U.S. patent application number 12/645037 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-23 for system and method for multi-mode command input.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNIVERSAL ELECTRONICS INC.. Invention is credited to Arsham Hatambeiki, Pamela Eichler Keiles, Jeffrey Kohanek.
Application Number | 20110148762 12/645037 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44150311 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110148762 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hatambeiki; Arsham ; et
al. |
June 23, 2011 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTI-MODE COMMAND INPUT
Abstract
A controlling device has a moveable touch sensitive panel
positioned above a plurality of switches. When the controlling
device senses an activation of at least one of the plurality of
switches when caused by a movement of the touch sensitive panel
resulting from an input at an input location upon the touch
sensitive surface, the controlling device responds by transmitting
a signal to an appliance wherein the signal is reflective of the
input location upon the touch sensitive surface.
Inventors: |
Hatambeiki; Arsham; (Irvine,
CA) ; Kohanek; Jeffrey; (Westminster, CA) ;
Keiles; Pamela Eichler; (Long Beach, CA) |
Assignee: |
UNIVERSAL ELECTRONICS INC.
Cypress
CA
|
Family ID: |
44150311 |
Appl. No.: |
12/645037 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/158 ;
178/18.03; 178/18.06 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2203/04106
20130101; G06F 3/0447 20190501; G06F 3/041 20130101; G06F 3/0219
20130101; H01H 25/041 20130101; G06F 3/03547 20130101; G06F 3/0414
20130101; H01H 9/0235 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/158 ;
178/18.03; 178/18.06 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/033 20060101
G06F003/033; G06F 3/041 20060101 G06F003/041 |
Claims
1. A controlling device, comprising: a casing having an opening;
and an input device disposed in the opening comprised of a moveable
touch sensitive panel positioned above a plurality of switches;
wherein the controlling device responds to an activation of at
least one of the plurality of switches caused by a movement of the
touch sensitive panel resulting from an input at an input location
upon the touch sensitive surface by transmitting a signal to an
appliance that is reflective of the input location upon the touch
sensitive surface.
2. The controlling device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal
comprises a command to control a functional operation of the
appliance.
3. The controlling device as recited in claim 2, wherein a
plurality of surface touch zones are defined for the touch
sensitive panel and the command corresponds to a one of the
plurality of surface touch zones having the input location upon the
touch sensitive panel.
4. The controlling device as recited in claim 3, wherein the
plurality of surface touch zones for the touch sensitive panel are
defined as a function of an active one of a plurality of
operational modes for the controlling device.
5. The controlling device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal
comprises data representative of coordinates for the input location
upon the touch sensitive surface.
6. The controlling device as recited in claim 1, wherein the touch
sensitive panel comprises a keycap disposed over a
multiple-electrode capacitive touch sensor.
7. The controlling device as recited in claim 6, wherein the
plurality of switches comprise silicon rubber keypad buttons
supported upon a printed circuit board.
8. The controlling device as recited in claim 1, wherein the keycap
displays a plurality of user interface elements.
9. The controlling device as recited in claim 8, wherein a
plurality of surface touch zones are defined for the touch
sensitive panel each corresponding to a respective one of the
plurality of user interface elements.
10. The controlling device as recited in claim 9, wherein the
plurality of user interface elements displayed by the keycap is
defined as a function of an active one of a plurality of
operational modes for the controlling device.
11. A controlling device, comprising: a casing having an opening;
and an input device disposed in the opening comprised of a moveable
touch sensitive panel having a plurality of defined surface touch
zones positioned above a plurality of switches; wherein the
controlling device responds to an activation of at least one of the
plurality of switches caused by a movement of the touch sensitive
panel resulting from an input at an input location upon the touch
sensitive surface by transmitting a signal to an appliance that is
reflective of a one of the plurality of defined surface touch zones
determined to include the input location upon the touch sensitive
surface.
12. The controlling device as recited in claim 11, wherein the
signal comprises a command to control a functional operation of the
appliance.
13. The controlling device as recited in claim 11, wherein the
plurality of surface touch zones for the touch sensitive panel are
defined as a function of an active one of a plurality of
operational modes for the controlling device.
