WO2012170745A2 - Touch typing on a touch screen device - Google Patents

Touch typing on a touch screen device Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012170745A2
WO2012170745A2 PCT/US2012/041433 US2012041433W WO2012170745A2 WO 2012170745 A2 WO2012170745 A2 WO 2012170745A2 US 2012041433 W US2012041433 W US 2012041433W WO 2012170745 A2 WO2012170745 A2 WO 2012170745A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tactile
touch screen
keypad
touch
key
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2012/041433
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2012170745A3 (en
Inventor
Christopher LOZINSKI
Original Assignee
Lozinski Christopher
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lozinski Christopher filed Critical Lozinski Christopher
Publication of WO2012170745A2 publication Critical patent/WO2012170745A2/en
Publication of WO2012170745A3 publication Critical patent/WO2012170745A3/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
    • G09B21/00—Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute
    • G09B21/001—Teaching or communicating with blind persons
    • G09B21/003—Teaching or communicating with blind persons using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/016—Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • G06F3/0238—Programmable keyboards
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
    • G06F3/0487—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
    • G06F3/0488—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
    • G06F3/04886—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
    • G09B21/00—Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute
    • G09B21/001—Teaching or communicating with blind persons
    • G09B21/002—Writing aids for blind persons
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
    • G06F2203/01—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/01
    • G06F2203/014—Force feedback applied to GUI
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/16—Sound input; Sound output
    • G06F3/167—Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Definitions

  • This disclosure is related to touch screen devices, including but not limited to touch screen devices that are used to display keypads and enter information.
  • the digit If the digit does not move for a length of time determined by the program, it speaks the key. One must double tap or touch down with another digit to type the key, or executes the command. Tactile feedback is limited to feeling the flat touch screen.
  • Touch My Keys® has a screen protector with cutouts for the keys.
  • Touch My Keys® does not have much audio feedback. It is really about fine-tuning touch while using visual feedback. Since most of the cutouts are the same, the majority of the keys have the same tactile signature as their neighbors.
  • TouchTexting written by the author of this patent, available on Apple's® iTunes® app store, allows one to touch the device, optionally slide the digit, and release to type.
  • the current release of the TouchTexting product clicks on touch down, clicks when the touched key changes, and speaks the letter when the digit is raised. The next release also speaks the letter if the digit stays in the same place for more than 0.75 seconds. TouchTexting works by itself. It also works well with this technology.
  • each key has 5 options.
  • An option can be a letter, digit, symbol or command.
  • the faster keypad gesture is Another keypad, by the author of this patent.
  • TouchTexting On the TouchTexting keypad, the keypad gesture is as follows: the user touches the top surface, optionally slides his digit along said surface, has audio and tactile feedback, and when the user decides to type a letter, the user releases contact with the keypad. We call that the visually impaired keypad gesture. In some of these keypads and keypad gestures it is possible for multiple digits to be executing keypad gestures at the same time.
  • Methods and devices for eyes-free interaction with a touch screen device are presented.
  • the method requires that the touch screen device have a tactile pattern.
  • the touch screen presents an image, perhaps a keypad.
  • the user gestures on the device, and feels the tactile pattern.
  • the audio, tactile and kinesthetic feedback lets the user locate his digits relative to the keypad. This helps the user select the correct key in order to enter information into the touch screen device.
  • This method and device allow for eyes-free entry of information into the touch screen device. The speeds up eyes free typing compared to what was previously possible on these devices.
  • FIG. 1 shows a touch screen device with a touch screen.
  • FIG. 2 shows a touch screen in landscape mode with an almost QWERTY capital alphabetic keypad.
  • FIG. 2a shows a square bump.
  • FIG. 2b shows an elongated bump and a triangular depresion.
  • FIG 2c shows a cut out
  • FIG. 2d shows a bump and a line of dots.
  • FIG. 2e shows a tactile pattern in landscape mode.
  • FIG. 2f shows a tactile pattern overlaying a keypad in landscape mode.
  • FIG. 3 shows keypad gestures.
  • FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of several different keys and the associated tactile signatures.
  • FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with a keypad and an overlaid tactile pattern.
  • FIG. 5b shows a digit touching down on a touch screen with an overlaid tactile pattern.
  • FIG. 5c shows a digit touching down on a touch screen and the kinesthetic feedback it provides.
  • FIG 5d shows touch states and touch state transitions.
  • FIG. 6 shows a 6x6 lower case alphabetic keypad in portrait mode on a touch screen.
  • FIG 7 shows a 5x3 grid tactile pattern in portrait mode.
  • FIG 8 shows a 5x3 grid tactile pattern overlaying a 6x6 alphabetic keypad in portrait mode.
  • FIG 9 shows a smartphone landscape QWERTY keypad.
  • FIG 10 shows a tactile pattern for a landscape QWERTY keypad.
  • FIG 11 shows a Smartphone tactile pattern overlaid on Smartphone QWERTY keypad.
  • FIG 12 shows a split tablet keypad and tactile pattern.
  • FIG 13 shows a light discipline keypad with tactile pattern.
  • FIG 14 shows a touch screen device with the tactile pattern is part of the touch screen.
  • FIG 15a show a qwerty keypad.
  • FIG 15b shows a BRAILLE readable tactile cover.
  • FIG 15c shows the QWERTY keypad with superimposed BRAILLE tactile cover
  • FIG 16 shows a tactile screen cover with adhesive and backing.
  • FIG 17 shows a sheet of tactile screen covers.
  • the first embodiment demonstrates the core concepts.
  • the other embodiments build on the core ideas.
  • FIG. 1 a shows a touch screen device [5].
  • the touch screen is [10].
  • the space key is [19].
  • FIG. 1 b shows an almost-QWERTY capital alphabetic keypad displayed in landscape mode on a touch screen [10].
  • a key [20] on the keypad [23].
  • the keypad is slightly modified from a QWERTY keypad.
  • the second row [15] has been shifted right a half key in order to allow it to conform to the tactile pattern, a grid.
  • touch screen device There are many ways for a touch screen device to measure touches. One way is capacitative touch sensing. Another way is resistive touch sensing. There are other ways as well. When a digit or stylus is brought in contact with the touch screen, that changes the capacitative or resistive properties of the touch screen, and electronics can process that information to calculate a touch location. Touch location can either be considered a single point, or a region where contact is happening.
  • any tactile screen cover allow the touch screen device to sense touches.
  • the tactile screen cover needs to allow for capacitative touch sensing to work through the touch screen device. Some materials allow for touch sensing, others do not. Since different technologies exist, In general the tactile cover needs to support touch sensing. Buttons and Keys and information.
  • a button is a part of the screen that a user either taps, double taps, or possibly swipes. We call that pushing a button. There are other way to push buttons. Buttons can also be part of other applications such as each date on a calendar being a button.
  • a key is a button with a letter, digit, symbol or command on it.
  • the space bar is also a key. Keys may also display other content. Usually a key is part of a keypad. If the keys include the digits 0-9, it is also known as a dialpad. Entering information is the process of pushing a button so that the state of the application is updated.
  • a tactile feature is something one can feel. Usually, a tactile screen is flat, and certainly one can feel it, but for the purposes of this patent, we describe tactile features as something other than the flat surface.
  • FIG 2a shows [11] a square bump. It can also by more rounded, or even elongated like [12] an elongated rounded bump in FIG. 2b.
  • a tactile feature can also be triangular or a depression like a triangulated depression [13] .
  • a tactile feature can also be a cutout such as [14] in FIG 2c. Cut outs can be of any shape.
  • Tactile features can also be rounded bumps such as [16] in FIG 2d, henceforth called a dot.
  • a tactile feature can also be an array of dots, such as [ 17]. Of course an array of dots can also be a tactile pattern or a tactile signature, depending on its usage. So many tactile features are possible, many are listed later in this patent.
