Touchscreen with three-handed gestures system and method

A user interface verification device and a method of use is presented for recognizing a three-hand gesture on a touchscreen of the device. The gesture is recognized by detecting a plurality of contact points in at least two, disparate touching zones, and simultaneously detecting additional contact points in a third, disparate touching zone. In one embodiment, the device displays content in a review mode that can be reviewed in a normal manner. In the execution mode, the device requires a signature, a touch, or another sign of acceptance involving a touch within the third touching zone. The device can ensure that a customer directly provides consent by requiring that the two, multi-point touching zones are tactilely engaged by both hands of a presenter while in the execution mode.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to a method and device capable of recognizing a three-handed touchscreen gesture that requires at least two individuals, or at least three “hands,” to interact simultaneously with the touchscreen.

SUMMARY

Today's touchscreen devices are able to track and analyze multiple points of contact on a touchscreen, which allows the devices to recognize a great number of complex “gestures.” The embodiments described herein relate to a specific touchscreen gesture that ensures simultaneous interaction on the screen by at least three separate hands. Multiple contact points (such as three fingers) are grouped together to represent a single hand. This multiple contact requirement helps to ensure that fingers from a single hand are not used as part of the recognition of two different hands. In another embodiment, a second hand is recognized at a distance from the first, which also serves to prevent fingers from a single hand from being accidentally recognized as being part of two different hands. In yet another embodiment, both the first and second hand are recognized via a three-finger contact.

The third hand can be recognized via a single contact point or via multiple fingers. If a single contact point is used, it is important that this single contact point be remote from the first and second hand locations. In many instances, the single contact point is created through the use of a touchscreen stylus. In other embodiments, the first and second hands are recognized in a static location, and the third hand is recognized by a moving or swiping gesture.

The three-handed gesture is useful in many environments. In commercial environments, for example, a three-handed gesture allows an employee to interact with the device's touchscreen interface on behalf of a customer, but prevents employees from skipping or overriding prompts that the customer is intended to perform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technical Implementation

A mobile device10is shown inFIG. 1. The mobile device10may take the form of an electronic tablet, a portable computer, a smart phone, or any other portable electronic communication device that utilizes a touchscreen20. While the device10may be “purpose-built” device created solely for the purpose of implementing the present invention, in most cases the device will be a general purpose mobile device that has been programmed to recognize a three-handed gesture.

As shown inFIG. 1, the device10has a housing12, a touchscreen20, a processor30, data memory40, program memory50, and a wireless network interface60that communicates over a wide area network70. The processor30is responsible for analyzing programming instructions received from program memory50, for accessing the data memory40, for communicating over a network70via the wireless network interface60, and for receiving and displaying information through the touchscreen20. The data memory40stores program and system data, while the program memory50stores programming code used by the processor30. Although these two memories40,50are shown separately inFIG. 1, these two types of memory can be implemented using a single logical memory, a single hardware memory structure, or both. These elements12-60all work together to allow users to store, process, and display information for the benefit of a user.

InFIG. 1, the program memory50is shown containing three types of programs, namely application programming52, custom gestures programming54, and operating system programming56. Application programming52defines the applications (or “apps”) that are executed on the mobile device10. The apps52can be downloaded from a “store” that distributes apps, or can come pre-loaded onto the mobile device10when the device10is first purchased.

One such app52is a web browser, which allows users to visit web sites and other content over the wireless network interface60and the wide area network70. InFIG. 1, remote web application80is shown communicating with the device10over the network70. The remote web application80likely takes the form of a web server computer that serves up web-based content over the Internet (network70). The web browser running on the mobile device50can interact with the remote web application80to provide a user interface on the touchscreen display20. In many cases, the remote web application80can appear to the user as a local application even though the remote web application80is responsible for analyzing inputs and providing content to the mobile device10. In other words, the web application80functions like a local application by presenting the required user interface through the browser application built into the mobile device10. In other circumstances, the remote web application80uses a specially programmed application52rather than a standard web browser. This specially programmed application can downloaded through an application store, and will appear to the user to be a self-contained application while actually relying upon the remote web application80for the analysis of user content and for providing a user interface on the touchscreen20.

