Limiting inadvertent actuations of a touchpad

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a plurality of input devices comprising a touchpad that is configured to pivot about a hinge and that has a touch surface configured to receive a touch input from a user, one or more inputs from the user;
• selectively mechanically inhibiting, by a locking assembly, activation of a mechanically-activated switch, which is disposed adjacent to a first end of the touchpad and which is configured to be activated based at least in part on the touch input causing the touchpad to depress the mechanically-activated switch, by inhibiting the touchpad from pivoting about the hinge, which is coupled to a second end of the touchpad that is opposite the first end of the touchpad, depending on whether an electrical control signal is received;
• and
• selectively actuating, by a controller, the locking assembly to inhibit the touchpad from pivoting about the hinge based at least in part on the one or more inputs from the user, wherein selectively actuating comprises:
• causing the locking assembly to mechanically inhibit the activation of the mechanically-activated switch by providing the electrical control signal to the locking assembly based at least in part on at least one of a processor input or an operating system input triggered by at least one of the one or more inputs from the user.

A method of limiting inadvertent actuations of a touchpad that is included in a computing device, the method comprising:

• receiving an input at a user interface of the computing device from a user;
• generating, by the computing device, a device-generated electrical control signal based at least on the input;
• and
• causing a locking assembly of the computing device to mechanically inhibit the touchpad from depressing a mechanically-activated switch that is disposed adjacent to a first end of the touchpad, which inhibits the touchpad from pivoting about a pivot point of a hinge that is coupled to a second end of the touchpad that is opposite the first end of the touchpad, by providing the electrical control signal to the locking assembly based at least in part on:
• detection, at the touchpad, of a scrolling input having a depression force that is greater than or equal to a depression force threshold,
• detection, at the touchpad, of a long-duration pressure input having a force that is greater than or equal to the depression force threshold,
• detection of a long-duration pressure input over a surface area that is greater than a surface area threshold, or
• detection of three or more simultaneous pressure points on a touch surface of the touch pad.