Mechanism for interpreting touches to a pad cover over a sensor pad at a computing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9501182-B2
Application number	US-201113977680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2011
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A mechanism is described for interpreting touches to a pad cover placed over a sensor external to a computing device. A method of embodiments of the invention includes sensing a touch on a pad cover covering a capacitive sensor of a computing device. The sensing may include determining a capacitive intensity that corresponds to an amount of pressure applied to the pad cover via the touch. The method may further include interpreting the capacitive intensity as measured by the capacitive sensor across a pad cover gap to determine the amount of pressure applied to the pad cover, determining user intent based on the interpreted capacitive intensity and the determined corresponding amount of applied pressure relating to the touch, and facilitating an action in accordance with the user intent.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
sensing multiple touches of a user on a pad cover covering a capacitive sensor of a computing device, wherein sensing further comprises determining a capacitive intensity that corresponds to an amount of pressure applied to the pad cover via each of the touches, wherein the touches result in overlapping amounts of pressure applied to the pad cover causing multiple points of deformation on the pad cover;
interpreting capacitive intensities associated with the touches as measured by the capacitive sensor across a pad cover gap of the pad cover associated with the capacitive intensities to conclude a user intent being a dominant user intent of the user intents, wherein interpreting is based on analyzing each of the points of deformation against the rest of the points of deformation based on a history of the touches including a prior knowledge of one or more of the touches by the user, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a type of material of the pad cover and a prior knowledge of flexibility associated with the material of the pad cover; and
facilitating an action in accordance with the user intent.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the type of material comprises a conductive material comprising plastic, wherein the flexibility includes a range of flexibility associated with the conductive material used to form the pad cover, wherein the prior knowledge includes a tracked history of the one or more touches made by the user on the pad cover and one or more user intents historically derived from the one or more touches, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a nature of each of the touches.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a thumb sensor externally placed to a side of the computing device, wherein the capacitive sensor is used when the pad cover covering the sensor is touched using one or more of a user finger or a user thumb.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the nature of the touch comprises one or more of a flick, a scroll, and a press.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computing device comprising one or more of a smartphone, a handheld computing device, a tablet computing device, and an e-reader, wherein the computing device further comprises one or more of a notebook, a netbook, and a desktop computing device.

6. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
sense multiple touches of a user on a pad cover covering a capacitive sensor of a computing device, wherein sensing further comprises determining a capacitive intensity that corresponds to an amount of pressure applied to the pad cover via each of the touches, wherein the touches result in overlapping amounts of pressure applied to the pad cover causing multiple points of deformation on the pad cover;
interpret capacitive intensities associated with the touches as measured by the capacitive sensor across a pad cover gap of the pad cover associated with the capacitive intensities to conclude a user intent being a dominant user intent of the user intents, wherein interpreting is based on analyzing each of the points of deformation against the rest of the points of deformation and based on a history of the touches including a prior knowledge of one or more of the touches by the user, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a type of material of the pad cover and a prior knowledge of flexibility associated with the material of the pad cover; and
facilitate an action in accordance with the user intent.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the type of material comprises a conductive material comprising plastic, wherein the flexibility includes a range of flexibility associated with the conductive material used to form the pad cover, wherein the prior knowledge includes a tracked history of the one or more touches made by the user on the pad cover and one or more user intents historically derived from the one or more touches, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a nature of each of the touches.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a thumb sensor externally placed to a side of the computing device, wherein the capacitive sensor is used when the pad cover covering the sensor is touched using one or more of a user finger or a user thumb.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the nature of the touch comprises one or more of a flick, a scroll, and a press.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computing device comprising one or more of a smartphone, a handheld computing device, a tablet computing device, and an e-reader, wherein the computing device further comprises one or more of a notebook, a netbook, and a desktop computing device.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a touch receptor to sense multiple touches of a user on a pad cover covering a capacitive sensor of a computing device, wherein sensing further comprises determining a capacitive intensity that corresponds to an amount of pressure applied to the pad cover via each of the touches, wherein the touches result in overlapping amounts of pressure applied to the pad cover causing multiple points of deformation on the pad cover;
a touch interpreter to interpret capacitive intensities associated with the touches as measured by the capacitive sensor across a pad cover gap of the pad cover associated with the capacitive intensities to conclude a user intent being a dominant user intent of the user intents, wherein interpreting is based on analyzing each of the points of deformation against the rest of the points of deformation and based on a history of the touches including a prior knowledge of one or more of the touches by the user, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a type of material of the pad cover and a prior knowledge of flexibility associated with the material of the pad cover; and
an action facilitator to facilitate an action in accordance with the user intent.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the type of material comprises a conductive material comprising plastic, wherein the flexibility includes a range of flexibility associated with the conductive material used to form the pad cover, wherein the prior knowledge includes a tracked history of the one or more touches made by the user on the pad cover and one or more user intents historically derived from the one or more touches, wherein each point of deformation is further analyzed against the rest of the points of deformation based on a nature of each of the touches.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a thumb sensor externally placed to a side of the computing device, wherein the capacitive sensor is used when the pad cover covering the sensor is touched using one or more of a user finger or a user thumb.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the nature of the touch comprises one or more of a flick, a scroll, and a press.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computi

Assignees

• Graumann David L
• Krishnamurthy Lakshman
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Graumann David L
• Krishnamurthy Lakshman

Classifications

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G06F1/169

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

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