Abstract:
A computer input device is disclosed which comprised a keyboard having a plurality of keys for entering commands and characters into the computer, the keyboard having a designated surface area overlaying the plurality of keys, at least one of the plurality of keys being located outside of the designated surface area, a touch sensor for detecting one or more touches by one or more objects on the designated surface area of the keyboard, and an input processor configured to switch the keyboard into a mouse mode when the touch sensor having detected the designated surface area being touched by a single object, the input processor configured to switch the keyboard into a keyboard mode when the touch sensor having detected the designated surface area being touched by two or more objects.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to human input devices for computing systems, and, more particularly, to a computer keyboard and mouse combo device. 
         [0002]    A most popular way to position a cursor on a computer display is to use a mouse, which functions by detecting two dimensional motions relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse comprises an object held under one of a user&#39;s hands, with one or more buttons. Clicking or hovering (stopping movement while the cursor is within the bounds of an area) can select files, programs or actions from a list of names, or (in graphical interfaces) through small images called “icons” and other elements. For example, a text file might be represented by a picture of a paper notebook, and clicking while the cursor hovers over this icon might cause a text editing program to open the file in a window. 
         [0003]    When mice have more than one button, software may assign different functions to each button. Often, a primary (leftmost in a right-handed configuration) button on the mouse will select items (primary click), and a secondary (rightmost in a right-handed) button will bring up a menu of alternative actions applicable to that item (secondary click). 
         [0004]    While conventional mice can be highly accurate pointing devices for computers, being a separate device the conventional mice have some short-comings such as every time when a computer user wants to move a cursor, he or she has to move his or her hand away from the keyboard and to the mouse, and move the mouse as a physical object. It is not only less efficient but also may cause injury to the hand over an extended period of time of use. 
         [0005]    As such, what is desired is a computer input device, particularly a pointing device, that does not rely on moving any additional object other than the user&#39;s fingers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present invention discloses a computer input device which comprises a keyboard having a plurality of keys for entering commands and characters into the computer, and the keyboard having a designated surface area overlaying the plurality of keys, at least one of the plurality of keys being located outside of the designated surface area. The computer input device also comprises a touch sensor for detecting one or more touches by one or more objects on the designated surface area of the keyboard. The computer input device further comprises an input processor configured to switch the keyboard into a mouse mode when the touch sensor having detected the designated surface area being touched by a single object, and the input processor configured to switch the keyboard into a keyboard mode when the touch sensor having detected the designated surface area being touched by two or more objects. 
         [0007]    The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a laptop computer with a keyboard. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates an infrared-light touch sensing system positioned to detect touch on the keyboard surface according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a layout diagram of keyboard keys according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a computing system with a keyboard-mouse combo device according to the embodiment of present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart diagram illustrating steps of operations of the keyboard-mouse combo device of the embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the invention. A clearer conception of the invention, and of the components and operation of systems provided with the invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers (if they occur in more than one view) designate the same elements. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the description presented herein. 
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The present invention relates to a computer input device utilizing a touch sensing device and a conventional keyboard to provide cursor input for the computer. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a laptop computer  100  with a conventional keyboard  105  for entering text, etc. The laptop computer  100  has a base unit  102  containing the keyboard  105 , and a display panel  115  which is hinged to the base unit  102  by hinges  118 . A skilled computer user can generally type on the keyboard  105  with both hands  123  and  124 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates an infrared-light touch sensing system positioned to detect touches on the surface of the keyboard  105  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The infrared-light touch sensing system includes an infrared light emitter  202  and an infrared light receiver  208 . The infrared light travels across the surface of the keyboard  105 . A finger  124  or any other object touching the surface of the keyboard  105  blocks the infrared light from being received by the infrared light receiver  208 . As a result, the touch can be detected. 
         [0017]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the infrared light emitter  202  can be positioned along one edge of the keyboard  105  and the infrared light receiver  208  can be positioned along the opposite edge of the keyboard  105 . In order to obtain coordinates of a touch, two sets of the infrared light touch sensors will be needed with one set positioned on the horizontal edges and the other on the vertical edges. 
         [0018]    Although an infrared-light touch sensing system is described hereinbefore, other touch sensing systems, such as the one using a video camera can also be used. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a layout diagram of keys of the keyboard  105  according to the embodiment of the present invention. A predetermined touch sensing area  310  is designated by a keyboard-mouse combo software for detecting a touch and extracting coordinates of the touch. Only touches within the touch sensing area  310  can be detected as effective touches by the touch sensing system. The predetermined touch sensing area  310  can also be marked out on the surface of the keyboard  105 , so that a computer user can clearly identify a boundary of the touching sensing area. The predetermined touch sensing area  310  functions akin to Apple&#39;s Magic Trackpad surface area. Apparently, the touch sensing area  310  has to be entirely covered by infrared light. Even though a touch on areas outside of the predetermined touch sensing area  310  can be picked up by the infrared-light sensing system, the keyboard-mouse combo software ignores such touch. 
