Techniques for providing user input to a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10423245-B2
Application number	US-201514610746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

Techniques and apparatus are described for obtaining user input via a stylus configured to serve as an interface for providing user input into a computing device. The computing device may obtain rotation-related information indicative of rotational position or rotational movement of the stylus about a longitudinal axis of the stylus. The computing device may identify an operation in response to the rotation-related information, and perform the identified operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an elongated body having a first and a second distal end, wherein user input to a computing device is provided through a rotational movement of the elongated body, the rotational movement being about a longitudinal axis of the elongated body;
at least one sensor or emitter physically coupled to the elongated body to facilitate gathering of rotation-related information by the computing device, the rotation-related information indicating an angle of rotation of the elongated body during the rotational movement as a function of time; and
at least one processor configured to:
detect, based on the rotation-related information, a gesture performed upon the elongated body by a user, wherein the detecting of the gesture comprises:
determining that the rotational movement comprises a first rotation in a first direction about the longitudinal axis followed by a second rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction about the longitudinal axis;
determining that the first rotation and second rotation each exceed a turn angle threshold; and
determining that the second rotation follows the first rotation within a threshold amount of time; and

execute a predefined command in response to the detecting of the gesture and further in response to determining that a degree of the first rotation and a degree of the second rotation respectively correspond to a degree of first rotation and a degree of second rotation associated with the predefined command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor or emitter comprises at least one active magnetic field emitter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one active magnetic field emitter comprises a first magnetic field emitter transmitting a first magnetic field having a first orientation, and a second magnetic field emitter transmitting a second magnetic field having a second orientation, the first orientation being different from the second orientation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the at least one active magnetic field emitters transmit an emitter-specific code.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one active magnetic field emitter comprises a first magnetic field emitter transmitting a first magnetic field during a first time duration, and a second magnetic field emitter transmitting a second magnetic field during a second time duration, the first time duration being different from the second time duration.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor or emitter comprises at least one positional sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the at least one positional sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor or emitter is positioned off the longitudinal axis of the elongated body.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor or emitter comprises a first sensor or emitter positioned perpendicular to a second sensor or emitter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the gesture further comprises:
determining that an angle at a beginning of the first rotation and an angle at an end of the second rotation are approximately the same.

11. A method comprising:
receiving user input through a rotational movement of an elongated body of a stylus, the rotational movement being about a longitudinal axis of the elongated body,
gathering rotation-related information using at least one sensor or emitter physically coupled to the elongated body, wherein the rotation-related information indicates an angle of rotation of the elongated body during the rotational movement as a function of time;
detecting, based on the rotation-related information, a gesture performed upon the elongated body by a user, wherein the detecting of the gesture comprises:
determining that the rotational movement comprises a first rotation in a first direction about the longitudinal axis followed by a second rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction about the longitudinal axis;
determining that the first rotation and second rotation each exceed a turn angle threshold; and
determining that the second rotation follows the first rotation within a threshold amount of time; and

executing a predefined command in response to the detecting of the gesture and further in response to determining that a degree of the first rotation and a degree of the second rotation respectively correspond to a degree of first rotation and a degree of second rotation associated with the predefined command.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the at least one sensor or emitter is an active magnetic field emitter.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a first magnetic field emitter transmits a first magnetic field having a first orientation, and a second magnetic field emitter transmits a second magnetic field having a second orientation, the first orientation being different from the second orientation.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the at least one active magnetic field emitters transmit an emitter-specific code.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein a first magnetic field emitter transmits a first magnetic field during a first time duration, and a second magnetic field emitter transmits a second magnetic field during a second time duration, the first time duration being different from the second time duration.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one sensor or emitter comprises a first sensor or emitter positioned perpendicular to a second sensor or emitter.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting of the gesture further comprises:
determining that an angle at a beginning of the first rotation and an angle at an end of the second rotation are approximately the same.

18. An apparatus comprising:
an elongated body having a first and a second distal end, wherein user input to a computing device is provided through a rotational movement of the elongated body, the rotational movement being about a longitudinal axis of the elongated body;
means for sensing or indicating rotation of the elongated body physically coupled to the elongated body, the means for sensing or indicating rotation of the elongated body configured to facilitate gathering of rotation-related information, wherein the rotation-related information indicates an angle of rotation of the elongated body during the rotational movement as a function of time;
means for detecting, based on the rotation-related information, a gesture performed upon the elongated body by a user, wherein the means for detecting the gesture performed upon the elongated body by the user detects the gesture by:
determining that the rotational movement comprises a first rotation in a first direction about the longitudinal axis followed by a second rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction about the longitudinal axis;
determining that the first rotation and second rotation each exceed a turn angle threshold; and
determining that the second rotation follows the first rotation within a threshold amount of time; and

means for executing a predefined command in response to the detecting of the gesture and further in response to determining that a degree of the first rotation and a degree of the second rotation respectively correspond to a degree of first rotation and a degree of second rotation associated with the predefined command.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the means for sensing or indicating

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Keating Virginia Walker
• Padovani Niccolo Andrew
• Bornstein Gilad
• Lee Thien
• Altman Nathan

Classifications

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04808

  Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen · CPC title

• G06F3/03545 Primary

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• G06F3/046

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title