Prioritizing user input devices
View Patent ↗An apparatus, method and program storage device are provided for preventing inadvertent inputs from a user while utilizing an electronic device having multiple user input devices. The instant invention broadly contemplates prioritizing an input device to the exclusion of other input devices available to the user based upon an intelligently designed prioritization scheme. The prioritization scheme disables the other input devices for a period of time to permit the user to provide inputs from a prioritized user input device.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a pen-enabled input device;
at least one other non-pen enabled input device located adjacent to the pen-enabled input device;
a processor; and
a storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor, the instructions comprising:
instructions that, in response to detecting inputs from the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device, implement a prioritization scheme to disable an operation of the at least one other non-pen enabled input device;
wherein the prioritization scheme automatically disables the at least one other non-pen enabled input device beginning in response to simultaneous utilization of the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device and continues for a period of time after the simultaneous utilization; and
instructions that adjust the prioritization scheme based on a user history.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device are human input devices are located horizontally adjacent to one another in a surface of the apparatus.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the pen-enabled input device is located on a right side of the at least one other non-pen enabled input device in the surface of the apparatus.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one other non-pen enabled input device comprises a mechanical input device.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the prioritization scheme automatically disables the mechanical input device, and wherein the mechanical input device comprises a touch pad button.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
instructions that prompt a user for input prior to implementing the prioritization scheme.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
instructions that ascertain if a user defined prioritization scheme has been stored in a memory; and wherein, if a user defined prioritization scheme has been stored in a memory, the user defined prioritization scheme is implemented.
8. A computer implemented method comprising:
detecting inputs from a pen-enabled input device and at least one other non-pen enabled input device located adjacent to the pen-enabled input device;
in response to the detecting the inputs, implementing a prioritization scheme to disable an operation of the at least one other non-pen enabled input device;
wherein the prioritization scheme automatically disables the at least one other non-pen enabled input device beginning in response to simultaneous utilization of the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device and continues for a period of time after the simultaneous utilization; and
adjusting the prioritization scheme based on a user history.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device are human input devices are located horizontally adjacent to one another in a surface of the apparatus.
10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the pen-enabled input device is an absolute input device and wherein the at least one other non-pen enabled input device is a relative input device.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one other non-pen enabled input device comprises a mechanical input device.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the prioritization scheme automatically disables the mechanical input device, and wherein the mechanical input device comprises a touch pad button.
13. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: prompting a user for input prior to implementing the prioritization scheme.
14. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
ascertaining if a user defined prioritization scheme has been stored in a memory;
wherein, if a user defined prioritization scheme has been stored in a memory, the user defined prioritization scheme is implemented.
15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the period of time does not exceed five seconds.
16. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a processor of the machine, the program of instructions comprising:
instructions that, in response to detecting inputs from a pen-enabled input device and at least one other non-pen enabled input device located adjacent to the pen-enabled input device, implement a prioritization scheme to disable an operation of the at least one other non-pen enabled input device;
wherein the prioritization scheme automatically disables the at least one other non-pen enabled input device beginning in response to simultaneous utilization of the pen-enabled input device and the at least one other non-pen enabled input device and continues for a period of time after the simultaneous utilization; and
instructions that adjust the prioritization scheme based on a user history.
17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user history includes a history of editing errant inputs;
wherein the history of editing errant inputs adjusts the prioritization scheme.
18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the prioritization scheme is further adjusted based on at least one application active during user input.