Housing as an I/O device

• US 10,248,221 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pance, Aleksandar, King, Nicholas Vincent, Kerr, Duncan, Bilbrey, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US15/423,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1673 Arrangements for projecting a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

There are provided systems, devices and methods for operating a housing for an electronic device as an input/output (I/O) device. In one embodiment, an electronic device includes a housing configured to function as an integrated housing and I/O device and one or more sensors obscured by a panel of the housing. The one or more sensors being configured to sense via the panel of the housing. The electronic device further includes a processing unit communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to interpret electrical signals generated by the one or more sensors. One or more output devices are communicatively coupled to the processing unit and configured to provide an output in response to the one or more sensors generating an electrical signal.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a display;

a housing with openings; and

a virtual keyboard comprising;

a plurality of sensors mounted within the housing, wherein the housing overlaps and hides the plurality of sensors from view, and wherein the plurality of sensors receive input through the housing; and

a plurality of output devices mounted within the housing, wherein the plurality of output devices generate output through the openings in the housing in response to the input received by the plurality of sensors through the housing.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a plurality of pressure sensors that receive user finger input through the housing.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2, wherein the plurality of output devices comprises a plurality of haptic output components that generate haptic feedback in response to the user finger input.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises an array of capacitive sensors that receive user finger input through the housing.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4, wherein the plurality of output devices comprises an array of light sources that illuminate the housing.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein the light sources illuminate the housing with symbols that change based on an input mode in which the apparatus is operating.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a smooth surface without gaps that extends over the plurality of sensors and the plurality of output devices.

8. A keyboard comprising:

a housing layer;

an array of capacitive sensors extending across the housing layer, wherein the capacitive sensors are configured to receive user touch input supplied to the housing layer;

an array of haptic output components extending across the housing layer that are configured to provide haptic feedback through the housing layer in response to the user touch input received by the capacitive sensors; and

an array of light sources extending across the housing layer that are configured to emit light through the housing layer, wherein the housing layer comprises a plurality of openings through which the array of light sources emits the light.

9. The keyboard defined in claim 8, wherein the housing layer is free of gaps and extends continuously over the array of capacitive sensors and the array of haptic output components.

10. The keyboard defined in claim 8, wherein the housing layer is formed of plastic.

11. The keyboard defined in claim 8, wherein the plurality of openings comprises microperforations.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a housing that forms a reconfigurable input surface configured to receive user touch input in a plurality of different input modes and that has openings in the reconfigurable input surface;

an array of sensors that extend beneath and are hidden from view by the reconfigurable input surface, wherein the array of sensors detect the user touch input through the reconfigurable input surface; and

an array of light sources that extend beneath the reconfigurable input surface and that, through the openings in the reconfigurable input surface, illuminate the reconfigurable input surface with lighted symbols that change based on the input mode.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the openings in the reconfigurable input surface comprise microperforations through which the array of light sources emit light to display the lighted symbols.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the lighted symbols illuminate a QWERTY keyboard pattern on the reconfigurable input surface in one of the plurality of input modes.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the lighted symbols illuminate controls for a media application including a play button on the reconfigurable input surface in another one of the plurality of input modes.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the reconfigurable input surface comprises a portion of the housing that extends continuously over the array of sensors and the array of light sources.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the array of sensors comprises capacitive touch sensors that detect the user touch input.