# US 2013/0155031 A1 · User control of electronic devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0155031 A1 - Document ID: US20130155031A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/806,129 - Filed: 2011-06-29 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2010-06-29 - Assignees: Elliptic Laboratories AS - Inventors: Tobias Dahl; Elad Shabtai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155031A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)} - G06F 3/0412: {Digitisers structurally integrated in a display} - G06F 3/043: using propagating acoustic waves - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An electronic device (2; 26) comprises a first input means adapted to detect that a first digit of a user's hand (6; 28) is in contact with the device and a second input means adapted to detect movement of a second digit 30 of the user's hand which is not in contact with the device. The device is configured to respond to detection of the movement by the second input means while the contact is detected by the first input means or within a predetermined mined time thereafter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: a first input means adapted to detect that a first digit of a user's hand is in contact with the device; and a second input means adapted to detect movement of a second digit of the user's hand which is not in contact with the device, wherein the device is configured to respond to detection of said movement by said second input means while said contact is detected by said first input means or within a predetermined time thereafter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising an acoustic transmitting means and acoustic receiving means and being arranged to detect the motion of the second digit by receipt by the receiving means of an acoustic signal transmitted by the transmitting means and reflected from the second digit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic and said transmitting means and/or said receiving means is also used by the device for transmission/reception of audible signals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2, 3) A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3 configured only to transmit the signal when the contact is detected by the first input means. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A device as claimed in claim 4 configured to transmit until the first input means no longer detects contact by the first digit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2, 3, 4, 5) A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 configured only to process signals received by the receiving means when the contact is detected by the first input means. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 wherein said transmitting means is arranged to transmit chirps. ### Claim 8 A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the detections by the first and second input means are simultaneous. ### Claim 9 A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first input means comprises a physical or virtual button which detects pressure or touch from a user's finger in a single place. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of the user's touch. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen. ### Claim 12 A device as claimed in any preceding claim configured to respond differently to a given movement of the second digit depending on the nature of the contact by the first digit. ### Claim 13 A device as claimed in any preceding claim arranged to detect motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit. ### Claim 14 A device as claimed in any preceding claim arranged to detect a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit. ### Claim 15 A device as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of a user's touch, wherein the second input means is configured to detect movement of the second digit within a region of based on said location. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the second input means comprises means for analysing impulse responses, and arranged to analyse only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location. ### Claim 17 An electronic device comprising: a first input means adapted to detect that at least part of a user's hand is in contact with the device; and a second input means adapted to detect movement of at least part of a user's hand which is not in contact with the device, wherein the device is configured to respond to detection of said movement by said second input means differently depending on whether said contact with the device is detected by said first input means before said movement is detected. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A device as claimed in claim 17 comprising an acoustic transmitting means and acoustic receiving means and being arranged to detect the motion of the second digit by receipt by the receiving means of an acoustic signal transmitted by the transmitting means and reflected from the second digit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A device as claimed in claim 18 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic and said transmitting means and/or said receiving means is also used by the device for transmission/reception of audible signals. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18, 19) A device as claimed in claim 18 or 19 comprising a single channel for detecting motion of said second digit. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18, 19, 20) A device as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20 wherein said transmitting means is arranged to transmit chirps. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 21 wherein the detections by the first and second input means are simultaneous. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the first input means comprises a physical or virtual button which detects pressure or touch from a user's finger in a single place. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of the user's touch. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) A device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 25 arranged to detect motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 26 arranged to detect a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 27 comprising a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of a user's touch, wherein the second input means is configured to detect movement of the second digit within a region of based on said location. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) A device as claimed in claim 28 wherein the second input means comprises means for analysing impulse responses, and arranged to analyse only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location. ### Claim 30 A method of operating an electronic device comprising detecting that a first digit of a user's hand is in contact with the device using a first input means; detecting movement of a second digit of the user's hand which is not in contact with the device using a second input means, and responding to detection of said movement by said second input means while said contact is detected by said first input means or within a predetermined time thereafter. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising detecting motion of the second digit by receiving at an acoustic receiving means an acoustic signal transmitted by an acoustic transmitting means and reflected from the second digit. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic the method further comprising using said transmitting means and/or said receiving means for transmission/reception of audible signals. ### Claim 33 (depends on 31, 32) A method as claimed in claim 31 or 32 comprising transmitting the signal when the contact is detected by the first input means. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) A method as claimed in claim 33 comprising transmitting until the first input means no longer detects contact by the first digit. ### Claim 35 (depends on 31, 32, 33, 34) A method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 34 comprising only processing signals received by the receiving means when the contact is detected by the first input means. ### Claim 36 (depends on 31, 32, 33, 34, 35) A method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 35 comprising transmitting chirps. ### Claim 37 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 36 comprising detecting using the first and second input means simultaneously. ### Claim 38 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 37 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen the method comprising detecting the location of the user's touch. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) A method as claimed in claim 38 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen. ### Claim 40 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 39 comprising responding differently to a given movement of the second digit depending on the nature of the contact by the first digit. ### Claim 41 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 40 comprising detecting motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit. ### Claim 42 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 41 comprising detecting a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit. ### Claim 43 (depends on 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42) A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 42 wherein the device comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen the method comprising detecting the location of a user's touch on the touch-pad or touch-screen, and the second input means detecting movement of the second digit within a region based on said location. ### Claim 44 (depends on 43) A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising analysing only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location. ### Claim 45 Computer software, preferably on a carrier or other computer readable medium, which is adapted, when run on suitable data processing means, to: receive a first signal from a first input means of an electronic device indicating a detection that a first digit of a user's hand is in contact with the device; receive a first signal from a second input means of the electronic device indicating a detection of a movement of a second digit of a user's hand which is not in contact with the device; and provide a response in the event that said movement of the user's second digit is detected while said contact by the first digit is detected or within a predetermined time thereafter. ### Claim 46 (depends on 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45) Software as claimed in claim 45 adapted to carry out a method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 44.