  • dots are a feature used to create lines which are also a tactile feature. If a line is long, it is also a tactile pattern, as indeed the grid of lines is a tactile pattern.
  • the tactile features are raised lines, rather squarish.
  • the tactile features also include the intersections of those line, and the corners, and T junctions of lines. Those lines could also be more rounded.
  • Many other tactile feature are possible including but not limited to textures protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, and indentations.
  • FIG. 2e shows a 3x5 grid provided by a tactile pattern in landscape mode.
  • the entire grid is the tactile pattern[30].
  • the tactile pattern [30] is printed on a plastic sheet by a graphics braille printer as a grid of dots.
  • the cover adheres to the touch screen device with an adhesive.
  • the covers have a 3x5 grid that covers the screen of a touch screen device.
  • the outer frame [45] surounds the touch screen, and has every possible dot printed.
  • the inner lines such as [46] have only the alternate dots printed.
  • This 3x5 grid is made up of 15 rectangles each of which is called a tactile area. [40] is one tactile area.
  • the line segments line segment 1 [31], line segment 2
  • line segment 3 [33] and line segment 4 [34] are the tactile boundary of tactile area [40].
  • Figure 2f shows a tactile cover overlaying a touch screen device.
  • the touch screen is [10] It has a key [20] on keypad [23]. There is a tactile pattern
  • the tactile pattern creates a tactile signature for each key.
  • a tactile signature is how the area around a key feels.
  • the tactile signature has a relative position to its underlying key, helping the user know where the key and the rest of the keypad are, relative to the current touch location. Obviously the current key is under the current touch location.
  • FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a part of the keypad with a part of it's tactile pattern.
  • the tactile signature for key F [22] is [70].
  • the tactile signature for the key F [22] is a line below it and to its left with flat space elsewhere.
  • [26] also has a tactile signatures of a line to its left and below, and flat space elsewhere.
  • Keys H [26] and F [22] have the same tactile signatures.
  • Keys T [21] and F [22] have different tactile signatures.
  • multiple keys can have the same tactile signatures. What is important is that neighboring keys do not have the same tactile signature.
  • the tactile features of the tactile signature do not have to be to the side of a key, they could also be in the middle of a key. The important thing is to be able to easily locate the key and keypad relative to the tactile pattern by using the tactile signature of one or more keys and optionally the tactile pattern and its relationship to the keypad.
  • the user knows where a key is relative to the keypad.
  • the user knows where the keypad is relative to the tactile pattern.
  • the user knows where a key is relative to its tactile signature.
  • the user may know where a digit is relative to a key.
  • the user may know where a digit is relative to the tactile pattern.
  • Conforming is a property of the keypad and tactile pattern. It is hard to describe but very easy to recognize by looking at. A person can recognize a conforming pattern by looking at it.
  • the space bar crosses multiple tactile boundaries and has a unique tactile signature. Different parts of the space bar have different tactile signatures.
  • tactile screen covers are thin transparent piece of plastic. They have a tactile pattern on them. They have an adhesive layer, and a backing layer which is peeled off prior to installation. These covers fit on the front of an iPhone® or iPod Touch®.
  • Gestures are one way of interacting with a touch screen device.
  • Figure 3 shows some keypad gestures on a touch screen device [5] with a touch screen [10].
  • Digit [39] is about to execute a keypad gesture.
  • [41] is digit touch down.
  • [42] is an optional swipe.
  • [43] is raising the digit.
  • [44] is an optional tap or double tap.
  • Gesture can include swiping, which is running a digit along the touch sensitive screen, possibly in an arbitrary path; touching and releasing the touch one or multiple times; tapping; double tapping; and combinations of the above parts. Other gestures are also possible.
  • the tactile pattern on the top surface of the touch screen helps the user to navigate.
  • the top surface is either the outside of the touch screen; or, if there is a tactile plastic cover, the outside of said tactile plastic cover. It is the part the user touches.
  • the tactile feedback tells the user which part of the tactile pattern, tactile area and/or tactile signature he is touching.
  • Feeling the tactile pattern while moving tells the user when he is entering or leaving a tactile area, or crossing a tactile boundary.
  • this keypad arrangement has 4 different tactile signatures.
  • the key can be in either of 4 corners of the tactile grid rectangle. Which corner determines the tactile signature for that key.
  • the space bar key is a special case.
  • FIGS. 5a and 5b show the process.
  • FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with landscape keypad and tactile pattern. On the touch screen is [10] is a keypad [23]. On they keypad is a key [20]. On the touch screen is also a tactile pattern [30].
  • FIG. 5b shows what happens when a digit touches down at a circular area [60]. The key being touched is [65].
  • Tactile feedback says that the touched button has a tactile signature with dots above and to the right-hand side. It must be in the upper right corner of a tactile area, and must be one of the keys with the left-leaning Crosshatch, such as [50].
  • FIGS. 5a and 5c show the process.
  • FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with keypad and tactile pattern. On the touch screen is [10] is a keypad [23]. On they keypad is a key [20].
  • FIG. 5c shows what happens when a digit touches down at a circular area [60]. The key being touched is [65].
  • Kinesthetic feedback says that the touch is roughly in an area [37]. That area has right-leaning crosshatches.
  • Kinesthetic feedback also provides information about the velocity, direction and distance that a digit has travelled. That information is also useful in determining the key being touched and the relative location of the digit and the keypad and the other keys.
  • Integrating tactile and kinesthetic feedback provides information about which key is being touched. Kinesthetic feedback lets one know roughly which tactile area is being touched Figure 5c [37]. Tactile feedback lets one know the tactile signature of the key being touched, one of the left hatched keys of FIG 5b, such as key [50]. Integrating the tactile and kinesthetic information indicates that the key being touched is most likely [65] in FIGS. 5b or 5c.
  • the tactile pattern and tactile signatures allow the user to resolve which key is which between adjacent keys.
  • Audio Feedback Touch state model.
  • audio feedback is based on state transitions of the touch state model.
  • FIG. 5d shows the touch state transition model.
  • the touch state model has a touch state for every digit.
  • the digit(s) can be away from the touch screen, or touching a key on the keypad.
  • the state transitions are touching down, moving to a different key, and leaving the keypad and the current key. Audio feedback is provided on these state transitions.
  • TouchTexting if the digit is lifted, or slides off the edge, the key is typed or the command executed.
  • the key is typed or the command executed.
  • the landscape mode two digits can be interacting with two different halves of the keypad at the same time.
  • Voice Over has an interesting feature, also found in the development version of TouchTexting. If the digit stays in place a length of time determined by the program, the letter or command is spoken.
  • the Voice Over® application speaks the key when the digit stays on said key for a certain amount of time. Exactly when this happens is determined by the program. The next release of the TouchTexting app does the same thing: specifically it waits for 0.75 seconds with the digit on the same letter, before speaking the letter. I believe the time delay in Voice Over® is less.
  • the landscape QWERTY keypad can be used with two different thumbs, and so, in the TextFaster app, the click sound is different for the right-hand and left-hand sides of the keypad, to distinguish which side is giving the audio feedback.
  • kinesthetic feedback allows one to know roughly where the digit is relative to the device.
  • the tactile feedback further localizes the digit's position relative to the tactile pattern and tactile signature.
  • the audio feedback lets one know when a digit moves from one key to the next. Memory plays an important role. Together, this multimodal interaction allows one to know where the digit is located. In those cases where the user is confused, or perhaps has just touched the device, stopping allows the key to be spoken, providing definitive information as to where the digit is located.
  • Figure 16 is a view of a tactile screen cover [90] showing the tactile pattern
  • this tactile pattern is made up of dots above the surface.
