Writing using a touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9348452-B2
Application number	US-42220509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2009
Priority date	Jan 26, 1998
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of a computing system that has a surface, the method comprising:
detecting a first set of one or more contacts, each contact corresponding to a hand part touching a touch sensor surface of the computing system, the touch sensor surface being a portion of the surface of the computing system on which the computing system detects contacts, wherein commands of the computing system are selected based on detected contacts;
selecting a first command based on the first set;
detecting a touch down of each contact of a second set of one or more contacts on the touch sensor surface while the first set remains touching the touch sensor surface, each contact of the second set corresponding to a hand part touching the touch sensor surface; and
ignoring the second set by maintaining the first command after the touch down of the second set and by not selecting a command of the computing system based on the second set.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a hand part includes a finger.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a liftoff of each contact of the first set from the touch sensor surface, while the second set remains touching the touch sensor surface; and
generating input of the first command based on the second set after the liftoff of the first set.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining first information of the second set; and
determining, based on the first information, to ignore the second set.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first information includes a size of each contact of the second set.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second set consists of a single contact and determining to ignore the second set includes determining whether the size of the single contact exceeds a predetermined threshold size.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the size of the single contact is based on a total proximity of the single contact.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first information includes a ratio of a total proximity of each contact of the second set to an eccentricity of each contact of the second set.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first information includes a position of each contact of the second set.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the position of each contact of the second set is a relative position of the contact and another contact touching the touch sensor surface.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the relative position is based on a distance from the contact to a nearest neighbor contact of the contact.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the relative position is based on a distance from the contact to a position in a template of contact positions.

13. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first information includes a shape parameter of each contact of the second set.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the shape parameter includes an eccentricity of the contact.

15. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first information includes an orientation parameter of each contact of the second set.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the orientation parameter includes an orientation of an axis of an ellipse corresponding to the contact.

17. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the first information includes determining that each contact of the second set is not a member of the first set.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first set includes a plurality of contacts, the method further comprising:
determining that the contacts of the first set touched down synchronously, wherein selecting the first command based on the first set includes selecting the first command based the determination that the contacts of the first set touched down synchronously, and determining that each contact of the second set is not a member of the first set includes determining that at least one contact of the second set touched down asynchronously to at least one contact of the first set.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set consists of a single contact.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first command is a key press, selecting the first command based on the first set includes placing the key press in a queue, and the second set consists of a single contact, the method further comprising:
determining that the contact of the second set touched down within a predetermined period of time after the touch down of the contact of the first set, such that the touch downs of the contacts of the first and second sets are synchronized, wherein ignoring the second set includes determining that a size of the contact of the second set exceeds a predetermined size, and maintaining the selection of the first command includes maintaining the key press in the queue.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second set includes a plurality of contacts.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
determining that the contacts of the second set touched down asynchronously.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
determining that the contacts of the second set touched down synchronously; and
determining, based on the determination that the contacts of the second set touched down synchronously, that the contacts of the second set are resting.

24. A computing system that has a surface, the computing system comprising:
a touch sensor surface including an array of sensors, each sensor providing an indication of proximity of a hand part to the sensor surface, the touch sensor surface being a portion of the surface of the computing system on which the computing system detects contacts, wherein commands of the computing system are selected based on the detected contacts;
a scanner that scans the array of sensors to determine the indications of proximity and that generates a succession of proximity images based on the indications of proximity;
a image segmentation system that detects a plurality of contacts in each of the succession of proximity images, wherein the image segmentation system detects a first set of one or more contacts, each contact corresponding to a hand part touching the touch sensor surface; and
a command selector that selects a first command based on the first set,
wherein the image segmentation system further detects a touch down of each contact of a second set of one or more contacts on the touch sensor surface while the first set remains touch the touch sensor surface, each contact of the second set corresponding to a hand part touching the touch sensor surface, and
wherein the command selector further ignores the second set by maintaining the first command after the touch down of the second set and by not selecting a command of the computing system based on the second set.

25. The computing system of claim 24 , wherein a hand part includes a finger.

26. The computing system of claim 24 , further comprising:
a liftoff detector that detects a liftoff of each contact of the first set from the touch sensor surface, while the second set remains touching the touch sensor surface; and
an input generator that generates input of the first command based on the second set after the liftoff of the first set.

27. The computing system of claim 24 , further comprising:
a contact tracking and identification system configured to obtain first information of the second set; and
wherein the command selector is configured to determine, based on the first information, to

Assignees

• Westerman Wayne
• Elias John G
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Westerman Wayne
• Elias John G

Classifications

• G06V30/19173

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06F18/24137

  Distances to cluster centroïds · CPC title

• G06F2203/04104

  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 title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

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