Patent ID: 7768503

Claim:
A capacitive touchpad comprising: a panel; a first pattern on the panel, programmed as a mode switch, for being operated to selectively switch the capacitive touchpad between a plurality of operational modes, said operational modes including at least a handwriting input mode and a graphical input mode; a plurality of regions programmable on the panel in a manner corresponding to each of the operational modes; and a plurality of second patterns in the plurality of regions, programmable in a manner corresponding to each of the operational modes; wherein said graphical input mode is independently operable from said handwriting input mode; wherein an input trace from said graphical input mode is recognized by a recognition module, said recognition module operating in said graphical input mode to selectively complete the input trace responsive to a command issued by a user; wherein said recognition module in said handwriting input mode automatically detects completion of the input trace based on subsequent occurrence of a response time initiated upon a cessation of said input trace for said recognition module to automatically recognize input trace from said handwriting input mode, the response time being selectively adjustable by said user; the recognition module during said handwriting input mode, transmitting said input trace to a display.