One benefit of using a custom application52is that applications52residing on the mobile device10can be written to have greater access to the operating system56of the device10than would be possible through interaction with a web browser. The operating system56allows applications52residing on the device50to access various aspects of the touchscreen20, to communicate over the wireless network interface60, to store and retrieve data in the data memory40, and to communicate with other input/output and sensor elements such as a microphone, a speaker, an accelerometer, a GPS circuit, etc. (none of which are shown onFIG. 1). In contrast to local applications52, remote applications80operating through a standard web browser are not given complete access to these functions.

In the preferred embodiment, the operating system56identifies particular inputs on the touchscreen and interprets these inputs as one or more “gestures.” Typical gestures include a swipe gesture, a pinch gesture, a zoom gesture, a rotate gesture, and a two-finger swipe gesture, among others. The application programming52does not need to independently identify when a user is performing a particular gesture (such as the pinch gesture). Instead, the application52uses the application programming interface (or “API”) provided by the operating system52to identify the gesture.

The three-handed gesture implemented by the embodiments described herein is not handled by standard, pre-programmed APIs for known mobile device operating systems. Instead, the technology required to detect this unique gesture is stored in the program memory50as custom gesture programming54. This programming54can take the form of a library or other programming construct that can be used and shared by multiple application programs52. This custom gesture programming54relies upon the facilities provided by the operating system56, and provides a common interface for different applications52to access this programming54. In other embodiments, the three-handed gesture recognition programming54can be integrated directly into the application programming52that requires this capability, or can be included as a standard part of the capabilities of the operating system56.

Regardless of whether this programming54is embedded with an app52, embedded in the operating system56, or remains separate from each of these, the purpose of the custom recognition programming54is to recognize a three-handed gesture. The three-handed gesture requires that three different “hands” engage or touch the touchscreen20simultaneously. In describing these three engagements as being “simultaneous,” it is meant that the engagements are detected concurrently, not that all three engagements are initiated at precisely the same moment. This type of three-handed gesture has a variety of practical uses, only some of which are described herein. This gesture can be used, for instance, to require interaction of at least two different users in order to gain access to certain functionalities of the device10or to record consent to an agreement.

FIG. 2shows one sensing configuration that can be used to verify a three-handed gesture. In this Figure, the mobile device10receives input through its touchscreen20in three different touch zones200,210, and220. These zones200,210,220are preferably divided by sufficient physical space on the touch screen20so as to prevent one or two hands from simultaneously touching all three zones200,210,220. While this disclosure discusses the desirability of “preventing” this situation, it is sufficient for the configuration to render the occurrence difficult or unnatural for the user. In addition, it is important that these zones be non-overlapping so that a single touch is not registered in two zones. InFIG. 2, the touchscreen20is vertical, with one zone200on the left of the screen20, one zone210on the right, and one zone220on the bottom. None of these zones overlap, and all are located far from each other on the touchscreen20. In one embodiment, if all three zones200,210, and220are simultaneously touched, the three-handed gesture is recognized.

On a standard-sized touchscreen20it would be possible to touch all three zones200,210, and220with one or two hands. In one configuration, therefore, two of the zones200,210are not recognized as properly touched unless multiple touch points (described herein as fingers) are identified in zones200,210. InFIG. 2, both the left zone200and right zone210are shown on the touchscreen20with three finger location markers230. These finger location markers230serve as guides to a user. In order to register a full “touch” of the left200or right zone210, a separate contact point must be registered in each of these finger location markers230. In practice, this may be best accomplished by gripping the mobile device10from behind while placing one finger in each of the location markers230. When gripped in this matter, it is impossible (or at least very difficult) for the user grasping the device to also input a touch in the third touch zone220, thereby requiring a third hand in order for a touch to be registered in all three zones200,210,220.

InFIG. 2, a slide bar240is shown in the bottom touch zone220. To register a touch in this zone220, the user must touch the slide marker or button242and slide the button242to the right in the slide bar240. If this is accomplished while contact is being registered at all the finger location markers230, the three-handed gesture is recognized.