14. The controlling device as recited in claim 11, wherein the
touch sensitive panel comprises a keycap disposed over a
multiple-electrode capacitive touch sensor.
15. The controlling device as recited in claim 14, wherein the
keycap displays a plurality of user interface elements.
16. The controlling device as recited in claim 15, wherein the
plurality of surface touch zones defined for the touch sensitive
panel each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of
user interface elements.
17. The controlling device as recited in claim 16, wherein the
plurality of user interface elements displayed by the keycap is
defined as a function of an active one of a plurality of
operational modes for the controlling device.
18. A method for using a controlling device, comprising a casing
having an opening and an input device disposed in the opening
comprised of a moveable touch sensitive panel positioned above a
plurality of switches, to transmit a signal to an appliance, the
method comprising: sensing by the controlling device an activation
of at least one of the plurality of switches caused by a movement
of the touch sensitive panel resulting from an input at an input
location upon the touch sensitive surface; and in response to the
sensed activation of at least one of the plurality of switches,
causing the controlling device to transmit the signal to the
appliance wherein the signal is reflective of the input location
upon the touch sensitive surface.
19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the signal comprises
a command to control a functional operation of the appliance.
20. The method as recited in claim 19, comprising defining a
plurality of surface touch zones for the touch sensitive panel
whereby the command corresponds to a one of the plurality of
surface touch zones having the input location upon the touch
sensitive panel.
21. The method as recited in claim 20, comprising defining the
plurality of surface touch zones for the touch sensitive panel as a
function of an active one of a plurality of operational modes for
the controlling device.
22. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the signal comprises
data representative of coordinates for the input location upon the
touch sensitive surface.
23. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the touch sensitive
panel comprises a keycap disposed over a multiple-electrode
capacitive touch sensor and comprising using the keycap to display
a plurality of user interface elements.
24. The method as recited in claim 23, comprising defining a
plurality of surface touch zones for the touch sensitive panel each
corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of user
interface elements.
25. The method as recited in claim 24, comprising using an active
one of a plurality of operational modes for the controlling device
to determine the plurality of user interface elements to be
displayed.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Controlling devices for use in issuing commands to
entertainment and other appliances, for example remote controls,
and the features and functionality provided by such controlling
devices are well known in the art. Traditionally, user input means
on such controlling devices has comprised a series of buttons each
of which may result in the transmission of a specific command when
activated. Increasingly in today's environment, such controlling
devices must be used to interact with displayed menu systems,
browse web pages, manipulate pointers, and perform other similar
activities which may require directional control input, e.g., to
scroll displayed information on a screen, to move a pointer, to
control a game activity or avatar, to zoom in or out, to control
functions such as fast forward or slow motion, or the like (such
activities collectively referred to hereinafter as "navigation").
Although certain navigation functions may be performed using
conventional controlling device input mechanisms, such as a group
of up, down, left, and right arrow keys, in many instances the user
experience may be improved by the provision of an input mechanism
which is better suited to this type of activity. Additionally,
multi-functional use of this input mechanism may further improve
user experience by reducing the number of keys or buttons on a
controlling device.
SUMMARY
[0002] The following generally describes a system and method for
providing improved user input functionality on a controlling
device. To this end, in addition to a conventional key matrix for
receiving button inputs as is well known in the art, a controlling
device may be provided with input means such as for example a
resistive or capacitive touch sensor, etc., whereby motion and/or
pressure by a user's finger may be translated into navigation
commands to be transmitted to a target controlled device. These
commands may be applied at the target device to control operations
such as scrolling a menu, movement of a cursor on the screen,
motion of a game object, etc., as appropriate for a particular
application. Furthermore, in addition to, or when not required for,
the performance of navigation functions, the touch sensitive input
means may be adapted to provide for conventional keypress input
operations, such as for example without limitation a numeric keypad
in an illustrative embodiment.
