Secondary gesture input mechanism for touchscreen devices
View Patent ↗A touchscreen device may have a secondary touch-enabled gesture input mechanism located near one or more edges of a touchscreen. The gesture input mechanism may sense several gestures, including swiping, sliding, zooming, tapping, and other gestures, and may cooperate or supplement similar gestures that a user may make with the touchscreen. The gesture input mechanism may be located parallel to one edge of a touchscreen, such that a user may operate the input device without blocking the touchscreen. The gesture input mechanism may be located on a parallel, perpendicular, angled, or other surface with respect to the touchscreen. Some devices may have gesture input mechanisms located around one or more sides of the touchscreen.
1. A system comprising: a hardware platform comprising a computer processor, said hardware platform being a wrist-mountable wearable device;
a touchscreen comprising a display having a display perimeter and a touch surface input mechanism having a touch surface perimeter, said touch surface perimeter defining a touch surface;
a gesture input mechanism separate from and located proximate to said touch surface perimeter;
said gesture input mechanism having a first sensor surface being mounted at a non-zero degree angle to said touch surface; said computer processor adapted to:
receive a first gesture from said gesture input mechanism, said first gesture being one of a group composed of:
a sliding gesture; and
a tapping gesture;
receive a first input comprising a first portion of a gesture from said touch surface input mechanism and a second input comprising a second portion of said gesture input mechanism; and
determine a single gesture input from said first portion of said gesture and said second portion of said gesture.
2. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being located at least 0.5 mm from said touch surface perimeter.
3. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being located adjacent to said touch surface perimeter.
4. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being a two dimensional touch sensor.
5. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being a one dimensional touch sensor.
6. The system of claim 1 , said touch surface perimeter being a rectangular perimeter.
7. The system of claim 1 , said touch surface perimeter being an elliptical perimeter.
8. The system of claim 1 , said touch surface perimeter being a circular perimeter.
9. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being mounted on an escutcheon.
10. The system of claim 1 , said touch surface perimeter defining a touch surface plane, said gesture input mechanism having a gesture surface perimeter defining a gesture surface plane.
11. The system of claim 10 , said touch surface plane being parallel to and having a non-zero length offset from said gesture surface plane.
12. The system of claim 10 , said touch surface plane having a common edge with said gesture surface plane.
13. The system of claim 12 , said touch surface perimeter having at least a 0.5 mm gap between said gesture surface perimeter.
14. The system of claim 1 , said gesture input mechanism being mounted on a corner of an escutcheon.
15. The system of claim 14 , said gesture input mechanism being a single dimensional input device.
16. The system of claim 14 , said gesture input mechanism having a first surface and a second surface, said first surface being disposed at an angle to said second surface.
17. The system of claim 16 , said angle being an acute angle less than 90 degrees.
18. The system of claim 1 , said non-zero degree angle being 90 degrees.
19. The system of claim 1 , said non-zero degree angle being less than 90 degrees and greater than 0 degrees.
20. The system of claim 1 , said non-zero degree angle being greater than 90 degrees.
21. The system of claim 1 further comprising a wristband.