  • the bottom side of the tactile screen cover has an adhesive layer[110], and below that is a backing layer [120]. The backing layer overhangs the tactile screen
  • the touch sensitive device is turned on, the keypad is displayed, and the tactile pattern is aligned with the touch screen.
  • the backing is then removed from the tactile cover, the alignment process is repeated, and the adhesive is used to adhere the tactile cover to the touch screen device.
  • the tactile cover can later be easily removed.
  • the user executes a keypad gesture, the visually impaired keypad gesture.
  • Other keypad gestures are possible.
  • the user then has kinesthetic, tactile and audio feedback. Some sighted people may also want to look at the keypad. That is a good way to learn the keypad layout.
  • the first embodiment showed the basic ideas. This second embodiment builds on them.
  • the almost-QWERTY keypad works great in landscape mode, and upside-down landscape mode, but when the device and its attached tactile cover are rotated to portrait orientation, the tactile cover no longer conforms to the narrower, almost QWERTY keypad.
  • a different keypad is needed in portrait mode in order for the tactile pattern to conform to the keypad in all orientations.
  • FIG. 6 shows a 6x6 lower case alphabetic keypad for use in portrait mode. This keypad is currently available from the TextFaster app in the iTunes store.
  • the touch screen [10] has a keypad [23] which has a button [20].
  • FIG. 7 shows the tactile pattern [30] in portrait mode.
  • FIG. 8 shows the tactile pattern [30] overlaying the 6x6 alphabetic keypad [23] in portrait mode.
  • the keypad [23] includes the button [20].
  • each tactile area surrounds 4 keys in any orientation. This is called a
  • conforming tactile pattern and indeed, the keys conform to the tactile pattern, so that the tactile surface works in any of the 4 orientations of a touch sensitive device: landscape, portrait, landscape upside-down, and portrait upside-down.
  • conforming we mean that the tactile pattern conforms to the keypad and in so doing creates tactile signatures for the keys.
  • the third embodiment is based on an iPhone® running the Voice Over software.
  • FIG. 9 shows the keypad [23] displayed on the touch screen [10].
  • FIG. 10 shows the conforming tactile pattern[30].
  • FIG. 11 shows said tactile pattern [30] overlaid on said touchscreen [10].
  • a key [20] on the keypad [23]. is the touch screen.
  • a similar approach works for the iPod Touch®, iPad® or Android® device in landscape or portrait mode. It would also work for other devices. It also works for other keypad gestures.
  • Figure 12 is a touch screen device [10] with a split-screen keypad [85] overlaid by a tactile pattern [30].
  • the display is a calendar.
  • a calendar display overlapping the grid. As the digit touches down, or crosses between dates, it speaks the date. It is thus very easy to select a specific date.
  • This device also displays and, when the appropriate button is pushed, speaks the days of the weeks, the month, the year, and the specific numerical date.
  • the position of the calendar can be moved around; different layouts are possible, and different views are possible; i.e., years, months, days, hours or even minutes. This
  • FIG 13 is a light discipline keypad.
  • [87] is the display.
  • [30] is the tactile pattern. Just make the screen go dark, and the whole system continues to work. There is no light to be displayed. The user can still interact horr with the user interface. There is still a display, there are still keys, but no light is coming out.
  • a light discipline keypad displays a keypad.
  • Swype® is a keypad for touch screen devices. Rather than tapping for each key, it allows one to slide a digit between letters on a keypad, in order to type a word. That is called a word gesture.
  • a word gesture In order to know where the digit is during the word gesture, one has to watch the keypad. This technology could easily be integrated with the Swype® technology. Then as a word gesture is in process, the user could know where the touch was happening without looking at the keypad.
  • Fig. 14 shows a touch screen device [5].
  • buttons are an example of a physical button, on the touch screen device, in this case the home button. There could be other buttons in other locations on the device. Any combination of buttons shapes sizes and locations is possible. There may be other things on the touch screen device as well. Plug points, usb points, custom
  • a tactile touch screen Is a touch screen with a tactile pattern a part of the said screen. In this case the tactile pattern is a grid. For illustration purposes the tactile features on the grid are rather squarish. They could be much more rounded. Other tactile features on the tactile touch screen are also possible.
  • [20] is a button.
  • [86] is the space bar on the keypad. Since the touch screen is transparent, it is possible to see the space bar through the tactile pattern, although there may well be some visual distortion.
  • the touch screen itself would be manufactured with a tactile pattern. Then the app developers could design their apps so that significant display features would conform with the tactile pattern on the touch screen. There are many different tactile patterns possible, but perhaps a grid would be used.
  • FIG 15a is a
  • FIG. 15B is the conforming BRAILLE® tactile cover [75]. It has the BRAILLE symbol for Q [73].
  • FIG. 15C is the BRAILLE® tactile cover overlaid on the QWERTY keypad. It has a both the key Q [72] andt he BRAILLE symbol for Q [73] overlaying it. Reportedly the blind can read BRAILLE surprisingly fast.
  • Thermoform another supplier is American Lighthouse for the Blind®. The latter provides thinner material, so perhaps the dots will not hold up under extended use.
  • the dots are printed on the plastic sheets using a Braille printer.
  • the View Plus ® printer is currently used.
  • American Thermoform sells several other printers.
  • Most of these graphics braille printer vendors show up at the trade shows such as the International Technology and Peron's with Disability conference, and are listed on the website, www.csun.edu/cod/conference/program/sessions.php
  • the View Plus printers have design software which allows one to specify an arbitrary bit-mapped image using their Tiger graphics editor.
  • the images are 20 dpi.
  • the patterns are printed using sheet-fed printers.
  • FIG. 17 shows a plastic sheet [100] of tactile screen covers. [91] is where the tactile screen cover is cut out.
  • FIG. 16 shows tactile screen cover [90] after it has been cut out of the plastic sheet.
  • [110] I the adhesive layer .
  • [120] is the thin plastic backing.
  • [130] is the overhang of the backing beyond the tactile screen cover [0081]
  • a pair of scissors is used to cut the plastic sheets.
  • An X-ACTO® can also be used.
  • These plastic sheets have a very thin backing of plastic, which is peeled off prior to attaching the tactile screen cover to a touch screen device. Sometimes the plastic backing overhangs the plastic sheet on one side, sometimes on both sides.
  • the tactile pattern is printed as close as possible to the overhang. This minimizes the size of the tactile screen cover.
  • the overhanging part of the plastic backing is not cut away, but rather left in place.
  • the overhang is used to peel away the backing prior to installation. Cut away the rest of the sheet from the tactile screen cover. Do not cut off the side with the overhang. The overhang is then available to help peel off the plastic backing when the product is installed, making it easy for the end user to remove the backing.
  • the touchscreen device can be be a smart phone, cell phone, laptop, desktop, tablet, PDA or other device.
  • the pattern could be part of the touch screen, on a touch screen cover, or part of the case.
  • the touch screen can be polgon of any dimension or even have curved edges. It could be capacitative touch sensing or resistive touch sensing or some other technology.
  • the tactile pattern can be part of the touch screen, part of the touch screen cover, part of a case for the touch screen device, or a comination of the above.
  • the tactile features can be up or down, from the flat touch screen.
  • Tactile feature can be protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, indentations or other arbitrary three dimensional shapes. Lines, circles, curves, three dimensional surfaces, surface texture, and other topological configurations can also be used to produce tactile feedback.
  • Transparency is another good quality although not needed by the blind, or those requiring light discipline. Touch sensitive devices do not need to be flat, indeed they do not even need to be what we traditionally think of as computer. Image a door know where different gestures mean different things. Which part you swipe as you walk out the door leaves different messages for your family. The tactile pattern make sure you send the right message.
  • audio feedback is optional.
