IP Library Granted Patent US 10,139,930
Granted Patent B2
US 10,139,930 · App. 15/347,251 · Granted Nov 27, 2018

Information handling system capacitive touch totem management

Inventors: Jace W. Files (Round Rock, TX); Larry A. Stone (Austin, TX); Mark S. Sears (Georgetown, TX); Yagiz C. Yildiz (Austin, TX); Sujata Das (Saratoga, CA)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F3/0362G06F3/044G06F3/0416G06F3/0488G06F2203/04808
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,139,930
App. No.
15/347,251
Granted
Nov 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information handling system touchscreen display interacts with totem devices by recognizing and tracking spectral signatures of the totem devices so that totem positions are reported as a single length, width and rotational orientation message to a host operating system. Ignore zones and hysteresis time periods are defined from the position message based upon totem context so that the host operating system processes touchscreen inputs with minimal latency and improved accuracy. Communication and battery charging are provided to the totem by the touchscreen display will illumination directed to the totem position.

Claims (58)

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display interfaced with the processor and memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display having touchscreen operable to detect touch inputs made at the display;

a touch controller interfaced with the touchscreen and the processor, the touch controller operable to analyze touches detected at the touchscreen and to provide inputs determined from the analyzing to the processor;

a totem resting on the touchscreen, the totem having plural feet extending from a bottom surface, the plural feet defining parallel pairs of touchpoints in a predetermined geometric pattern; and

a totem analyzer associated with the touch controller, the totem analyzer recognizing the geometric pattern to communicate totem position to the processor as length, width and rotation values;

wherein the totem analyzer comprises a spectral analysis engine tuned to detect the predetermined geometric patterns.

2. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display interfaced with the processor and memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display having touchscreen operable to detect touch inputs made at the display;

a touch controller interfaced with the touchscreen and the processor, the touch controller operable to analyze touches detected at the touchscreen and to provide inputs determined from the analyzing to the processor;

a totem resting on the touchscreen, the totem having plural feet extending from a bottom surface, the plural feet defining parallel pairs of touchpoints in a predetermined geometric pattern;

a totem analyzer associated with the touch controller, the totem analyzer recognizing the geometric pattern to communicate totem position to the processor as length, width and rotation values; and

an ignore zone disposed proximate the totem, the totem analyzer ignoring touches in the ignore zone.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the ignore zone comprises an area on the display extending from an outer periphery of the totem for a predetermined distance.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the predetermined distance is defined based at least in part upon a rotational orientation of the totem.

5. The information handling system of claim 2 further comprising an inner ignore zone of an area on the display under the totem.

6. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display interfaced with the processor and memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display having touchscreen operable to detect touch inputs made at the display;

a touch controller interfaced with the touchscreen and the processor, the touch controller operable to analyze touches detected at the touchscreen and to provide inputs determined from the analyzing to the processor;

a totem resting on the touchscreen, the totem having plural feet extending from a bottom surface, the plural feet defining parallel pairs of touchpoints in a predetermined geometric pattern; and

a totem analyzer associated with the touch controller, the totem analyzer recognizing the geometric pattern to communicate totem position to the processor as length, width and rotation values; and

a totem touch characteristic table having plural totem identifiers, each totem identifier having an ignore zone definition and a hysteresis definition, the totem analyzer determining a totem identifier and applying the ignore zone definition and hysteresis definition from the totem touch characteristic table.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 6 wherein the totem characteristic table hysteresis definition further comprises a buffer timeout that expires before changed totem position information is analyzed.

8. A method for interfacing an information handling system with a totem device, the method comprising:

detecting plural feet of the totem on a touchscreen display surface;

identifying the totem from a geometric pattern defined by parallel pairs of the plural feet;

in response to identifying, communicating a totem position to a processor of the information handling system having length, width and rotational orientation coordinates;

identifying the geometric pattern from a spectral analysis of touch patterns at the touchscreen display analyzed with a digital signal processor integrated in the touchscreen display; and

communicating the length, width and rotational orientation coordinates to an operating system executing on the processor.

9. A method for interfacing an information handling system with a totem device, the method comprising:

detecting plural feet of the totem on a touchscreen display surface;

identifying the totem from a geometric pattern defined by parallel pairs of the plural feet;

in response to identifying, communicating a totem position to a processor of the information handling system having length, width and rotational orientation coordinates;

retrieving from storage of the information handling system ignore zones associated with the totem; and

applying the ignore zones to ignore touches proximate the totem in predetermined areas of the touchscreen.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the retrieving further comprises referencing an identifier of the totem to retrieve ignore zones from a totem touch characteristic table.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the totem touch characteristic further comprises a hysteresis definition associated with the totem identifier and specifying a buffer timeout that expires before totem position information is analyzed.

12. A method for interfacing an information handling system with a totem device, the method comprising:

detecting plural feet of the totem on a touchscreen display surface;

identifying the totem from a geometric pattern defined by parallel pairs of the plural feet;

in response to identifying, communicating a totem position to a processor of the information handling system having length, width and rotational orientation coordinates;

applying the rotational orientation of the totem with an operating system of the processor to determine ignore zones associated with the totem; and

ignoring touch inputs received at the operating system based at least in part on the ignore zones.

13. An information handling system input device comprising:

a touchscreen display having a touch controller that detects touch positions at the touchscreen display;

a totem having plural feet resting on the touchscreen display, the touch controller detecting the plural feet;

a totem analyzer interfaced with the touch controller, the totem analyzer applying the totem plural feet positions to determine the totem length, width and rotation positions on the touchscreen; and

an ignore zone associated with the totem, touches within the ignore zone being ignored as unintended inputs.

14. The information handling system input device of claim 13 wherein the ignore zone extends out from a periphery of the totem by a predetermined distance based upon one or more predetermined factors.

15. The information handling system input device of claim 14 wherein the predetermined distance is based upon at least the rotational position of the totem.

16. The information handling system of claim 14 wherein the predetermined distance is based at least upon an identity of an end user interacting with the totem.

17. The information handling system of claim 14 wherein the predetermined distance depends at least in part upon the availability of camera images captured of the totem.

18. The information handling system of claim 14 further comprising a hysteresis associated with the ignore zone and varying based upon the distance within the ignore zone of a touch relative to the totem.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (041829/0873) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.)
Reel/Frame 059803/0724 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 041808 FRAME 0516 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058297/0573 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 048825 FRAME 0489 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058000/0916 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 8, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 048825/0489 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY INTEREST (NOTES) Recorded Feb 28, 2017
From: DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 041829/0873 →
PATENT SECURITY INTEREST (CREDIT) Recorded Feb 24, 2017
From: DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 041808/0516 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2016
From: FILES, JACE W.; STONE, LARRY A.; SEARS, MARK S.; YILDIZ, YAGIZ C.; DAS, SUJATA
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 040270/0605 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180129347A1 · May 10, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,613,546