APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR TOUCH INPUT

1 . An apparatus comprising:

a storage device storing machine-readable code;

a processor executing the machine-readable code, the machine-readable code comprising:

a sensor module determining a site of an input object in relation to a touch-sensitive input surface when the input object is within a sensing range of the touch-sensitive input surface;

a display module displaying a cursor within a touch-optimized graphical user interface (GUI), the cursor being displayed on a display at a display location corresponding to the site of the input object, the touch-sensitive input surface being separate from the display.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the site determined by the sensor module comprises a lateral location and a perpendicular state of the input object in relation to the touch-sensitive input surface and wherein the display location corresponds to the lateral location, the perpendicular state comprising one of a plurality of possible states comprising a first state and a second state.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cursor is displayed at the display location in response to the input object being in the first state, the apparatus further comprising an event generator module generating a touch input event at the display location in response to the input device being in the second state.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the perpendicular state is based on one or more of an amount of force between the input object and the touch-sensitive input surface, and a distance between the input object and the touch-sensitive input surface.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first state corresponds to the sensor module determining that the input object is in a non-contact sensing range of the touch-sensitive input surface and the second state corresponds to the sensor module determining that the input object is in contact with the touch-sensitive input surface.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive input surface comprises a touchpad and the input object comprises a finger.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cursor comprises a substantially round shape approximating the size of a finger expected by the touch-optimized GUI.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cursor comprises a pin-point indicator.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the cursor is at least semi-transparent.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor module determines the site of a first input object comprising the input object and one or more additional input objects in relation to the touch-sensitive input surface and wherein the display module displays a first cursor comprising the cursor and one or more additional cursors corresponding to the one or more additional input objects.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cursor is displayed in a touch-optimized operating system, the touch-optimized operating system comprising the touch-optimized GUI.

12 . An apparatus comprising:

a storage device storing machine-readable code;

a processor executing the machine-readable code, the machine-readable code comprising:

a sensor module determining a lateral location and a perpendicular state of an input object in relation to a touch-sensitive input surface, the perpendicular state comprising one of a first state and a second state;

a display module displaying a cursor within a touch-optimized graphical user interface (GUI) in response to a determination that the input object is in the first state, the cursor displayed at a display location on a display separate from the touch-sensitive input surface, the display location on the display corresponding to the lateral location of the input object; and

an event generator module generating a touch input event at the display location in response to the input device being in the second state.

13 . A method comprising:

determining a site of an input object in relation to a touch-sensitive input surface when the input object is within a sensing range of the touch-sensitive input surface; and

displaying a cursor within a touch-optimized graphical user interface (GUI), the cursor displayed on a display at a display location corresponding to the site of the input object, the touch-sensitive input surface separate from the display.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the determined site comprises a lateral location and a perpendicular state of the input object in relation to the touch-sensitive input surface and wherein the display location corresponds to the lateral location, the perpendicular state comprising one of a plurality of possible states comprising a first state and a second state.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the cursor is displayed at the display location in response to the input object being in a first state, the method further comprising generating a touch input event at the display location in response to the input device being in the second state.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the perpendicular state is based on one or more of an amount of force between the input object and the touch-sensitive input surface, and a distance between the input object and the touch-sensitive input surface.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the touch-sensitive input surface comprises a touchpad and the display comprises a display in a clamshell type device.

18 . A computer program product comprising a storage device storing machine readable code executed by a processor to perform the operations of:

determining a site of an input object in relation to a touch-sensitive input surface when the input object is within a sensing range of the touch-sensitive input surface;

displaying a cursor within a touch-optimized graphical user interface (GUI), the cursor displayed on a display at a display location corresponding to the site of the input object, the touch-sensitive input surface separate from the display.

19 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the determined site comprises a lateral location and a perpendicular state of the input object in relation to the touch-sensitive input surface and wherein the display location corresponds to the lateral location, the perpendicular state comprising one of a plurality of possible states comprising a first state and a second state.

20 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the cursor is displayed at the display location in response to the input object being in a first state, the method further comprising generating a touch input event at the display location in response to the input device being in the second state.