  • Other audio feedback strategies are also possible.

Abstract

New methods and devices for touch typing on a touch screen device are provided. FIG. 2f shows a touch screen device with an almost QWERTY keypad overlaid by a tactile pattern. Every tactile area has 4 keys displayed in it. Kinesthetic positional sense allows one to roughly know the tactile area one is touching. Tactile sense allows one to know the tactile signature of the key being touched. Combining kinesthetic and tactile information allow one to identify the key being touched. Audio feedback enhances this process, specifically letting one know the exact moment when a key has been left or entered. Memory enhances the process, helping to identify where the digit is. This process allows one to touch type faster than currently possible on a touch sensitive screen.

Description

TOUCH TYPING ON A TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Serial No. 1/520,326 filed on Jun 7, 2011 by the present inventor, which is incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
Not applicable.
REFERECE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] This disclosure is related to touch screen devices, including but not limited to touch screen devices that are used to display keypads and enter information.
Description of Related Art
[0003] On regular keypads we touch type in order to type fast. On touch screen devices, such as the iPhone®, iPad®, iPod Touch,® Android® and other devices, it is generally not possible to touch type. While there are a number of products that provide tactile or audio feedback, all of them have limitations. This patent application claims new methods using tactile feedback and new devices to support the tactile feedback.
[0004] Touch typing is most needed by the blind users, although they are not the only group to benefit from these technologies. For the blind, the iPhone® includes by default a technology called Voice Over®. Voice Over® speaks the names of iPhone apps as they are touched. One must then double-tap to open the app. It also includes a keypad technology. As one slides a digit over the keypad, it clicks.
If the digit does not move for a length of time determined by the program, it speaks the key. One must double tap or touch down with another digit to type the key, or executes the command. Tactile feedback is limited to feeling the flat touch screen.
Additionally, its performance is slow, at 0.66 words per minute.
[0005] In this patent, when the screen has no tactile features, while it is still possible to feel the screen, and it is possible to feel the act of touching the screen, or releasing the screen, it is said that there is no tactile feedback.
[0006] On Android® there is Mobile Accessibility® by Code Factory; which includes audio feedback. It also has no tactile feedback. It simply uses a flat screen.
[0007] On the iPhone® there is a braille keypad. The phone is held with the screen pointing away from the user, and using a chord keypad approach, one may type up to six keys at a time. It has audio feedback, but again, no tactile feedback.
[0008] There are a number of products that provide a tactile screen cover. There can be bumps on the surface, or the surface can be cut out. Almost invariably, these products have the same tactile signature for all the keys, providing similar location information as the audio feedback in Voice Over®. In contrast, the tactile signatures for adjacent keys in this application are different, providing location information different from what is available in Voice Over®.
[0009] Touch My Keys® has a screen protector with cutouts for the keys.. With the regular keypad, Touch My Keys® does not have much audio feedback. It is really about fine-tuning touch while using visual feedback. Since most of the cutouts are the same, the majority of the keys have the same tactile signature as their neighbors.
[0010] With the Voice Over keypad, Touch My Keys® has both audio and tactile feedback. However, with mostly identical tactile signatures for adjacent keys, it is not sufficient to independently locate the keypad by touching a single key. AtGuys® provides a plastic cover with one dot per letter. QwizKeys® also provides a plastic cover with one dot per key. Speed Dots® also provides a plastic cover with one dot per key, and they also have a plastic cover with only 2 dots. Indeed, in early product development of the subject technology, a plastic cover with one dot per key and later, with one tactile area per key, were created. Traditionally, keypads have one button per key, so the obvious thing to do with touchscreen devices is to have one tactile feature per key. Smart phones are smaller than regular keyboards, and thus benefit from multiple keys per tactile area.
[0011] TouchTexting, written by the author of this patent, available on Apple's® iTunes® app store, allows one to touch the device, optionally slide the digit, and release to type. The current release of the TouchTexting product clicks on touch down, clicks when the touched key changes, and speaks the letter when the digit is raised. The next release also speaks the letter if the digit stays in the same place for more than 0.75 seconds. TouchTexting works by itself. It also works well with this technology.
[0012] What follows are the descriptions of keypad gestures for the most common, known touch screen devices. On the regular iPhone® keypad the gesture is to touch down, optionally slide the digit, and then lift to type. On the Voice Over keypad, the gesture is to touch down, optionally slide the digit, then either raise the digit and tap, or tap the screen with another digit. We call the Voice Over gestures, over gestures. On the Mobile Accessibility® dialpad, the keypad gesture is to touch down, optionally slide the digit, and raise the digit to type. On the Swype® keypad, the keypad gesture is to touch down, optionally slide the digit close to the desired keys, and then raise the digit to type the entire word. Since Swipe® types a whole word, it's keypad gesture is henceforth called the word gesture. The TextFaster keypad, by the author of this patent uses an interesting keypad gesture. In
TextFaster, each key has 5 options. An option can be a letter, digit, symbol or command. One can either tap the key for the central option, or touch down on the key, swipe in one of four directions, and raise the digit to complete the TextFaster keypad gesture. We call that the faster keypad gesture. Another keypad, by the author of this patent is TouchTexting. On the TouchTexting keypad, the keypad gesture is as follows: the user touches the top surface, optionally slides his digit along said surface, has audio and tactile feedback, and when the user decides to type a letter, the user releases contact with the keypad. We call that the visually impaired keypad gesture. In some of these keypads and keypad gestures it is possible for multiple digits to be executing keypad gestures at the same time.
[0013] Thus ends our list of examples of keypad gestures. This list shows the variety of keypad gestures possible. Other keypad gestures are also possible.
[0014] This completes the background for this patent application. Specific reference are included in the information disclosure statement. Other, less important background information is also referred to in the information disclosure statement. These items are incorporated by reference.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Methods and devices for eyes-free interaction with a touch screen device are presented. The method requires that the touch screen device have a tactile pattern. The touch screen presents an image, perhaps a keypad. The user gestures on the device, and feels the tactile pattern. The audio, tactile and kinesthetic feedback lets the user locate his digits relative to the keypad. This helps the user select the correct key in order to enter information into the touch screen device. This method and device allow for eyes-free entry of information into the touch screen device. The speeds up eyes free typing compared to what was previously possible on these devices.
Advantages
[0016] This approach allows combining tactile feedback with kinesthetic feedback to determine the key being touched. Knowing the key locations speeds touch typing. When all senses are integrated: kinesthetics; touch; audio; and memory, the experience allows for faster touch typing on touch screen devices than was previously possible. The experience is quite magical and completely unexpected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a touch screen device with a touch screen.
FIG. 2 shows a touch screen in landscape mode with an almost QWERTY capital alphabetic keypad. FIG. 2a shows a square bump.
FIG. 2b shows an elongated bump and a triangular depresion.
FIG 2c shows a cut out.
FIG. 2d shows a bump and a line of dots.
FIG. 2e shows a tactile pattern in landscape mode.
FIG. 2f shows a tactile pattern overlaying a keypad in landscape mode.
FIG. 3 shows keypad gestures.
FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of several different keys and the associated tactile signatures.
FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with a keypad and an overlaid tactile pattern.
FIG. 5b shows a digit touching down on a touch screen with an overlaid tactile pattern.
FIG. 5c shows a digit touching down on a touch screen and the kinesthetic feedback it provides.
FIG 5d shows touch states and touch state transitions.
FIG. 6 shows a 6x6 lower case alphabetic keypad in portrait mode on a touch screen.
FIG 7 shows a 5x3 grid tactile pattern in portrait mode.
FIG 8 shows a 5x3 grid tactile pattern overlaying a 6x6 alphabetic keypad in portrait mode.
FIG 9 shows a smartphone landscape QWERTY keypad.
