US 9,436,304 B1Granted

Computer with unified touch surface for input

AssigneeGoogle Inc.

InventorsAaron Leiba, Daniel Fourie, Matthew Dominic Tenuta, Aaron Matthew Eash

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In one general aspect, a method can include receiving a plurality of indicators of interactions of a user with a plurality of locations of a touch-sensitive surface of an input area included in a base portion of a computing device. The method further includes receiving a plurality of indicators of pressure associated with at least a portion of the plurality of interactions, selecting a first interaction profile based on a first portion of the plurality of indicators of interactions and based on a first portion of the plurality of indicators of pressure, associating a first input mode with the first portion of the plurality of indicators of interactions based on the first interaction profile. The method still further includes associating a second input mode with a second portion of the plurality of indicators of interactions based on a second interaction profile different from the first interaction profile.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computing device comprising:

a display portion including a display area;
a base portion coupled to the display portion;
a touch-sensitive surface of an input area included in the base portion, the touch-sensitive surface of the input area having a surface area greater than half of a surface area of the display area of the display portion, the input area being a non-display area;
a zone module configured to:
partition the input area into a first zone and a second zone, the first zone including a first subset of the surface area of the touch-sensitive surface, and the second zone including a second subset of the surface area of the touch-sensitive surface, the second zone being different from the first zone;
correlate a first section of the display area with the first zone based on a first application running on the computing device, the correlation providing a relative positioning between the first section of the display area and the first zone;
and
correlate a second section of the display area with the second zone based on a second application running on the computing device, the second section being different from the first section, the correlation providing a relative positioning between the second section of the display area and the second zone;
a touch detection module configured to:
detect a first interaction of a user with the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone, the detected first interaction identifying a first plurality of indicators of pressure associated with a first plurality of indicators of interactions of the user with a first plurality of locations of the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone;
and
detect a second interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface included in the second zone, the detected second interaction identifying a second plurality of indicators of pressure associated with a second plurality of indicators of interactions of the user with a second plurality of locations of the touch-sensitive surface included in the second zone;
an interaction profile detection module configured to:
select a first interaction profile to associate with the first zone, the selection based on the detected first interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone;
and
select a second interaction profile to associate with the second zone, the selection based on the detected second interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface included in the second zone;
and
an input mode selection module configured to:
associate a first input mode with the first zone based on the first interaction profile;
associate a second input mode with the second zone based on the second interaction profile;
determine a first dynamic scaling between the display area and the touch-sensitive surface of the input area based on the first input mode;
and
determine a second dynamic scaling between the display area and the touch-sensitive surface of the input area based on the second input mode.

20 more elements

An apparatus, comprising:

a display portion including a display area;
a base portion coupled to the display portion;
a touch-sensitive surface of an input area included in the base portion,
the input area being a non-display area,
the base portion excluding a mechanical keyboard, and
the display portion being positioned relative to the base portion such that the input area and the display area do not overlay one another when a user is interacting with the input area;
a touch detection module configured to:
detect a first interaction of a user with the touch-sensitive surface of the input area, the detected first interaction identifying a first plurality of indicators of pressure associated with a first plurality of indicators of interactions of the user with a first plurality of locations of the touch-sensitive surface;
and
subsequent to detecting the first interaction, detect a second interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface of the input area, the detected second interaction identifying a second plurality of indicators of pressure associated with a second plurality of indicators of interactions of the user with a second plurality of locations of the touch-sensitive surface, the second interaction being different from the first interaction;
and
an input mode selection module configured to:
determine a first input mode of operation for the apparatus based on the detected first interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface of the input area;
subsequent to determining the first input mode of operation, determine a second input mode of operation for the apparatus based on the detected second interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface the input area, the second input mode of operation being different from the first input mode of operation;
determine a first dynamic scaling between the display area and the touch-sensitive surface of the input area based on the determined first input mode of operation;
and
determine a second dynamic scaling between the display area and the touch-sensitive surface of the input area based on the determined second input mode of operation.

14 more elements

A computing device comprising:

a display portion including a display area;
a base portion coupled to the display portion;
a touch-sensitive surface of an input area included in the base portion,
the touch-sensitive surface of the input area having a surface area greater than half of a surface area of the display area of the display portion,
the input area being a non-display area, and
the display portion being positioned relative to the base portion such that the input area and the display area do not overlay one another when a user is interacting with the input area;
a zone module configured to:
partition the input area into at least a first zone and a second zone, the first zone including a first subset of the surface area of the touch-sensitive surface, and the second zone including a second subset of the surface area of the touch-sensitive surface, the second zone being different from the first zone;
correlate a first section of the display area with the first zone based on a first application running on the computing device, the correlation providing a relative positioning between the first section of the display area and the first zone;
and
correlate an interaction of a user at a location of the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone with content rendered in the first section of the display area;
and
an input mode selection module configured to:
detect the interaction of the user at the location of the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone;
determine an input mode of operation for the computing device based on the detected interaction of the user with the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone;
determine a dynamic scaling between the display area and the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone based on the determined input mode of operation;
and
provide the detected interaction of the user at the location of the touch-sensitive surface included in the first zone as input to the first application.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/101,866Filed 10 Dec 2013 · us provisional application
Priority: 1 Nov 2013
Granted: 6 Sep 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06F 3/041
Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form: digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads,…
G06F 1/1616
With several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function: with folding flat displays,…
G06F 1/169
Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675: the I/O peripheral…
G06F 3/04883
Using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Family

Application61/898,620Us provisional application · filed 1 Nov 2013
US 9,436,304 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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