[0003] A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features,
properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from
the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which
set forth illustrative embodiments and which are indicative of the
various ways in which the principles of the invention may be
employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] For a better understanding of the various aspects of the
invention, reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in
the attached drawings in which:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system in which an exemplary
controlling device according to the instant invention may be
used;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of exemplary components
of the exemplary controlling device of FIG. 1;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates the structure and operation of an
exemplary touch sensitive input area of the exemplary controlling
device of FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates multiple modes of operation of the
exemplary controlling device of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary interpretations of user input
interactions with a touch sensitive area of the exemplary
controlling device of FIG. 4;
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates in flow chart form an exemplary method
for performing the interpretations illustrated in FIG. 5; and
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a controlling
device and system in which the teachings of the instant invention
may be used.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Turning now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exemplary
system in which a controlling device 100 is configured to control
various controllable appliances, such as for example a television
102 and a set top box ("STB") 104. As is known in the art, the
controlling device 100 may be capable of transmitting commands to
the appliances, using any convenient IR, RF, Point-to-Point, or
networked protocol, to cause the appliances to perform operational
functions. While illustrated in the context of a television 102 and
STB 104, it is to be understood that controllable appliances may
include, but need not be limited to, televisions, VCRs, DVRs, DVD
players, cable or satellite converter set-top boxes ("STBs"),
amplifiers, CD players, game consoles, home lighting, drapery,
fans, HVAC systems, thermostats, personal computers, etc. In a
particular illustrative embodiment, in addition to conventional
control functionality as is well know in the art, controlling
device 100 may further include an input area 106 for generation of
navigation commands for transmission from the controlling device
100 to one or more appliances in response to user interaction with
that area, used for example to scroll a program guide menu display
108 on TV 102 by issuing a series of commands to set top box 104.
Additionally, in the exemplary embodiment, input area 106 may be
further adapted to offer keypad-like functionality during certain
modes of operation, all as will be described in further detail
hereafter.
[0013] With reference to FIG. 2, for use in commanding the
functional operations of one or more appliances, the controlling
device 100 may include, as needed for a particular application, a
processor 200 coupled to a ROM memory 204; a RAM memory 202; a key
matrix 216 (e.g., hard keys, soft keys such as a touch sensitive
surface overlaid on a liquid crystal (LCD), and/or an
electroluminescent (EL) display); a scrolling and/or navigation
function input means 218 such as a capacitive or resistive touch
sensor; transmission circuit(s) and/or transceiver circuit(s) 210
(e.g., IR and/or RF); a non-volatile read/write memory 206; a means
220 to provide visual feedback to the user (e.g., one or more LEDs,
display, and/or the like); a means 222 to provide audible feedback
to a user (e.g., a speaker, piezoelectric buzzer, etc.); a power
source 208; an input/output port 224 such as a serial interface,
USB port, modem, Zigbee, WiFi, or Bluetooth transceiver, etc.; one
or more means 226 for backlighting areas of touchpad 218 and/or key
matrix 216; and clock and timer logic 212 with associated crystal
or resonator 214.
[0014] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, some or
all of the memories 202, 204, 206 may include executable
instructions (collectively, the program memory) that are intended
to be executed by the processor 200 to control the operation of the
remote control 100, as well as data which serves to define to the
operational software the necessary control protocols and command
values for use in transmitting command signals to controllable
appliances (collectively, the command data). In this manner, the
processor 200 may be programmed to control the various electronic
components within the remote control 100, e.g., to monitor the key
matrix 216, to cause the transmission of signals, etc. The
non-volatile read/write memory 206, for example an EEPROM,
battery-backed up RAM, FLASH, Smart Card, memory stick, or the
like, may additionally be provided to store setup data and
parameters as necessary. While the memory 204 is illustrated and
described as a ROM memory, memory 204 can also be comprised of any
type of readable media, such as ROM, FLASH, EEPROM, or the like.