         [0020]    Referring again to  FIG. 3 , there is a designated key  322  marked as “AUX” which stands for “auxiliary”, outside of the predetermined touch sensing area  310 . A main function of the “AUX” key  322  is for switching between a primary click and a secondary click. Operation details of the “AUX” key  322  are depicted in  FIG. 5  and associated paragraphs hereinafter. Although only one “AUX” key  322  on the left hand side of the keyboard  105  is illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a skilled in the art would realize that another “AUX” key can be designated on the right hand side of the keyboard  105  as well. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a computing system  400  with a keyboard-mouse combo device according to the embodiment of present invention. The computing system  400  includes an input device  410 , a display  420 , an input/output (I/O) processor  430 , a central processing unit (CPU)  440  and a memory and storage unit  450 . The input device  410  comprises a conventional keyboard  412  and a touch sensor  415  which overlays the conventional keyboard  410  as described in  FIGS. 1-3 . The conventional keyboard  412  and the touch sensor  415  form the keyboard-mouse combo device. The I/O processor  430  is the hardware that executes the keyboard-mouse combo software. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart diagram illustrating steps of an operation of the keyboard-mouse combo device of the embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard-mouse operation starts with a checking if any touch on the designated area  310  of the keyboard  105  in step  510 . If there is no touch, the keyboard-mouse operation performs no further action and returns to step  510 . If touches on the designated area  310  of the keyboard  105  are detected in step  510 , the keyboard-mouse operation will proceed to checking if the designated area  310  of the keyboard  105  is touched at more than one location. In case more than one location is touched simultaneously, the operation enters a keyboard mode in step  525 . In the keyboard mode, the keyboard-mouse combo device functions as a regular keyboard accepting a key press as a way to enter a command or a character, and ignoring touches or movements of the touches on the surface of the keyboard  105 . After step  525 , the keyboard-mouse operation returns to step  510 , i.e., the keyboard-mouse operation constantly checks if there is any touch on the surface of the keyboard  105 . If only at one location within the designated touch sensing area  310  is touched, the keyboard-mouse operation enters a mouse mode in which the single touch location will be translated into a curser location on the display  420 , and a key pressing will be equivalent to a conventional mouse click instead of entering a command or character as a conventional keyboard key does. 
         [0023]    Referring again to  FIG. 5 , after entering the mouse mode, the keyboard-mouse combo device checks if the “AUX” key  322  of  FIG. 3  is being held down while the keyboard touch occurs in step  530 . If the “AUX” key  322  is not being held down in step  530 , the keyboard-mouse combo device checks if any keyboard key within the touch sensing area  310  is being pressed in step  540 . In case at least one keyboard key within the touch sensing area  310  is pressed while the “AUX” key  322  is being held down, the I/O processor  430  translates the keyboard-mouse operation into a secondary click in step  543 , and then returns the keyboard-mouse operation to step  510 . If there is no keyboard key being pressed, then the I/O processor  430  obtains the coordinates of the single touch and translates the coordinates to an image location in a scrolling operation in step  546 . In other words, when the “AUX” key  322  is held down, a single touch movement (without keyboard key press) is equivalent to the scrolling operation in a conventional mouse, in which an image in an active window scrolls either vertically or horizontally in response to the turns of a scrolling wheel. For instance, when a finger remains in touch with and slides on the surface of keyboard  105  toward left, the image scrolls to the left—while the “AUX” key  322  is being held down. After the execution of the step  546 , the keyboard-mouse operation returns to step  510 . 
         [0024]    Referring again to  FIG. 5 , after step  520 , if the “AUX” key  322  is not being held down in step  530 , the keyboard-mouse operation checks if any keyboard key within the touch sensing area  310  is pressed in step  560 . If there is at least one keyboard key within the touch sensing area  310  being pressed, the I/O processor  430  translates the keyboard-mouse operation into a primary click in step  563 . The primary click may select/activate an object on the display  420 . Then the keyboard-mouse operation checks if the “AUX” key  322  begins to be held down after the previously pressed keyboard key(s) remained pressed-down in step  570 . If both the “AUX” key  322  and the keyboard key(s) are held down in step  570 , the I/O processor  430  obtains the coordinates of the single touch and translates the coordinates to a cursor location and a location of the object selected/activated by the primary click. Then the keyboard-mouse operation returns to step  510 . On the other hand, if the “AUX” key  322  is not held down while a keyboard key is pressed, the keyboard-mouse operation will proceed to step  550 , in which the previously pressed keyboard key (producing the primary click) is monitored for a second press within a predetermined time after the primary click in step  563 . If the keyboard key is pressed twice within the predetermined time, the keyboard-mouse operation will be interpreted as an operation equivalent to a double-click by a conventional mouse, and execute the object selected by the primary click in step  555 . Then the keyboard-mouse operation returns to step  510 . 
         [0025]    Referring again to  FIG. 5 , in case there is no keyboard key within the touch sensing area  310  being pressed according to step  560 , the touch sensor  415  will detect the touch and the I/O processor  430  will extract the coordinates of the touch and translate the coordinates to a cursor location in step  566 . When a finger remains on and slides across the designated keyboard surface area  310 , such finger movement will be translated as an equivalence of a conventional mouse movement. After step  566 , the keyboard-mouse operation returns to step  510 . 
         [0026]    The above illustration provides many different embodiments or embodiments for implementing different features of the invention. Specific embodiments of components and processes are described to help clarify the invention. These are, of course, merely embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention from that described in the claims. 
         [0027]    Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.