Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-23
2001-04-17
Sax, Steven (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219034
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computer interfaces that employ tactile feedback.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
General-purpose pointing devices, such as the well-known mouse, have been widely adopted as a supplement to keyboards in the user interfaces of computers. One type of prior art mouse has been equipped with a tactile feedback area to provide a virtual graphic display to blind users. Another features an actuator that provides a variable resistance to motion of the mouse. More complex and expensive systems that employ multi-dimensional or proportional feedback have also been proposed. None of the prior art approaches, however, has been widely adopted to provide an optimum general-purpose pointing device with tactile feedback for use with graphical user interfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one general aspect, the invention features a computer system that includes a computer processor, an operating system operative in connection with the computer processor, and a display responsive to the operating system. The system also has a pointing device that includes a position sensor and a tactile actuator. A pointing device driver is responsive to the position sensor, and the tactile actuator is responsive to the pointing device driver. A general-purpose application is responsive to the pointing device driver and to the operating system and in communication with the display, and the pointing device driver is also responsive to the general purpose application. The system further includes a profile that maps region changes associated with material displayed on the screen to tactile signals to be sent to the tactile actuator.
The system can be operative to detect movement from one group of regions to another and change profiles based on the detected movement. The system can be operative to send a boundary actuation command to the tactile actuator upon detecting the movement from one group of regions to another. The groups of regions can correspond to different display windows. The system can be operative to automatically determine a range of region attributes and normalize the intensity of the tactile signals based on this determination. The system can be operative to detect a guard band surrounding transitions between regions in the map. The system can be operative to detect a speed of motion from the position sensor and provide tactile signals to the tactile actuator in anticipation of changes in the regions when the speed exceeds a certain value. The system can be operative to detect a speed of motion from the position sensor and simplify tactile signals to the tactile actuator when the speed meets certain criteria. The system can be operative to detect a speed of motion from the position sensor and eliminate tactile signals to the tactile actuator when the speed meets certain criteria. The profile can include a storage element that specifies whether heuristics are to be applied to determine a relationship between region changes and tactile signals. The system can be operative to change display attributes of a cursor displayed on the screen when the position sensor indicates a change in position. The pointing device can further include a tactility control and the system can be operative to send different tactile signals to the actuator in response to user actuation of the control. The system can include a housing and the tactile actuator can be a pressure-wave generating tactile actuator mounted inside a portion of the pointing device housing. The pointing device can be a mouse, and the transducer can be mounted inside the housing of the mouse. The system can be operative to send finite duration pulses to the actuator that are no longer than ten cycles long for an individual change in regions. The position sensor can be in a mouse and the actuator can be in a mouse pad. The actuator and the position sensor can be in a touch pad. The profile can map regions that match display regions displayed on the display. The profile can map regions that correspond to absolute display intensity of the display regions. The profile can map regions that are arranged in a regularly spaced Cartesian grid. The profile can map at least some of the regions to correspond to cells each containing a single alphanumeric character. The system can be operative to translate a difference in a property value of two of the regions into an intensity of a tactile signal. The system can further include an audio device and be operative to provide an audio signal to the audio device, and information transmitted by the audio signal can correspond to information transmitted by the tactile signal.
In another general aspect, the invention features a method of operating a computer that includes maintaining a map of regions corresponding to regions displayed on a display screen, responding to signals from a pointing device to define a cursor position relative to the regions expressed in the map, displaying a cursor in a first of the regions displayed on the display screen, detecting a signal from a pointing device that indicates user actuation of the pointing device corresponding to a movement of the cursor from a first of the regions expressed in the map to a second of the regions expressed in the map, sending an actuation command request signal to an actuator in the pointing device in response to the detection of user actuation in the step of detecting, and generating a tactile signal in the pointing device in response to the actuation command. The steps of detecting, sending, and generating can cooperate to provide actuation request signals substantially only during displacement of the pointing device, delayed by processing overhead.
In a further general aspect, the invention features a memory for use with a computer system with a tactile user interface device, including a boundary descriptor operative to instruct the system whether a boundary between portions of a display layout is to be associated with tactile attributes to be presented to the user, a heuristic flag operative to instruct the system whether to use heuristics to determine how to associate the display layout with tactile attributes, and at least one further mapping element that includes a predefined relationship between the display layout and tactile attributes. The further mapping element can be a preferred element, and the memory can include an additional further mapping element, the additional further element being a default element.
In another general aspect, the invention features a pointing device that includes a position sensor, a serial channel operatively connected to an output of the position sensor, a linear circuit having an input connected to the serial channel, and a tactile actuator having an input connected to the linear circuit. The linear circuit can be an active circuit having a power supply input responsive to the serial channel, or it can be a passive circuit.
The invention is advantageous in that it can provide a user with meaningful tactile feedback from a general-purpose computer with a simple and inexpensive tactile pointing device. By sending change-of region signals to a pointing device, embodiments of the invention provide information to the user when he or she needs it most—when the pointing device is being manipulated. Systems according to the invention can also be advantageous in that they permit multiple modes of interacting with the computer, depending both on whether a system can identify an application the user is interacting with and the type of that application.
Tactile sensation according to the invention can benefit a computer user by supplementing visual navigation. This additional information may increase productivity, reduce errors, or both. These enhancements can be particularly important in detailed authoring tasks, or where there is a large amount of confusing information on the screen, such as in the case of a multi-tasking operating system with several windows open.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3919691 (1975-11-01), Noll
patent: 4104603 (1978-08-01), Wheeler et al.
patent: 4185283 (1980-01-01),
Elbing Kristofer E.
Foote Jonathan T.
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