Patent Application
20150020019
This application claims priority to Taiwanese Patent Application No. 102125150 filed on Jul. 15, 2013 in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosure generally relates to electronic devices, and more particularly relates to electronic devices having a touchpad and human-computer interaction methods.
A portable computing device, such as a notebook computer, often uses a touchpad as a “cursor navigator,” as well as a component for selecting functions, such as “select” and “confirm.” However, the conventional touchpad is small and incapable of recognizing more complex touch operations.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the views.
The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references can mean “at least one.”
In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language such as Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as in an erasable-programmable read-only memory (EPROM). The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some non-limiting examples of non-transitory computer-readable media are compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-Ray discs, Flash memory, and hard disk drives.
The electronic device 10 includes a display member 20 pivotally connected to a base member 30, to enable variable positioning of the display member 10 relative to the base member 30. The display member 20 includes a display 22. A keyboard 34 and a touchpad 36 are located on a working surface 32 of the base member 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the touchpad 36 is located adjacent to the keyboard 34.
In at least one embodiment, a length of the touchpad 36 is greater than 18 centimeters (cm), so that the touchpad 36 is suitable for two-hand operation by a user of the electronic device 10. In another embodiment, the length of the touchpad 36 is substantially the same as a length of the keyboard 34. In other embodiments, the length of the touchpad 36 is substantially the same as a length of the base member 30.
The processor 101 can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination designed to perform the functions described herein.
The memory 102 can be realized as RAM memory, flash memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. The memory 102 is coupled to the processor 101, such that the processor 101 can read information from, and write information to, the memory 102. The memory 102 can be used to store computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when read and executed by the processor 101, cause the electronic device 10 to perform certain tasks, operations, functions, and processes described in more detail herein.
The display 22 can be suitably configured to enable the electronic device 10 to render and display various screens, GUIs, GUI control elements, menus, texts, or images, for example. The display 22 can also be utilized for the display of other information during operation of the electronic device 10, as is well understood.
The touchpad 36 can detect and recognize touch gestures input by a user of the electronic device 10. In at least one embodiment, the touchpad 36 includes a touch-sensitive surface made of carbon nanotubes.
When the touchpad 36 detects a first touch gesture, the processor 101 can determine to enter a handwriting mode according to the first touch gesture. In one embodiment, the first touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture starting from a left edge of the touchpad 36 and moving towards a right edge of the touchpad 36.
When the touchpad 36 detects a third touch gesture, the processor 101 can determine to exit the handwriting mode according to the third touch gesture. In one embodiment, the third touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture starting from the left edge of the touchpad 36 and moving towards the right edge of the touchpad 36. The processor 101 can withdraw the handwriting frame from the display 22 upon exit from the handwriting mode.
When the touchpad 36 detects a fourth touch gesture, the processor 101 can erase one or more portions of the handwriting track in the handwriting frame on the display 22 according to the fourth touch gesture. In at least one embodiment, the fourth touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture which does not start from any edge of the touchpad 36.
When the touchpad 36 detects a click touch made with respect to an upper-right corner of the touchpad 36, the processor 101 can record the handwriting track displayed in the handwriting frame into a file. When the touchpad 36 detects a click touch made with respect to a lower-right corner of the touchpad 36, the processor 101 can clear the handwriting frame on the display 22 by deleting all of the handwriting tracks displayed in the handwriting frame.
As illustrated in
In block 501, a touchpad determines whether a first touch gesture is detected. If the touchpad detects the first touch gesture, the process proceeds to block 502. Otherwise, the process ends. In one embodiment, the first touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture starting from a left edge of the touchpad and moving towards a right edge of the touchpad.
In block 502, a processor determines to enter a handwriting mode according to the first touch gesture. The processor defines and marks a handwriting frame corresponding to the touchpad on a display upon entrance into the handwriting mode.
In block 503, the touchpad determines whether a second touch gesture is detected. If the touchpad detects the second touch gesture, the process proceeds to block 504. Otherwise, the process proceeds to block 505. In one embodiment, the second touch gesture is a single-finger touch gesture made with respect to the touchpad.
In block 504, the processor displays a handwriting track corresponding to the second touch gesture in the handwriting frame on the display.
In block 505, the touchpad determines whether a third touch gesture is detected. If the touchpad detects the third touch gesture, the process proceeds to block 506. Otherwise, the process proceeds to block 507. In one embodiment, the third touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture starting from the left edge of the touchpad and moving towards the right edge of the touchpad.
In block 506, the processor determines to exit the handwriting mode according to the third touch gesture. The processor withdraws the handwriting frame from the display upon exit from the handwriting mode.
In block 507, the touchpad determines whether a fourth touch gesture is detected. If the touchpad detects the fourth touch gesture, the process proceeds to block 508. Otherwise, the process proceeds to block 503. In one embodiment, the fourth touch gesture is a two-finger touch gesture which does not start from any edge of the touchpad.
In block 508, the processor erases one or more portions of the handwriting track in the handwriting frame on the display according to the fourth touch gesture.
In some embodiments, when the touchpad detects a click touch made with respect to an upper-right corner of the touchpad, the processor records the handwriting track into a file. When the touchpad detects a click touch made with respect to a lower-right corner of the touchpad, the processor clears the handwriting frame on the display by removing all of the handwriting tracks displayed in the handwriting frame.
Depending on the embodiment, certain steps or methods described may be removed, others may be added, and the sequence of steps may be altered. The description and the claims drawn for or in relation to a method may give some indication in reference to certain steps. However, any indication given is only to be viewed for identification purposes, and is not necessarily a suggestion as to an order for the steps.
Although numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of embodiments, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, including the matters of arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102125150 | Jul 2013 | TW | national |
