{
  "patent_number": "US 20160291760",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Adjusting Touchscreen Sensitivity Based on Device Tilt Angle",
  "original_title": "Contact discrimination using a tilt angle of a touch-sensitive surface",
  "summary": "This patent describes how a computing device can decide if a touch on its screen is intentional or accidental by changing its sensitivity settings based on how much the device is tilted.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method for a computing device to intelligently handle touches on its screen. It works by first receiving electronic data from a touch-sensitive surface, like a tablet screen (Claim 1). At the same time, a tilt sensor detects the angle at which the device is held, comparing its current position to a flat, reference position (Claim 1). This detected tilt angle is then used to modify a setting, called a 'parameter,' within an automated process that decides if the touch was on purpose or not (Claim 1). For example, this parameter could be a minimum amount of time a touch must last (Claim 6) or a minimum number of data points it generates (Claim 3). If the device is held at an angle between horizontal and vertical, the patent suggests making the threshold higher, meaning a touch has to last longer or generate more data to be considered intentional (Claim 4, Claim 7). If the touch is deemed intentional, the device accepts it as valid input; otherwise, it rejects the touch (Claim 1).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover systems that determine intentionality without using a tilt sensor to detect the device's angle.",
    "Does not cover systems that use a tilt sensor but do not modify a parameter of the contact discriminating process based on that tilt angle.",
    "Does not cover systems that only use a fixed threshold for touch duration or data records, regardless of the device's orientation.",
    "Does not cover methods that accept all touch input without attempting to discriminate between intentional and unintentional contacts.",
    "Does not cover systems that only use touch pressure or contact area to discriminate touches, without considering device tilt."
  ],
  "filed": "2015-03-30",
  "granted": null,
  "expires": "2035-03-30",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Wacom Co",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/wacom-co",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Daniel Lee Tower",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/daniel-lee-tower"
    },
    {
      "name": "Robert Charles Cohn",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/robert-charles-cohn"
    },
    {
      "name": "David Charles Fleck",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/david-charles-fleck"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stephanie Lisa Marguerite Connor",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/stephanie-lisa-marguerite-connor"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 5,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A computing device receives electronic data generated by a touch-sensitive surface in response to a contact made with the touch-sensitive surface, and a tilt sensor detects a tilt angle of the touch-sensitive surface. The tilt angle is indicative of an angular displacement between a reference plane defined by the touch-sensitive surface in a reference position and a current plane defined by the touch-sensitive surface in a current position. A parameter or other aspect of an automated contact discriminating process is modified based at least in part on the detected tilt angle of the touch-sensitive surface. The contact discriminating process determines whether the contact made with the touch-sensitive surface is intentional or not intentional. In response to determining that the contact is intentional, the electronic data is accepted as valid input for further processing. In response to determining that the contact is not intentional, the electronic data is rejected for further processing.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20160291760/contact-discrimination-using-a-tilt-angle-of-a-touch-sensitive-surface",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20160291760/contact-discrimination-using-a-tilt-angle-of-a-touch-sensitive-surface/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160291760",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
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      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls",
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    },
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      "countryCode": "US",
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}