Patent ID: 9007331
Filing Date: 2015-04-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A user input device comprising: a communications interface; a touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements including: at least one central touch sensitive element with a first touch sensitive element value; and a set of touch sensitive elements located about the at least one central touch sensitive element, wherein each of the set of touch sensitive elements have a second touch sensitive element value being lower to that of the at least one central touch sensitive element; and processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry operable to: scan the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values, which includes the first and the second touch sensitive element values; initially detect a hovering finger condition by comparing the plurality of touch sensitive element values to a hovering finger threshold pattern, the plurality of touch sensitive element values including the first touch sensitive element value of the at least one central touch sensitive element of the plurality of touch sensitive elements and, upon a favorable comparison to the hovering finger threshold pattern: alter a sensitivity of the set of the touch sensitive elements and the at least one central touch sensitive element; provide a distance value of the hovering finger condition relative to the touch sensitive pad; and provide a three-dimensional position based on the distance value of the hovering finger condition relative to the touch sensitive pad based at least in part upon a plurality of the second touch sensitive element values of the set of touch sensitive elements.