Preferably, the memories 204 and 206 are non-volatile or
battery-backed such that data is not required to be reloaded after
battery changes. In addition, the memories 202, 204 and 206 may
take the form of a chip, a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical
disk, and/or the like. Still further, it will be appreciated that
some or all of the illustrated memory devices may be physically
combined (for example, a single FLASH memory may be logically
partitioned into different portions to support the functionality of
memories 204 and 206 respectively), and/or may be physically
incorporated within the same IC chip as the microprocessor 200 (a
so called "microcontroller") and, as such, they are shown
separately in FIG. 2 only for the sake of clarity.
[0015] To cause the controlling device 100 to perform an action,
the controlling device 100 may be adapted to be responsive to
events, such as a sensed user interaction with the key matrix 216,
touchpad 218, etc. In response to an event, appropriate
instructions within the program memory (hereafter the "operating
program") may be executed. For example, when a function key is
actuated on the controlling device 100, the controlling device 100
may retrieve from the command data stored in memory 202, 204, 206 a
command value and control protocol corresponding to the actuated
function key and, where necessary, current device mode, and will
use the retrieved command data to transmit to an intended target
appliance, e.g., STB 104, a command in a format recognizable by
that appliance to thereby control one or more functional operations
of that appliance. It will be appreciated that the operating
program can be used not only to cause the transmission of commands
and/or data to the appliances, but also to perform local
operations. While not limiting, local operations that may be
performed by the controlling device 100 may include displaying
information/data, favorite channel setup, macro key setup, function
key relocation, etc. Examples of local operations can be found in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, and 6,014,092.
[0016] In some embodiments, controlling device 100 may be the
universal type, that is provisioned with a library comprising a
multiplicity of command codes and protocols suitable for
controlling various appliances. In such cases, for selecting sets
of command data to be associated with the specific appliances to be
controlled (hereafter referred to as a setup procedure), data may
be entered into the controlling device 100 that serves to identify
each intended target appliance by its make, and/or model, and/or
type. The data may typically be entered via activation of those
keys that are also used to cause the transmission of commands to an
appliance, preferably the keys that are labeled with numerals. Such
data allows the controlling device 100 to identify the appropriate
command data set within the library of command data that is to be
used to transmit recognizable commands in formats appropriate for
such identified appliances. The library of command data may
represent a plurality of controllable appliances of different types
and manufacture, a plurality of controllable appliances of the same
type but different manufacture, a plurality of appliances of the
same manufacture but different type or model, etc., or any
combination thereof as appropriate for a given embodiment. In
conventional practice as is well known in the art, such data used
to identify an appropriate command data set may take the form of a
numeric setup code (obtained, for example, from a printed list of
manufacturer names and/or models with corresponding code numbers,
from a support Web site, etc.). Alternative setup procedures known
in the art include scanning bar codes, sequentially transmitting a
predetermined command in different formats until a target appliance
response is detected, interaction with a Web site culminating in
downloading of command data and/or setup codes to the controlling
device, etc. Since such methods for setting up a controlling device
to command the operation of specific home appliances are
well-known, these will not be described in greater detail herein.
Nevertheless, for additional information pertaining to setup
procedures, the reader may turn, for example, to U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,959,810, 5,614,906, or 6,225,938 all of like assignee and
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
[0017] In keeping with the teachings of this invention, controlling
device 100 may include input means for accepting user touch input
to be translated into navigation commands. In an exemplary
embodiment, input means 218 may take the form of a
multiple-electrode capacitive touch sensor. In this form, input
means 218 may accept finger sliding gestures on either axis for
translation into navigation step commands in an X or Y direction,
as well as finger pressure at, for example, the cardinal points and
center area for translation into discrete commands, for example
equivalent to a conventional keypad's four arrow keys and a select
key, all as will be described in further detail hereafter.
[0018] Turning to FIG. 3, the construction of an exemplary
navigation input means 218, which may comprise area 106 of
exemplary controlling device 100, will now be discussed in detail.
