Touch sensor contact information
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsWayne Carl WESTERMAN, John Greer Elias
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims38
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored therein, which when executed by an apparatus including a capacitive touch sensing surface processes information in a computing system by causing the apparatus to perform a method comprising:
- detecting a plurality of contacts corresponding to touch objects on or near the surface;
- in response to detecting the plurality of contacts, associating each contact with a different bit position in a bitfield;
- determining a motion of a first contact of the plurality of contacts from a first position on the surface to a second position on the surface;
- maintaining the association of each contact with the same bit position previously associated with the contact during the motion of the first contact from the first position on the surface to the second position on the surface, in maintaining the association each contact is associated with only a single bit position in the bitfield;
- and
- applying a bitmask to the bitfield to determine information of a set of one or more contacts of the plurality of contacts.
The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises displaying a graphical object on a display of the computing system in response to the assignment of the input event.
A method for processing information in a computing system including a capacitive touch sensing input surface, the method comprising:
- detecting a plurality of contacts corresponding to touch objects on or near the surface;
- in response to detecting the plurality of contacts, associating each contact with a different bit position in a bitfield;
- determining a motion of a first contact of the plurality of contacts from a first position on the surface to a second position on the surface;
- maintaining the association of each contact with the same bit position previously associated with the contact during the motion of the first contact from the first position on the surface to the second position on the surface, in maintaining the association each contact is associated with only a single bit position in the bitfield;
- and
- applying a bitmask to the bitfield to determine information of a set of one or more contacts of the plurality of contacts.
An apparatus having a capacitive touch sensing input surface for processing information in a computing system, comprising:
- a tracking module that detects a plurality of contacts corresponding to touch objects on or near the surface, and determines a motion of a first contact of the plurality of contacts from a first position on the surface to a second position on the surface;
- and
- a processing module that, in response to detecting the plurality of contacts, associates each contact with a different bit position in a bitfield, that maintains the association of each contact with the same bit position previously associated with the contact during the motion of the first contact from the first position on the surfaces to the second position on the surface, in maintaining the association each contact is only associated with only a single bit position in the bitfield, and that applies a bitmask to the bitfield to determine information of a set of one or more contacts of the plurality of contacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.