IP Library Granted Patent US 9,389,725
Granted Patent B2
US 9,389,725 · App. 13/585,558 · Granted Jul 12, 2016

Detecting a touch event using a first touch interface and a second touch interface

Inventors: John Miles Hunt (Raleigh, NC); John Weldon Nicholson (Cary, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) PTE. LTD.
G06F3/0416G06F3/043G06F3/044G06F3/0421
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,389,725
App. No.
13/585,558
Granted
Jul 12, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for detecting a touch event using a first touch interface and a second touch interface includes one or more touch-sensitive sensors, a first touch interface, and a second touch interface. The first touch interface includes an optical touch interface. The second touch interface is of a different type than the first touch interface. The apparatus also includes a storage device storing machine-readable code and a processor executing the machine-readable code. The machine-readable code includes a first interface module determining a touch position on the one or more touch-sensitive sensors using the first touch interface. The machine-readable code further includes a second interface module detecting a touch contact on the one or more touch-sensitive sensors using the second touch interface.

Claims (36)

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more touch-sensitive sensors;

a first touch interface for the one or more touch-sensitive sensors, the first touch interface comprising an optical touch interface;

a second touch interface for the one or more touch-sensitive sensors, the second touch interface being of a different type than the first touch interface;

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor to:

determine a touch position from the one or more touch-sensitive sensors of the first touch interface;

disregard touch contact information from the first touch interface in response to receiving touch contact information from the first touch interface;

translate the touch position determined by the first interface module into a user interface response comprising a cursor movement prior to a second interface module detecting a touch contact;

detect the touch contact from the one or more touch-sensitive sensors of the second touch interface concurrent with the first interface module determining the touch position;

disregard touch position information from the second touch interface in response to receiving the touch position information from the second touch interface; and

combine the touch position determined by the first touch interface with the touch contact detected by the second touch interface into a touch event.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch position comprises a position of a touching object proximate to a surface associated with the one or more touch-sensitive sensors and wherein the touch contact comprises a contact of the touching object on the surface associated with the one or more touch-sensitive sensors.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second touch interface comprises a limited touch interface having one or more of limited touch contact sensing and touch position sensing capabilities.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second touch interface determines touch position information associated with the touch position on the one or more touch-sensitive sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first touch interface determines touch contact information associated with the touch contact on the one or more touch-sensitive sensors.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second touch interface comprises one of a capacitive touch interface or a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more touch-sensitive sensors comprise a display.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the display has a diagonal display size greater than 20 inches.

9. A method comprising:

determining, by use of a processor, a touch position from one or more touch-sensitive sensors of a first touch interface, the first touch interface comprising an optical touch interface;

disregarding touch contact information from the first touch interface in response to receiving touch contact information from the first touch interface;

translating the touch position determined by the first interface module into a user interface response comprising a cursor movement prior to a second interface module detecting a touch contact;

detecting the touch contact from the one or more touch-sensitive sensors of the second touch interface concurrent with the first interface module determining the touch position, the second touch interface being of a different type than the first touch interface;

disregarding touch position information from the second touch interface in response to receiving the touch position information from the second touch interface; and

combining the touch position determined by the first touch interface with the touch contact detected by the second touch interface into a touch event.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second touch interface comprises one of a capacitive touch interface or a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch interface.

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

determining a touch position from one or more touch-sensitive sensors of a first touch interface, the first touch interface comprising an optical touch interface; and

disregarding touch contact information from the first touch interface in response to receiving touch contact information from the first touch interface;

translating the touch position determined by the first interface module into a user interface response comprising a cursor movement prior to a second interface module detecting a touch contact;

detecting the touch contact from the one or more touch-sensitive sensors of the second touch interface concurrent with the first interface module determining the touch position, the second touch interface being of a different type than the first touch interface;

disregarding touch position information from the second touch interface in response to receiving the touch position information from the second touch interface; and

combining the touch position determined by the first touch interface with the touch contact detected by the second touch interface into a touch event.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the second touch interface comprises one of a capacitive touch interface or a surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch interface.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the second touch interface comprises a limited touch interface having one or more of limited touch contact sensing and touch position sensing capabilities.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 069870/0670 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 8, 2019
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 049689/0419 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2012
From: HUNT, JOHN MILES; NICHOLSON, JOHN WELDON
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 029327/0239 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140049518A1 · Feb 20, 2014