FIG 10 shows a tactile pattern for a landscape QWERTY keypad.
FIG 11 shows a Smartphone tactile pattern overlaid on Smartphone QWERTY keypad.
FIG 12 shows a split tablet keypad and tactile pattern.
FIG 13 shows a light discipline keypad with tactile pattern.
FIG 14 shows a touch screen device with the tactile pattern is part of the touch screen.
FIG 15a show a qwerty keypad.
FIG 15b shows a BRAILLE readable tactile cover.
FIG 15c shows the QWERTY keypad with superimposed BRAILLE tactile cover FIG 16 shows a tactile screen cover with adhesive and backing. FIG 17 shows a sheet of tactile screen covers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
First Embodiment: Almost QWERTY keypad
[0017] The first embodiment demonstrates the core concepts. The other embodiments build on the core ideas.
The Touch Screen
[0018] This embodiment allows for touch typing on a keypad on a touch screen device. Fig. 1 a shows a touch screen device [5]. The touch screen is [10]. The space key is [19].
[0019] FIG. 1 b shows an almost-QWERTY capital alphabetic keypad displayed in landscape mode on a touch screen [10]. There is a key [20] on the keypad [23]. The keypad is slightly modified from a QWERTY keypad. The second row [15] has been shifted right a half key in order to allow it to conform to the tactile pattern, a grid.
Touch Sensing
[0020] There are many ways for a touch screen device to measure touches. One way is capacitative touch sensing. Another way is resistive touch sensing. There are other ways as well. When a digit or stylus is brought in contact with the touch screen, that changes the capacitative or resistive properties of the touch screen, and electronics can process that information to calculate a touch location. Touch location can either be considered a single point, or a region where contact is happening.
[0021 ] For the purposes of this patent, it is important that any tactile screen cover allow the touch screen device to sense touches. In particular if the touch sensitive devices uses capacitative touch sensing, the tactile screen cover needs to allow for capacitative touch sensing to work through the touch screen device. Some materials allow for touch sensing, others do not. Since different technologies exist, In general the tactile cover needs to support touch sensing. Buttons and Keys and information.
[0022] A button is a part of the screen that a user either taps, double taps, or possibly swipes. We call that pushing a button. There are other way to push buttons. Buttons can also be part of other applications such as each date on a calendar being a button. A key is a button with a letter, digit, symbol or command on it. The space bar is also a key. Keys may also display other content. Usually a key is part of a keypad. If the keys include the digits 0-9, it is also known as a dialpad. Entering information is the process of pushing a button so that the state of the application is updated.
Tactile Features
[0023] A tactile feature is something one can feel. Usually, a tactile screen is flat, and certainly one can feel it, but for the purposes of this patent, we describe tactile features as something other than the flat surface. FIG 2a shows [11] a square bump. It can also by more rounded, or even elongated like [12] an elongated rounded bump in FIG. 2b. A tactile feature can also be triangular or a depression like a triangulated depression [13] . A tactile feature can also be a cutout such as [14] in FIG 2c. Cut outs can be of any shape. Tactile features can also be rounded bumps such as [16] in FIG 2d, henceforth called a dot. A tactile feature can also be an array of dots, such as [ 17]. Of course an array of dots can also be a tactile pattern or a tactile signature, depending on its usage. So many tactile features are possible, many are listed later in this patent.
[0024] In this embodiment dots are a feature used to create lines which are also a tactile feature. If a line is long, it is also a tactile pattern, as indeed the grid of lines is a tactile pattern. For the tactile touch screen the tactile features are raised lines, rather squarish. For the tactile touch screen, the tactile features also include the intersections of those line, and the corners, and T junctions of lines. Those lines could also be more rounded. Many other tactile feature are possible including but not limited to textures protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, and indentations. The Tactile Pattern
[0025] FIG. 2e shows a 3x5 grid provided by a tactile pattern in landscape mode. The entire grid is the tactile pattern[30]. In this embodiment, the tactile pattern [30] is printed on a plastic sheet by a graphics braille printer as a grid of dots. The cover adheres to the touch screen device with an adhesive. The covers have a 3x5 grid that covers the screen of a touch screen device. The outer frame [45] surounds the touch screen, and has every possible dot printed. The inner lines such as [46] have only the alternate dots printed.
[0026] This 3x5 grid is made up of 15 rectangles each of which is called a tactile area. [40] is one tactile area. The line segments line segment 1 [31], line segment 2
[32], line segment 3 [33] and line segment 4 [34] are the tactile boundary of tactile area [40].
Tactile Signatures
[0027] Figure 2f shows a tactile cover overlaying a touch screen device. The touch screen is [10] It has a key [20] on keypad [23]. There is a tactile pattern
[30]. In this embodiment, when the plastic cover is overlaid on the touch screen device, the tactile pattern creates a tactile signature for each key. A tactile signature is how the area around a key feels.
The tactile signature has a relative position to its underlying key, helping the user know where the key and the rest of the keypad are, relative to the current touch location. Obviously the current key is under the current touch location.
[0028] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a part of the keypad with a part of it's tactile pattern. The tactile signature for key F [22] is [70]. The tactile signature for the key F [22] is a line below it and to its left with flat space elsewhere. The key H
[26] also has a tactile signatures of a line to its left and below, and flat space elsewhere. Keys H [26] and F [22] have the same tactile signatures. Keys T [21] and F [22] have different tactile signatures. In general, multiple keys can have the same tactile signatures. What is important is that neighboring keys do not have the same tactile signature. The tactile features of the tactile signature do not have to be to the side of a key, they could also be in the middle of a key. The important thing is to be able to easily locate the key and keypad relative to the tactile pattern by using the tactile signature of one or more keys and optionally the tactile pattern and its relationship to the keypad.
[0029] Good tactile patterns help identify a key based on its tactile signature. One cannot feel the key. It is only displayed on the touch screen device. One can feel the tactile features, the tactile signatures and indeed the tactile pattern. And thus one can know where the keys and keypad are.
Relative Positions
[0030] The user knows where a key is relative to the keypad. The user knows where the keypad is relative to the tactile pattern. The user knows where a key is relative to its tactile signature. The user may know where a digit is relative to a key. The user may know where a digit is relative to the tactile pattern. These
relationships help the user to know the relative position of a digit and the rest of the keys. These relationships help the user to know the relative position of a digit, and the rest of the keypad.
[0031] The relationship between the tactile pattern and the keypad, allows one to use the tactile sense to figure out the relative position of a digit and a key and a digit and the keypad.
[0032] Conforming is a property of the keypad and tactile pattern. It is hard to describe but very easy to recognize by looking at. A person can recognize a conforming pattern by looking at it.
[0033] The space bar crosses multiple tactile boundaries and has a unique tactile signature. Different parts of the space bar have different tactile signatures.
Tactile Screen Covers
[0034] Included in the provisional patent referenced earlier is an envelope with three tactile screen covers . These tactile screen covers are thin transparent piece of plastic. They have a tactile pattern on them. They have an adhesive layer, and a backing layer which is peeled off prior to installation. These covers fit on the front of an iPhone® or iPod Touch®.
[0035] These covers were printed with a 20 dots-per-inch graphics Braille printer. For these tactile covers, the largest outer frame, surrounding the whole screen, is effectively solid. Each possible tactile dot, in that frame, is printed. The whole screen area is then divided into a 3x5 grid. The inner lines have alternate dots missing. This is to minimize impact on screen visibility. The dots at the intersections of the inner lines are also missing. That reduces the visual density of dots at intersections. When the tactile pattern overlays the touch screen device, in a conforming fashion, and a keypad is displayed, each tactile area contains 4 keys.
