portion of the user interface that is updated in accordance with one or more detected locations.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the movement of the touch input is detected during a respective touch-detection frame;
an updated user interface, based on the movement of the touch input, is generated during a respective touch-processing frame; and
the updated user interface is displayed on the display for the duration of a respective display frame that occurs after the respective touch-processing frame.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface are predicted based at least in part on multiple representative touch locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the one or more predicted locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface are predicted based on multiple representative touch locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface and one or more interstitial locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the one or more predicted locations is a predicted representative touch location.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more predicted locations include one or more predicted interstitial touch locations of the touch input on the touch-sensitive surface.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
a number of predicted locations in the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input is determined in accordance with one or more confidence values associated with the one or more predicted locations.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
a number of predicted locations in the first set of one or more predicted locations of the touch input is determined in accordance with one or more confidence values associated with the multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the one or more confidence values associated with the multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations are based at least in part on errors in fitting the multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations to a predefined constraint.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the one or more confidence values associated with the multiple locations in the first set of sequential locations are based at least in part on speed of the movement of the touch input.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device includes one or more sensors to detect intensity of touch inputs on the touch-sensitive surface; and
the method includes:
predicting intensity of the touch input at a plurality of locations on the touch-sensitive surface; and
updating the user interface in accordance with the predicted intensity of the touch input.

17. The method of claim 1 , including:
predicting tilt and/or orientation of the touch input at a plurality of locations on the touch-sensitive surface; and
updating the user interface in accordance with the predicted tilt and/or orientation of the touch input.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of predicted locations in the first set of predicted locations of the touch input is determined in accordance with a plurality of confidence values associated with a plurality of locations in the first set of sequential locations.

19. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a touch-sensitive surface;
one or more processors;
memory; and
one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
displaying a user interface at a first display rate;
while displaying the user interface in accordance with the first display rate:
detecting movement of a touch input, including detecting the touch in

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Nilo Bruce D
• Chan David Michael
• Xiao Jacob A
• Beaver Jason Clay

Classifications

• G09G5/12

  Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players · CPC title

• G06F3/04883 Primary

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/03545

  Pens or stylus · CPC title