Such an input means may comprise the before-mentioned
multiple-electrode capacitive touch sensor 302 and an associated
acrylic keycap 304, positioned upon a group of conventional silicon
rubber keypad buttons 310, 311, 312, 313 (hereafter a "floating
touch sensor"). Silicon rubber keypad 306 and buttons 310 through
313, which may comprise a portion of key matrix 216 as well known
in the art, may be supported by printed circuit board 308 and may
serve to hold touch input assembly 302,304 elevated and flush with
an associated opening formed in the upper casing 316 of controlling
device 100. In an exemplary embodiment the surface of acrylic
keycap 304 covering touch sensor 302 may include indicia which
provide cues to the functionality of input means 106, which indicia
may be embossed or engraved 320 or printed 318 upon the keycap
surface. In certain embodiments additional indicia may also be
present on acrylic keycap 304, which additional indicia may be
illuminated or otherwise brought into prominence during certain
modes of operation, as will be described in further detail
hereafter.
[0019] In a first input mode, a user may slide a finger across the
surface of the touch surface, e.g., keycap 304, to cause navigation
command output, for example as described in copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/552,761, of like assignee and incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety. Such navigation step commands
resulting from finger sliding gestures may be reported to a target
appliance using any convenient transmission protocol, IR or RF, as
known in the art. In general, such reports may include information
representative of both direction and speed of the input gesture.
Since exemplary gesture interpretation and reporting techniques are
presented in the above referenced '761 application, for the sake of
brevity these will not be repeated herein.
[0020] In a second input mode, which may be used in conjunction
with or separately from finger slide input, a user may press
downwards 322 anywhere upon the touch surface, e.g., acrylic keycap
304. As illustrated, this will result in compression of one or more
of the underlying silicon rubber buttons 310 through 313, for
example button 310' as shown in FIG. 3. As in a conventional
keypad, compression of such a button may cause a conductive contact
area on the underside of said button to complete an electrical
circuit provided for that purpose on printed circuit board 308,
i.e., cause a key press event to be detected by the operating
program of controlling device 100. In this instance however, the
actuation of any one or more of silicon rubber buttons 310 through
313 may be interpreted by the operating program of controlling
device 100 simply as a general signal that the touch pad input area
106 has received a finger press. The actual significance of the
event and the command to be issued may then be determined by the
operating program of controlling device 100 based on the position
of the user's finger as reported by touch sensor 302 at the time
the electrical circuit was completed.
[0021] By way of further example, if conventional keypress decoding
based only on the status of silicon rubber buttons 310 through 313
were to be employed in this example and user finger pressure was
applied at location 324, it will be appreciated that the circuits
associated with either or both of buttons 310 and 313 may be
completed individually or collectively in either order and within a
short time of one another, which may lead to uncertainty as to the
exact location of the actuating finger. Likewise, considering for a
moment an alternate embodiment in which the silicon buttons are
dispensed with and the touch input pad fixedly mounted in the
controlling device casing, the decoding function of the controlling
device operating program may in this instance be required to
distinguish between a finger tap action and the commencement or
termination of a finger slide action. Accordingly, it will be
appreciated that in the exemplary embodiment presented,
advantageously finger press detection and finger position detection
are performed separately in the manner described above, which may
result in a more robust and reliable overall detection mechanism.
Further, the provision of keypad elements as part of such a
floating touch sensor may also result in improved user tactile
feedback.
[0022] Certain embodiments of controlling device 100 may support
multiple modes of operation of touch input area 106. By way of
example, with reference to FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment the
operation of touch input area 106 of controlling device 100 may be
user switchable between navigation mode and digit entry mode, for
example via a "numeric" toggle button 402, labeled "1-2-3" in the
illustrative example. When in the navigation mode, user finger
swipes and presses on touch input area 106 may be interpreted by
the operating program of controlling device 100 as requests to
issue navigation commands as described previously. However, when
toggled into digit entry mode by activation of button 402,
interpretation of touch area input by the operating program of
controlling device 100 may change to a represent a twelve-key
numeric input pad, with only finger press input recognized. In some
embodiments the appearance of touch input pad 106, in particular
that of acrylic keycap 304, may be altered to signal this mode of
operation to a user, as illustrated at 404. Such a change in
appearance may be effected, for example, by illumination via
backlight of digit indicia laser etched into the surface of acrylic
keycap 304. Illumination may be achieved by one or more LEDs
directed towards the edge of keycap 304, i.e., using the acrylic
material as a light pipe; by conventional backlighting using one or
more LEDs mounted on the surface of capacitive touch sensor 302; or
any other means as appropriate for a particular embodiment. Without
limitation, an example of such an illuminable interface is
described in commonly assigned, published application no.