The exact location of the three zones200,210, and220can be predetermined before any contact with the touchscreen. In such cases, the touchscreen20can present a visual indication of the location of these zones. InFIG. 2, zones200,210,220are shown in dotted lines to indicated that these zones are not actually shown on the touch screen display20. In contrast, the finger location markers230and the slide bar240are visually displayed on the screen20in order for the users to successfully execute the three-handed gesture. In other embodiments, the left and right zones200,210could be actually displayed on the screen20and the finger location markers230could be removed from the display. In these embodiments, all that would be necessary is to recognize the touch of at least three fingers inside the left and right zones200,210. In still other embodiments, the finger location markers230could be shown on the display, but it would not be necessary that each recognized finger touch occur within the rigid confines of the displayed finger location markers230. As long as three separate finger touches are recognized anywhere within each of the left and right zones200,210, the gesture would be recognized. Of course, not all embodiments will require three points of contact in each of the left and right zones200,210. Any number from one to five may be possible, although one is not preferred because it would be easy for a user to touch multiple zones200,210,220simultaneously and a requirement of five fingers within two or more zones200,210,220would make it difficult for any party to view any content250that may also be displayed on the screen20. Furthermore, the slide bar240shown in touch zone220is merely exemplary of a user interface element that requires user interaction with the screen20in that zone220. The zone220, for example, might require only the pressing of a button (a single finger being recognized), or the touching of multiple fingers simultaneously (much like as described above for zones200,210).

As shown inFIG. 2, touchscreen20has a four-sided, rectangular shape, and touch zones200,210are located proximal to opposing sides of the touchscreen20. While these zones200need not be directly opposing each one another (i.e., they do not need to be equidistant from a third side), it is frequently preferred that these touch zones200,210be adjacent to opposite sides of the touchscreen20. These locations would make it possible to hold the device from behind in an outstretched manner. In other words, one user could hold the device10from behind while keeping three fingers in zones200,210, and then present the device10to a second user so that they could register their touch in zone220. Note that inFIG. 2, touch zone220is located proximal to a third side of the touchscreen. In some embodiments, it is possible to create a dedicated mobile device that implements the first and second touch zones within the housing12of the mobile device outside of the touchscreen itself20. This would require implementing dedicated touch sensors within the housing that would replace the zones200,210that are implemented through the touchscreen. InFIG. 2, locations200aand210ashow possible locations for these dedicated, alternative touch sensors immediately adjacent to the main touchscreen20of the device10. In some embodiments, these alternate locations200a,210acan be positioned along the top, bottom, or sides, of the device housing12.

In another embodiment, the three zones200,210, and220are not pre-defined to particular locations on the touchscreen20. In these cases, the gesture recognition programming54looks for an adequate number of separate contact points within two different areas that exist on opposite sides of the screen20. For example, the programming54could look for two clusters of at least three contact points. If the points within each clusters are sufficiently close to each other to fall within a touch zone, and the two clusters are sufficiently far from each other (such as on opposite sides of the touchscreen20), the programming54will recognize these as two hands in a three-handed gesture. The programming may then display on the screen some indicator of a third zone, such as slide bar240, that is located on the screen relatively remote from the two already-identified touch zones. When an appropriate touch is received in this third zone, the three-handed gesture is recognized.

First Method

A method300for recognizing a three-handed gesture on a touchscreen20is shown inFIG. 300. The method starts in step310, where a sufficient touch in a first touch zone (such as zone200) is recognized. In the preferred embodiment, the recognition of a touch involves the use of APIs in the operating system56that allow for applications52and custom libraries and the like (such as customer gesture programming54) to request identification of gestures and touches on the tablet device10. As explained above, the touch zone for step310can be a pre-defined area on the touchscreen20. In these circumstances, the touch zone (or elements within the touch zone), can be displayed on the screen20itself. For a touch to be sufficient, it may be necessary for the gesture programming54to identify multiple touches in the touch zone, such as the three separate touches described above in connection withFIG. 2. Other requirements for a sufficient touch could be defined, as is also described above. If the first touch is recognized in step310, the method moves on to steps320and330to recognize touches in a second and third touch zone, respectively. The physical separation of the three touch zones, along with the requirements that the touch be “sufficient” in each zone before it is recognized, helps to ensure that three separate hands are being used. Again, each of these zones may require multiple touches, or a sliding interaction, or any other type of known sub-gesture within the zone. Once this is accomplished, the three-handed gesture is recognized in step340. In one embodiment, the three-handed gesture must be recognized in step340before additional programming or content is made available to the user. The content can be under control of either local application programming52or remote application programming80, although in either case the preferred embodiment requires the gesture recognition programming54to be located local to the mobile device10to allow full access to the operating system56. Thus, in step350of the method300, access is granted to this additional application programming or content after the recognition of the gesture in step340. In other embodiments, the three-handed gesture can be used to indicate a user's consent to an agreement, notice, purchase order, or the like. In these embodiments, step350would record the fact that consent/assent was given via the three-handed gesture. The method ends at step360.