Gestures
[0036] Gestures are one way of interacting with a touch screen device. Figure 3 shows some keypad gestures on a touch screen device [5] with a touch screen [10]. Digit [39] is about to execute a keypad gesture. [41] is digit touch down. [42] is an optional swipe. [43] is raising the digit. [44] is an optional tap or double tap. There are many different kinds of gestures. They can involve one or multiple
digits. Gesture can include swiping, which is running a digit along the touch sensitive screen, possibly in an arbitrary path; touching and releasing the touch one or multiple times; tapping; double tapping; and combinations of the above parts. Other gestures are also possible.
Feeling the tactile pattern
[0037] When gesturing the digit(s) touch the screen and optionally slide along the screen. In the process the user will feel the tactile pattern. Even if the user only taps in a tactile area, and does not touch the tactile boundaries, he is touching the tactile pattern, and gaining useful information.
[0038] Feeling the tactile pattern is an important element of this invention. The tactile pattern on the top surface of the touch screen helps the user to navigate. The top surface is either the outside of the touch screen; or, if there is a tactile plastic cover, the outside of said tactile plastic cover. It is the part the user touches. When the user feels the tactile pattern, or moves across that tactile pattern, the interaction provides useful information to the user. The tactile feedback tells the user which part of the tactile pattern, tactile area and/or tactile signature he is touching. Feeling the tactile pattern while moving tells the user when he is entering or leaving a tactile area, or crossing a tactile boundary. [0039] Note that this keypad arrangement has 4 different tactile signatures. The key can be in either of 4 corners of the tactile grid rectangle. Which corner determines the tactile signature for that key. The space bar key is a special case.
Touch Location based on Tactile Feedback.
[0040] Tactile feedback provides information about which key is being touched. Tactile feedback helps one know which key is being touched. FIGS. 5a and 5b show the process. FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with landscape keypad and tactile pattern. On the touch screen is [10] is a keypad [23]. On they keypad is a key [20]. On the touch screen is also a tactile pattern [30]. FIG. 5b shows what happens when a digit touches down at a circular area [60]. The key being touched is [65]. Tactile feedback says that the touched button has a tactile signature with dots above and to the right-hand side. It must be in the upper right corner of a tactile area, and must be one of the keys with the left-leaning Crosshatch, such as [50].
Kinesthetic Feedback
[0041] An important part of this process is kinesthetic feedback. Kinesthetic feedback lets one know roughly which tactile area is being touched. One's digits know where they are. This is usually not accurate enough to determine the button being touched, but it is enough to roughly know where the digit is. FIGS. 5a and 5c show the process. FIG. 5a shows a touch screen with keypad and tactile pattern. On the touch screen is [10] is a keypad [23]. On they keypad is a key [20]. FIG. 5c shows what happens when a digit touches down at a circular area [60]. The key being touched is [65]. Kinesthetic feedback says that the touch is roughly in an area [37]. That area has right-leaning crosshatches.
[0042] Kinesthetic feedback also provides information about the velocity, direction and distance that a digit has travelled. That information is also useful in determining the key being touched and the relative location of the digit and the keypad and the other keys. Integrated Tactile and Kinesthetic Feedback
[0043] Integrating tactile and kinesthetic feedback provides information about which key is being touched. Kinesthetic feedback lets one know roughly which tactile area is being touched Figure 5c [37]. Tactile feedback lets one know the tactile signature of the key being touched, one of the left hatched keys of FIG 5b, such as key [50]. Integrating the tactile and kinesthetic information indicates that the key being touched is most likely [65] in FIGS. 5b or 5c.
[0044] The tactile pattern and tactile signatures allow the user to resolve which key is which between adjacent keys.
Identifying relative positions.
[0045] For each keypad the dimensions are fixed. If the user knows the keypad layout, and the current key being touched, then they know the relative position of the digit, and the other keys. Since the device orientation is known by the user of the touch screen device, once the key being touched is determined, that really determines the relative position of the digit, and any other key on the keypad. It is pretty clear which direction to move the digit to reach the next desired key. Their relative positions are known.
Audio Feedback: Touch state model.
[0046] In this embodiment, audio feedback is based on state transitions of the touch state model. FIG. 5d shows the touch state transition model. The touch state model has a touch state for every digit. In the touch state model, the digit(s) can be away from the touch screen, or touching a key on the keypad. There could be keypads where it is possible to touch the screen but not be on a key, that would require an additional state in the state transition model. The state transitions are touching down, moving to a different key, and leaving the keypad and the current key. Audio feedback is provided on these state transitions.
[0047] In this embodiment, the following audio feedback is being used. When a key is first touched, a click is sounded, to indicate contact. When the digit leaves one key and slides over a new key, a click is sounded. When touch is released, the key is typed or the command executed, and the key is spoken. This audio feedback strategy is available when this document was written, on the TouchTexting
application, a free download from the iTunes app store. Furthermore In
TouchTexting, if the digit is lifted, or slides off the edge, the key is typed or the command executed. For the landscape mode, two digits can be interacting with two different halves of the keypad at the same time.
[0048] Voice Over has an interesting feature, also found in the development version of TouchTexting. If the digit stays in place a length of time determined by the program, the letter or command is spoken.
Audio Feedback: Stationary Digit
[0049] The Voice Over® application speaks the key when the digit stays on said key for a certain amount of time. Exactly when this happens is determined by the program. The next release of the TouchTexting app does the same thing: specifically it waits for 0.75 seconds with the digit on the same letter, before speaking the letter. I believe the time delay in Voice Over® is less.
[0050] It is possible that the landscape QWERTY keypad can be used with two different thumbs, and so, in the TextFaster app, the click sound is different for the right-hand and left-hand sides of the keypad, to distinguish which side is giving the audio feedback.
Audio Feedback: Next Key
[0051] When the user hears the click he knows that the digit has just touched down, or slid onto an adjacent key. This reduces the set of possible locations for the digit. If it was in the air, it is now touching a key. If It was touching a key, it is no longer touching that key. The audio feedback reduces the set of possible locations for the digit.
Visual Feedback
[0052] While this technology is great for the blind, it is useful not only for the blind. It is also possible to use this technology while looking at the screen. It is how some people learn the screen layout. One could also watch the screen while typing and thus use both tactile and visual feedback. This approach might work particularly with word gestures on the Swype® keypad.
Memory
[0053] While typing, one knows which key is being touched. One also remembers the keypad layout and the adjacent keys. So memory helps reduce the set of possible next keys to the ones adjacent to the current key. As the digit moves, the information provided by memory is useful in identifying the new key being touched.
Identifying the relative positions
[0054] In this embodiment, kinesthetic feedback, tactile feedback, audio feedback and memory are all integrated to facilitate touch typing. The kinesthetic feedback allows one to know roughly where the digit is relative to the device. The tactile feedback further localizes the digit's position relative to the tactile pattern and tactile signature. The audio feedback lets one know when a digit moves from one key to the next. Memory plays an important role. Together, this multimodal interaction allows one to know where the digit is located. In those cases where the user is confused, or perhaps has just touched the device, stopping allows the key to be spoken, providing definitive information as to where the digit is located.
Controlling Gestures.
[0055] Once the relative position of the keypad and digit are known, it is easy to navigate the digit to the desired key. The various feedback modes help identify the relative position of the digit and keypat, at that point it is easy to move the digit in the right direction.
Tactile Plastic Cover
[0056] Figure 16 is a view of a tactile screen cover [90] showing the tactile pattern
[30]. In this embodiment this tactile pattern is made up of dots above the surface. The bottom side of the tactile screen cover has an adhesive layer[110], and below that is a backing layer [120]. The backing layer overhangs the tactile screen
cover[130]. Installation
[0057] To install the tactile screen cover on the touch sensitive device, the touch sensitive device is turned on, the keypad is displayed, and the tactile pattern is aligned with the touch screen. The backing is then removed from the tactile cover, the alignment process is repeated, and the adhesive is used to adhere the tactile cover to the touch screen device. The tactile cover can later be easily removed.
