US Patent 7629966 Hard tap

The use of variable-pressure taps in computer interfaces is disclosed in which tap inputs cause different functions to execute depending on the pressure applied by the tap. A hard tap is interpreted when a user makes rapid contact with the input surface, exceeding a threshold pressure within a threshold time, possibly without exceeding a threshold distance from the initial point of contact. Operating systems, applications, and other software may interpret a hard tap as a unique input, or as a double-click, right click, etc.