In embodiments where the touch zones are not predefined, steps310and320will examine the entire touchscreen20to look for sufficient touches. Once found, as described above, optional step325may then display on the touchscreen an indication of the third touch zone. Note that optional step325can also be used in cases where touch zones are predefined. In this case, the third zone is not visually displayed on the touchscreen until after the first two zones have received recognized touches (steps310and320). In either case, the method would then continue after optional step325at step330.

Commercial Applications

One application of this new gesture recognition technology exists in a commercial setting. In these settings, employees and customer both routinely interact with systems, remote applications, and databases through a mobile device having a touchscreen. In these environments, tablet computers are frequently used to display various forms, including privacy disclosures, terms of use, contracts, orders, and discount offers on potentially desired products and services. These forms may be displayed on a touchscreen20, be filled out, or otherwise modified by interacting with the touchscreen20, and finally be agreed to by one or both of the customer and the commercial establishment's representative. The three-handed gesture allows employees to guide a customer through material on the tablet computer while preventing those employees form skipping over or overriding prompts or other actions that the customer is intended to perform. The three-handed gesture can be implemented as a requirement of user consent, whereby an employee must contact the touchscreen on two sides with two or more fingers of each hand, such as would be indicative of holding the device outward toward a customer for his or her inspection and use. Only when properly held in this manner will the device allow further interaction with the touchscreen by the customer (the third “hand”) to indicate their consent. In this manner, it is the customer who actively views and consents to the content on the screen while the presenter acts as a passive observer who cannot actively engage the consent portion of the interface screen20.

As explained above, the device10of the present invention is uniquely configured so as to require three “hands” to engage the touchscreen20in order to interact with certain functionalities of the device10, such as the appearance of a signature or execution screen/box, various product or service offers, personal information input screens, etc. In describing user interaction with the device10as requiring “three hands,” what is meant is that a nominal user of the device10, such as a store employee or sales associate (hereinafter referred to as a presenter), must hold the device with two hands and present the touchscreen interface12toward a third party individual (hereinafter a customer), so that the customer is capable of interacting with the interface12via their hand, a stylus or other mechanism of personal interaction (i.e. the aforementioned third hand).

To ensure that appropriate device functionality is available to only the customer, the device10includes two contact or touch zones200,210, each of which must be brought into contact with multiple fingers of each hand of the presenter. Only when each contact zone200and210is engaged by the fingers of the presenter is the device10activated to receive input in the third touch zone220. This activation is shown visually by displaying the means for receiving the input, such as the slide bar240shown inFIG. 2. In the context of method300, it is optional step325that displays this ability to receive input in the third touch zone220. In one embodiment, the third zone220is capable of receiving input only as long as the first two zones have a registered touch. If the user holding the device10were to stop their engagement with zones200and210, the slide bar240would disappear and input would not be received in the third zone220.

A method of using the three-handed gesture in a commercial environment is presented inFIG. 4. In this method, a user may use the touchscreen20to accesses content from the memory40of the device10or to access a portion of a local application52or the remote web application80. This occurs in step410of method400. This content may be presented in the form of any of a variety of audio and/or visual mediums. A typical form of such content250may be an electronic document. As used herein the term “document” may be an electronic document comprised of text as is traditionally understood. A document may also comprise audio, video, still images and even tactile elements presented through the touchscreen interface20. Upon being displayed on the touchscreen20, both the presenter and user are allowed to freely review and interact with the document250displayed (step420). During this phase of document review, there is no requirement for the presenter to have tactile contact with the touch zones200.210. During this review, the interface12may be engaged so as to allow screen scrolling and other common functionalities associated with document review. For example, a presenter may be progressing through an order screen with a customer, presenting options displayed on the screen20to the customer, and even inputting order options on behalf of the customer.