User Process
[0058] In this embodiment, the user executes a keypad gesture, the visually impaired keypad gesture. Other keypad gestures are possible. The user then has kinesthetic, tactile and audio feedback. Some sighted people may also want to look at the keypad. That is a good way to learn the keypad layout.
Second Embodiment: Rotating Touch Screen Device
[0059] The first embodiment showed the basic ideas. This second embodiment builds on them. The almost-QWERTY keypad works great in landscape mode, and upside-down landscape mode, but when the device and its attached tactile cover are rotated to portrait orientation, the tactile cover no longer conforms to the narrower, almost QWERTY keypad. A different keypad is needed in portrait mode in order for the tactile pattern to conform to the keypad in all orientations.
[0060] FIG. 6 shows a 6x6 lower case alphabetic keypad for use in portrait mode. This keypad is currently available from the TextFaster app in the iTunes store. The touch screen [10] has a keypad [23] which has a button [20].
[0061] FIG. 7 shows the tactile pattern [30] in portrait mode. FIG. 8 shows the tactile pattern [30] overlaying the 6x6 alphabetic keypad [23] in portrait mode. The keypad [23] includes the button [20]. In this embodiment, there are four additional keypads: two landscape-mode keypads ,one each for symbols and digit, and two portrait-mode keypads, one each for symbols and digits.
[0062] With this embodiment, one can rotate the iPhone® and there is a clear relationship between the tactile areas, and the keys. Excepting the landscape space bar, each tactile area surrounds 4 keys in any orientation. This is called a
conforming tactile pattern; and indeed, the keys conform to the tactile pattern, so that the tactile surface works in any of the 4 orientations of a touch sensitive device: landscape, portrait, landscape upside-down, and portrait upside-down. By conforming we mean that the tactile pattern conforms to the keypad and in so doing creates tactile signatures for the keys.
Third Embodiment: Existing Voice Over keypads
[0063] The third embodiment is based on an iPhone® running the Voice Over software. FIG. 9 shows the keypad [23] displayed on the touch screen [10]. FIG. 10 shows the conforming tactile pattern[30].
[0064] FIG. 11 shows said tactile pattern [30] overlaid on said touchscreen [10]. There is a key [20] on the keypad [23]. is the touch screen. A similar approach works for the iPod Touch®, iPad® or Android® device in landscape or portrait mode. It would also work for other devices. It also works for other keypad gestures.
[0065] Unlike all the other tactile covers available on the marketplace, in this approach, adjacent keys have different tactile signatures. And the tactile cover supports more than two tactile signatures.
Fourth Embodiment: Split Tablet keypad
[0066] Figure 12 is a touch screen device [10] with a split-screen keypad [85] overlaid by a tactile pattern [30]. Recently Apple® announced a split keypad. They merely took the current keypad and split it, with one half on either side of the screen. First of all, it looks terrible, but more importantly the ergonomics are wrong. The thumb naturally travels up and down the sides of a tablet further than it travels in and out. The Apple® split-screen keypad require the thumb to travel in and out further than up and down. Therefore, the Apple version of the split keypad has bad ergonomics. Instead, it should be taller than it is wide.
[0067] There are tactile covers for the iPad, but they do not have different tactile signatures for the majority of adjacent keys. There are many different split keypad layouts and tactile patterns which would work together. Fifth Embodiment: Calendar
[0068] In another embodiment, the display is a calendar. Imagine a calendar display overlapping the grid. As the digit touches down, or crosses between dates, it speaks the date. It is thus very easy to select a specific date. This device also displays and, when the appropriate button is pushed, speaks the days of the weeks, the month, the year, and the specific numerical date. Of course, the position of the calendar can be moved around; different layouts are possible, and different views are possible; i.e., years, months, days, hours or even minutes. This
embodiment is presented in order to show that this technology works not just for keypads, but for other presentations characterized by buttons.
Sixth Embodiment: Dialpad
[0069] Even with Voice Over, it is a little difficult for the vision-impaired to dial a smart phone. Extra taps are required. If we display a cell phone-like layout using this technology, then the vision-impaired can dial phone numbers more rapidly than currently possible. Imagine the Mobile Accessibility® dialpad with a conforming tactile grid.
Seventh Embodiment: Light Discipline Keypad
[0070] In military and police operations, displaying light can literally put the person's life at risk. The technology described herein solves that problem. These methods and devices allow eyes-free operation of a dark device with a touch sensitive screen. FIG 13 is a light discipline keypad. [87] is the display. [30] is the tactile pattern. Just make the screen go dark, and the whole system continues to work. There is no light to be displayed. The user can still interact happily with the user interface. There is still a display, there are still keys, but no light is coming out. For the purposes of this patent, we say that a light discipline keypad displays a keypad.
Eighth embodiment: Swype®
[0071] Swype® is a keypad for touch screen devices. Rather than tapping for each key, it allows one to slide a digit between letters on a keypad, in order to type a word. That is called a word gesture. Currently, in order to know where the digit is during the word gesture, one has to watch the keypad. This technology could easily be integrated with the Swype® technology. Then as a word gesture is in process, the user could know where the touch was happening without looking at the keypad.
Ninth embodiment: Tactile Touch Screen
[0072] It is envisioned that the touch screen manufacturers will license this patent and incorporate the tactile pattern into the touch screens of their devices. Such screens are called tactile touch screens. Fig. 14 shows a touch screen device [5].
[88] is an example of a physical button, on the touch screen device, in this case the home button. There could be other buttons in other locations on the device. Any combination of buttons shapes sizes and locations is possible. There may be other things on the touch screen device as well. Plug points, usb points, custom
connectors, power connector points are all possible. [89] is the tactile touch screen. A tactile touch screen Is a touch screen with a tactile pattern a part of the said screen. In this case the tactile pattern is a grid. For illustration purposes the tactile features on the grid are rather squarish. They could be much more rounded. Other tactile features on the tactile touch screen are also possible. [20] is a button. [86] is the space bar on the keypad. Since the touch screen is transparent, it is possible to see the space bar through the tactile pattern, although there may well be some visual distortion.
[0073] The touch screen itself would be manufactured with a tactile pattern. Then the app developers could design their apps so that significant display features would conform with the tactile pattern on the touch screen. There are many different tactile patterns possible, but perhaps a grid would be used.
Tenth Embodiment: Braille Tactile Pattern.
[0074] One possibility is to create the tactile pattern with BRAILLE® letters. The signature for each key would be BRAILLE® letter for each key. FIG 15a is a
QWERTY keypad [23]. It has a key Q [72]. FIG. 15B is the conforming BRAILLE® tactile cover [75]. It has the BRAILLE symbol for Q [73]. FIG. 15C is the BRAILLE® tactile cover overlaid on the QWERTY keypad. It has a both the key Q [72] andt he BRAILLE symbol for Q [73] overlaying it. Reportedly the blind can read BRAILLE surprisingly fast.
[0075] This embodiment might not be very interesting for the general population. While adjacent keys would have different tactile patterns, the patterns of the adjacent keys would not be recognizably different for the average person. Also the average person does not have as well developed a sense of touch as the visually impaired. The average person could slide their digit over BRAILLE letters, and still not recognize the tactile signature, and not know where the digit is. For the purposes of this patent, we define this situation as adjacent keys not having recognizably different tactile patterns. Alternatively the average person may not find such a pattern appealing. For the purposes of this patent, we contrast that with adjacent keys having different but appealing patterns.
