Apple Related "Wide Touchpad" Patent Surfaces

Another patent regarding user input when working on a portable computer has been filed, only this time it isn't Apple's but rather it has been filed collectively by several Apple employees.

The filing was made on August 25, 2004 and published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday. It describes a wide touchpad, and details several examples of this technology and how it would allow the user to interact with the display screen to enter data.

It would be like a conventional cursor control device, having the capabilities to point, drag, tap, and double tap objects on a graphical user interface besides several more advanced functions such as scrolling, panning, zooming, and rotating elements on the display screen, as well as prevention of accidental input..

"The wide touchpad extends into the areas on the surface of the base assembly that are normally reserved for palm rest areas," the filing says. "In one embodiment, the touchpad possesses the ability to reject accidental contact when a user does not intend to activate the touchpad. The touchpad responds properly by either recognizing the action on the touchpad or rejecting the action. As a result, the user is able to work efficiently, allowing for typing and cursor control operations to occur seamlessly."

Other functions would include the ability to locate one or more objects on the touchpad surface, as well as the position of these. This function can be theoretically used in a vast array of interaction models and customized controls for all kinds of applications.