After the customer or presenter has progressed sufficiently far through the content250, it may be necessary or desirable for the customer to provide authorization or agreement to terms stated in the document. The terms might be contractual terms requiring assent by a customer, or an agreement to an appointment such as a delivery date, or a notification of terms such as a HIPPA agreement or a privacy policy. In each case, it is important to ensure that it is the customer that indicates assent or agreement, and not the presenter/employee. In one embodiment where the three-handed gesture is used to require a customer's consent, one of the zones could be considered the “consent” zone, meaning that this is the zone that is used by the customer to indicate their consent, assent, agreement, or acknowledgement of the content250. InFIG. 2, the consent zone might be zone220, while zones200,210are the “holding” zones in which a presenter or employee holds the mobile device10while the customer provides their consent. The presenter then holds onto the mobile device10touching the two holding zones200,210(step430). In step440, the customer provides their consent/agreement by touching the consent zone220. The three-handed gesture is successfully recognized, as described above, and the consent of the customer is accepted.

In the embodiment ofFIG. 2, the consent zone is located in the lower touch zone220. There is no requirement, of course, for the consent zone to be located at the bottom of the touchscreen20, as any location could be appropriate. Furthermore, inFIG. 2the indication of assent is shown as a slide bar240. Of course, other interface elements can be used to show agreement, such as a “push” button or a signature box. If a signature box is used, it is possible that the touch being registered in the consent zone is being provided by a stylus. The agreement indicator could also be in the form of a trace path, in which the customer must follow some pre-defined path to indicate consent. In other words, the indication of assent may be the detection of one or more static touch points in the consent zone, or the detection of a moving contact point within that zone. In one embodiment, the device10is configured to prevent the display of any mechanism for consent (such as an appropriate signature space or slide bar) on the touchscreen20until two of the three touch zones have been successfully touched (such as zones200and210). When the presenter is properly touching both holding zones, the processor30receives a signal, and the application52will then present the information in the consent zone that allows the receipt of consent (see step325ofFIG. 3).

In another embodiment, the application52operates in two modes, a document review mode and a document execution mode. In the document review mode, the presenter and the customer can review the content250presented on the display20freely (as in step420above). In this mode, however, the customer may not consent/agreement to/acknowledge this content250, as such consent may only occur in document execution mode. One method of transitioning into the document execution mode is for the presenter to grasp the holding zones of the tablet10(step430). This tactile contact of these zones (such as zones200,210inFIG. 2) notifies the application52and processor30that touchscreen20should now be transitioned from the document review mode to the document execution mode. In the document execution mode, the touchscreen20displays a signature block, customer authorization acceptance box or other electronic mechanism of receiving and recording customer assent or acknowledgment in the consent zone (such as zone220). As long as tactile contact is maintained at both holding zones (such as zones200,210), the consent zone is displayed on the touchscreen20and may be interacted with by tactile input by the customer's finger, hand, stylus or other implement suitable for use with inputting data (step440). In the event that either or both of the contact holding zones detect loss of proper contact, the application52will revert the touchscreen display20back to the document review mode (step420), and remove the ability for the content250to be executed or acknowledged.

Following the receipt of consent from the customer, the application52will save an indication of this consent in the data memory40or transmits this consent to the remote web application80(step450). Once the content250is appropriately acknowledged, at any point thereafter the presenter may disengage the holding zones (such as200,210) to allow the device10to revert to the document review mode, whereupon new content for the same or a different customer may be accessed and displayed on the touchscreen20.

In another embodiment, the device10may be configured such that, upon successfully recognizing the three-handed gesture as an indication of consent, an application52automatically accesses and displays on the touchscreen20additional content. This is shown as step460inFIG. 4. This content may comprise, for example, special discount offers, an opportunity to enroll in a loyalty program, a specialty credit card, or a coupon. In some cases, the customer needs to only review this content and does not need to indicate any additional consent. In these cases, the device10reverts to document review mode. In other cases, this additional content may require additional consent, such as an offer to receive additional services along with a purchase of goods. As long as the presenter maintains contact with the holding zones, the device10remains in document execution mode and the customer may review and accept/consent to the additional content by signing or agreeing in one of the manners described above. The method ends at step470.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the above description. Numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Since such modifications are possible, the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described. Rather, the present invention should be limited only by the following claims.