2006/0283697.
[0023] Turning now to FIG. 5, when exemplary controlling device 100
is functioning in the normal (i.e., navigation) mode, upon
actuation of one or more of the keypad keys 310 through 313
associated with navigation pad 106 the operating program of
controlling device 100 may retrieve the current finger position
coordinates "X" 502 and "Y" 504 and translate these values into a
command request based upon which one of five zones 506 the X,Y
coordinates are determined to fall within. By way of example, a
finger press at the indicated location 512 may be interpreted as
occurring within zone 508 which corresponds in this example to the
"left arrow" navigation indicia 514, and the corresponding
navigation command issued to the target appliance. In contrast, in
an illustrative embodiment, when exemplary controlling device 100
is functioning in a digit entry mode as a result of actuation of
"1-2-3" button 402 the retrieved X,Y coordinates may be interpreted
by the operating program of controlling device 100 according to a
twelve zone schema 520, each zone now corresponding to one of the
digits "0" through "9" together with an "Enter" and a "Separator"
functions. By way of further example, when functioning in this mode
the operating program of controlling device 100 may interpret a
finger press at location 512' to correspond to the numeric digit
"4", and the corresponding numeric digit command issued to the
target appliance.
[0024] By way of more detailed example, the flowchart of FIG. 6 in
conjunction with Tables 1 and 2 present an exemplary method for
processing and interpreting user interactions which may be
implemented by the operating program of controlling device 100.
Turning to FIG. 6, upon detection of key matrix input 600 by the
operating program of controlling device 100, it may be first
determined at step 602 if the actuated key is the "1-2-3" digit
entry toggle button 402. If so, at step 604 it may be next
determined if controlling device is already functioning in the
numeric entry mode. If not, at step 606 numeric mode operation
status is set to "true" and numeric indicia 404 illuminated as
described earlier. If however, the device is already functioning in
the numeric entry mode, then actuation of button 402 may be
interpreted a request to exit this mode and return to the
navigation mode of operation, which is performed at step 608.
[0025] If the actuated key is not the "1-2-3" button, at step 610
the operating program of controlling device 100 may next determine
if the actuated key is one of the group 310 through 313 associated
with touch sensor assembly 302, 304. If not, the key input may
represent a conventional button, for example "volume up" 406, and
is processed at step 612. Since such conventional key decoding and
command output are well known in the art, for the sake of brevity
this aspect of controlling device 100 and associated operating
program will not be discussed further herein.
[0026] If however, the operating program of controlling device 100
determines that the actuated key is one or more of the group 310
through 313, at step 614 the "X" and "Y" coordinates of the user's
actuating finger position may be ascertained from touch sensor 302.
Next, in order to establish the interpretation to be applied to
these values, at step 616 the operating program of controlling
device 100 may determine if touch pad input is currently to be
interpreted as digit entry or as navigation entry. If navigation
entry is the current operational mode, then at step 618 the
reported X,Y coordinates may be interpreted according to a five
zone model 506 illustrated in FIG. 5. By way of example, without
limitation, if the X and Y coordinates are each reported as a
linear value in the range 0 to 15 with origin 0,0 at the bottom
left corner of touchpad 302, then an exemplary algorithm as
presented in Table 1 below may be applied to resolve the reported
coordinate data into one of the five zones and thereby determine
the requested appliance navigation command function.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Reported X value 0-4 5-10 11-15 Reported
11-15 (Y - 11) > X: UP UP Y > X: UP Y value (Y - 11) < X:
LEFT Y < X: RIGHT 5-10 LEFT SEL RIGHT 0-4 Y > X: LEFT DOWN Y
> (X - 11): RIGHT Y < X: DOWN Y < (X - 11): DOWN
[0027] For example, with reference to the bottom row of Table 1,
i.e., when reported Y coordinate is in the range 0 through 4:
TABLE-US-00002 If X is in the range 0 through 4, then If Y is
greater than X, command equals "left arrow" else If Y is less than
X, command equals "down arrow" else If X is in the range 5 through
10, then command equals "down arrow" else If X is in the range 11
through 15, then If Y is greater than (X-11), command equals "right
arrow" else If Y is less than (X-11), command equals "down
arrow".