Manufacturing the Covers
[0076] There are many ways to make the tactile screen covers. They are currently made with 8 ½ x 11 plastic sheets known as Braillables® from American
Thermoform; another supplier is American Lighthouse for the Blind®. The latter provides thinner material, so perhaps the dots will not hold up under extended use.
[0077] The dots are printed on the plastic sheets using a Braille printer. The View Plus ® printer is currently used. American Thermoform sells several other printers. Most of these graphics braille printer vendors show up at the trade shows such as the International Technology and Peron's with Disability conference, and are listed on the website, www.csun.edu/cod/conference/program/sessions.php
[0078] The View Plus printers have design software which allows one to specify an arbitrary bit-mapped image using their Tiger graphics editor. The images are 20 dpi. The patterns are printed using sheet-fed printers.
[0079] FIG. 17 shows a plastic sheet [100] of tactile screen covers. [91] is where the tactile screen cover is cut out.
[0080] FIG. 16 shows tactile screen cover [90] after it has been cut out of the plastic sheet. [110] I the adhesive layer . [120] is the thin plastic backing. [130] is the overhang of the backing beyond the tactile screen cover [0081] In the current manufacturing process, a pair of scissors is used to cut the plastic sheets. An X-ACTO® can also be used. These plastic sheets have a very thin backing of plastic, which is peeled off prior to attaching the tactile screen cover to a touch screen device. Sometimes the plastic backing overhangs the plastic sheet on one side, sometimes on both sides. The tactile pattern is printed as close as possible to the overhang. This minimizes the size of the tactile screen cover. The overhanging part of the plastic backing is not cut away, but rather left in place. The overhang is used to peel away the backing prior to installation. Cut away the rest of the sheet from the tactile screen cover. Do not cut off the side with the overhang. The overhang is then available to help peel off the plastic backing when the product is installed, making it easy for the end user to remove the backing.
Conclusions Ramifications and Scope
[0082] Thus the reader will see that at least one embodiment of the device provides for more rapid touch typing on a touch screen device. While the above descriptions contain many specificities, they should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but rather as an exemplification of many embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. The touchscreen device can be be a smart phone, cell phone, laptop, desktop, tablet, PDA or other device. The pattern could be part of the touch screen, on a touch screen cover, or part of the case. The touch screen can be polgon of any dimension or even have curved edges. It could be capacitative touch sensing or resistive touch sensing or some other technology. The tactile pattern can be part of the touch screen, part of the touch screen cover, part of a case for the touch screen device, or a comination of the above. The tactile features can be up or down, from the flat touch screen. Tactile feature can be protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, indentations or other arbitrary three dimensional shapes. Lines, circles, curves, three dimensional surfaces, surface texture, and other topological configurations can also be used to produce tactile feedback.
There could be a dot in the middle of some keys. There could be each letter spelled out in Braille. There can be different tactile patterns, including grids with different dimensions. There are many other possible layouts of the dots. These tactile features can be combined to create an infinite possible number of tactile signatures, and built up into any number of different patterns, including lines shapes, polygons, curves, pictures, designs with gaps, and other patterns. Other languages and keypad layouts are possible. Other keypad gesture and indeed more broadly defined touch screen gestures are possible. Indeed this technology works for more than just keypads, any application with buttons whose relative locations can be known is great. A calendar is one example mentioned, other content type are also possible. The materials can be plastic, glass or other materials, provided they transmit the touch gestures. Transparency is another good quality although not needed by the blind, or those requiring light discipline. Touch sensitive devices do not need to be flat, indeed they do not even need to be what we traditionally think of as computer. Image a door know where different gestures mean different things. Which part you swipe as you walk out the door leaves different messages for your family. The tactile pattern make sure you send the right message.
[0083] While these embodiment have a specific audio feedback approach, other audio feedback strategies are also possible. In general, audio feedback is optional. Other audio feedback strategies are also possible. There are many ways to provide audio feedback. At each state transition, or at some of the state transitions, audio feedback can be provided. There can also be a sound when the digit stays in the same place for a certain duration. Different durations are possible. Sounds for other events are also possible. The sounds can either be a click, or the letter or command being spoken. Other sounds are also possible. There is a huge array of sounds available to any sound technician. It is also possible to audio broadcast of the identity of a key at any point in time, or on any touch state transition, or other event.
[0084] In general there are many ways to combine feedback. Each person may have their own preferred approach. One specific embodiment of a feedback strategy is provided. Other feedback strategies are also possible.
[0085] Accordingly the scope should be determined not by the not by the embodiments given but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

I claim:
1 . A method of entering information into a touch screen device with a tactile pattern comprising:
a) gesturing on said touch screen device,
b) feeling the tactile pattern,
c) using the tactile signatures to help identify the relative position of a touch and the keypad, and
d) using said relative positions to control the gestures,
wherein the majority of keys have different tactile signatures than their neighbors.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tactile pattern is on a tactile screen cover.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said tactile screen cover adheres to the touch screen device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tactile pattern is on said touch screen. 4a. The method of claim 1 where the gesture is a keypad gesture.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tactile pattern comprise any one or more of
indentations. protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, lines, circles, curves, surface textures and other, three dimensional shapes.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet, or a personal digital assistant.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tactile pattern provides tactile signatures for the keys in multiple orientations of the touch screen device.
9. The method of claim 1 where audio feedback provides information about touch state transitions.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio feedback comprises an audio broadcast of the identity of a key when the key is pressed for an amount of time determined by the touch screen device.
11 . The method of claim 1 where the gesture is a word gesture or an over gesture.
12. A method of manufacturing a tactile screen cover comprising:
a) acquiring plastic sheets,
b) printing a tactile pattern on said sheets, and,
c) cutting the tactile cover out of said plastic sheets.
Wherein the tactile pattern can provide tactile signatures for the majority of keys on a keypad on a touch screen device.
13 The method of claim 12, wherein the tactile pattern comprise any one or more of indentations. protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, or other lines, circles, curves, surface textures and other, three dimensional shapes.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the plastic sheets has an adhesive layer and a backing layer.
15. The method of claim 12 where an adhesive layer and backing layer are added to the plastic sheets.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the tactile pattern when aligned with the keypad creates a tactile signature for the majority of keys, wherein the tactile signature of each key is different than the tactile signature of its immediate neighbors.
17. A tactile screen cover for a touch screen device comprising:
a) a transparent material which allows touch sensing by the touch screen device.
b) a tactile pattern which can provide tactile signatures for the majority of keys of a keypad of a touch screen device.
18. The device of claim 17, wherein the tactile pattern comprise any one or more of
indentations. protrusions, dots, slits, depressions, cut outs, impressions, or other lines, circles, curves, surface textures and other, three dimensional shapes.
19. The tactile screen cover of claim 17, wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet, or a personal digital assistant.
20. The tactile screen cover of claim 17, wherein the tactile screen cover adheres to the surface of the touch screen device .
21 . A touch screen device having a tactile touch screen, comprising:
a) a tactile touch screen, wherein the tactile pattern on the surface of the touch screen device creates a tactile signature for the majority of the keys on the keypad of the touch screen device, wherein further the tactile signatures on the majority of the adjacent keys on the keypad of the touch screen device are different,
22. The touch screen device of claim 21 , wherein the tactile features comprise any one or more of protrusions, dots, slits, impressions, and indentations.
22. The touch screen device of claim 21 , wherein most tactile boundaries surround multiple keys on the keypad of the touch screen device.
23. The touch screen device of claim 21 , wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet, or a personal digital assistant.
24. The device of claim 21 where audio feedback provides information about touch state transitions.
25. The touch screen device of claim 24, wherein the audio feedback comprises an audio broadcast of the identity of a key when the key is pressed for an amount of time determined by the software.
PCT/US2012/041433 2011-06-07 2012-06-07 Touch typing on a touch screen device WO2012170745A2 (en)

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