ThumbSense: automatic input mode sensing for touchpad-based interactions

ABSTRACT

While manipulating the touchpad, a user's hand position must be away from the keyboard's home position. This effect hinders smooth switching between text entry and pointer manipulation, and is considered to be the one of the major drawback of the touchpad against to the trackpoint. This paper introduces ThumbSense, a new input technique aims to solve this problem by automatically sensing users' input mode based on finger contact to the touchpad. A key on the keyboard, such as the F key, transparently acts both as a normal key as well as a mouse button. This technique is implemented by using the sensor feature of the touchpad, and is possible to apply most of currently available portable computers without requiring any additional hardware/sensors.

REFERENCES

• 1: Beverly L. Harrison , Kenneth P. Fishkin , Anuj Gujar , Carlos Mochon , Roy Want, Squeeze me, hold me, tilt me! An exploration of manipulative user interfaces, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, p.17-24, April 18-23, 1998, Los Angeles, California, United States [doi>10.1145/274644.274647]
• 2: Ken Hinckley , Mike Sinclair, Touch-sensing input devices, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems: the CHI is the limit, p.223-230, May 15-20, 1999, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States [doi>10.1145/302979.303045]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Input devices and strategies (e.g., mouse, touchscreen)

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Graphical user interfaces (GUI); Interaction styles (e.g., commands, menus, forms, direct manipulation)

Keywords:
mode sensing, touch-sensitive user interfaces, touchpad