Patent ID: 9423877
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method of enabling input to a portable computing device, comprising: displaying a keyboard on a display screen of a portable computing device; capturing image information using a camera of the portable computing device; analyzing the image information, using a processor of the portable computing device, to determine a position of a fingertip of a user with respect to the portable computing device; updating a current position of a cursor displayed on the display screen of the portable computing device, the cursor configured to move across the keyboard in two dimensions corresponding to contactless movement of the fingertip of the user in a plane relative to the display screen; detecting, from the captured image information and using the processor, contactless motion of the fingertip toward the display screen; determining a first amount of change in position of the fingertip in the plane relative to the display screen based on the contactless movement of the fingertip in the plane relative to the display screen; determining a selection threshold for the contactless motion of the fingertip toward the display screen, the selection threshold at least partly proportional to the first amount of change in position of the fingertip; and determining that a second amount of change in position of the fingertip toward the display screen at least meets the selection threshold, and the contactless motion of the fingertip is detected as having at least a minimum velocity: locking the current position of the cursor such that the position does not change during the contactless motion of the fingertip toward the display screen; and causing a character of the keyboard under the cursor to be selected as input to an application executing on the portable computing device as a result of the contactless motion of the fingertip toward the display screen at the determined position.