[0028] As will be evident from an examination of Table 1, similar
algorithms may be symmetrically applied to the other possible
ranges of X and Y to resolve these values as locations within the
five zone pattern 506 of FIG. 5 and generate command transmissions
accordingly.
[0029] If however, the operating program of controlling device 100
determines at step 616 that digit, i.e., numeric key, entry is the
current operational mode, then at step 620 the reported X,Y
coordinates may be interpreted according to the twelve zone model
520 illustrated in FIG. 5. Assuming the same range of coordinate
values as presented in the previous example, an algorithm as
represented in Table 2 below may be applied to resolve the reported
coordinate data into one of the twelve zones and thereby determine
the requested appliance digit key pad command function.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 2 Reported X value 0-5 5-10 11-15 ted 12-15 1
2 3 8-11 4 5 6 4-7 7 8 9 0-3 -- 0 Enter
After determining the requested appliance command function in the
manner described above, at step 622 the operating program of
controlling device 100 may transmit the indicated command to the
target appliance. In certain embodiments, actuation of the numeric
"Enter" key 408 may be defined to also cause controlling device 100
to exit the digit entry mode. In such embodiments, at step 624 it
may be determined if the command just issued was "Enter" in which
case processing continues at step 608 in order to clear the digit
entry mode status, whereafter processing of the key matrix input is
complete.
[0030] Turning now to FIG. 7, an alternative exemplary embodiment
of a controlling device 100' utilizing a floating touch sensor 106'
in accordance with the instant invention is presented. In this
embodiment, upon actuation of one or more of silicon keypad keys
310 through 313, the operating program of controlling device 100'
may simply report the raw X,Y coordinates of the actuation point to
an appliance, for example cable STB 104, for interpretation by that
appliance. In such an embodiment cable STB 104 may for example then
tailor its interpretation of the reported actuation location based
upon STB 104's current mode of operation. For example, when
displaying program guide information 108 on TV 102, STB 104 may
interpret reported floating touch pad data as navigation commands
while, when in direct channel tuning mode, STB 104 may interpret
reported floating touch pad data as digit keys, scan or skip
functions, etc. as appropriate. To facilitate the user interface in
this environment, the floating touch pad of controlling device 100'
may comprise markings 704 which serve to visually divide the touch
surface into generic areas, and STB 104 may display on TV 102 a
representation 702 of the current interpretation of those
areas.
[0031] While various concepts have been described in detail, it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various
modifications and alternatives to those concepts could be developed
in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example,
while the exemplary embodiment presented above utilizes a silicon
rubber keypad as an actuation element for the floating touch
sensor, it will be appreciated that various other mechanisms such
as metallic dome switches, micro switches, flexible leaf contacts,
etc. may be successfully utilized in other embodiments.
[0032] Further, while described in the context of functional
modules and illustrated using block diagram format, it is to be
understood that, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, one or
more of the described functions and/or features may be integrated
in a single physical device and/or a software module, or one or
more functions and/or features may be implemented in separate
physical devices or software modules. It will also be appreciated
that a detailed discussion of the actual implementation of each
module is not necessary for an enabling understanding of the
invention. Rather, the actual implementation of such modules would
be well within the routine skill of an engineer, given the
disclosure herein of the attributes, functionality, and
inter-relationship of the various functional modules in the system.
Therefore, a person skilled in the art, applying ordinary skill,
will be able to practice the invention set forth in the claims
without undue experimentation. It will be additionally appreciated
that the particular concepts disclosed are meant to be illustrative
only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to
be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any
equivalents thereof.
[0033] All publications cited within this document are hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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