Input mechanism with deformable touch-sensitive material

• US 10,296,047 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kallman, Benjamin J., Jol, Eric S., Rasmussen, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttar, Mandeep S
• Application Number:
  US14/817,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 36167956, 3616794, 345173, 345174, 7386268, 73753, 73780
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/002 for portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/06 Electric connectors, e.g. conductive elastomers
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A case for an electronic device is disclosed. The case includes a body defining an interior volume configured to receive the electronic device therein. The body includes a user input region formed from a deformable material having an electrical resistance that decreases in response to a touch force on the deformable material, and an electrode pair in contact with the deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the deformable material due to the touch force. The body also includes a connector configured to operatively couple the electrode pair to the electronic device.

Claims

1. A case for an electronic device, comprising:

a body defining an interior volume configured to receive the electronic device therein;

a user input region having an area comprising;

a first layer of a first deformable material having a first hardness; and

a second layer of a second deformable material positioned below the first layer and having a second hardness that is different from the first hardness, wherein a touch force on the user input region causes an electrical resistance of the first layer to change by a first amount and an electrical resistance of the second layer to change by a second amount different from the first amount; and

a connector configured to operatively couple the user input region to the electronic device;

a first electrode pair in contact with the first deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the first layer; and

a second electrode pair in contact with the second deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to the sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the second layer, wherein the user input region is at least partially surrounded by another area greater than the user input region area formed from the first or second deformable material.

2. The case of claim 1, wherein the sensing circuit is disposed at least partially within the body.

3. The case of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery disposed at least partially within the body; and

a battery charge indicator facing outward from the body;

wherein the battery charge indicator indicates an amount of charge remaining in the battery in response to detection of the touch force.

4. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second deformable materials each comprises an elastomeric material having a conductive material embedded therein; and

a portion of the body adjacent the first or second deformable material comprises the elastomeric material substantially free of the conductive material.

5. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the user input region is a first user input region; and

the body further comprises a second user input region formed from the first or second deformable material.

6. The case of claim 1, wherein the first or second deformable material forms an exterior surface of the body.

7. The case of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an outer layer forming an exterior surface of the body, wherein the first or second deformable material is disposed below the outer layer.

8. The case of claim 1, the body further comprising a back configured to cover a non-display portion of the electronic device, the back comprising a single monolithic layer of the second deformable material.

9. The case of claim 1, the body further comprising a grid of user input regions, the grid comprising:

a first set of elongate user input regions formed from the first deformable material, each of the first set of elongate user input regions extending along a first direction; and

a second set of elongate user input regions formed from the second deformable material, each of the second set of elongate user input regions extending along a second direction that is transverse to the first direction;

wherein the grid of user input regions includes the user input region.

10. An input device for an electronic device, comprising:

a user input region having an area comprising;

a first layer comprising a first touch-sensitive material; and

a second layer comprising a second touch-sensitive material disposed below the first layer;

a first electrode pair in contact with the first touch-sensitive material and configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing circuit configured to detect a change to an electrical resistance of the first layer; and

a second electrode pair in contact with the second touch-sensitive material and configured to be operatively coupled to the sensing circuit configured to detect a change to an electrical resistance of the second layer, wherein the user input region is at least partially surrounded by another area greater than the user input region area formed from the first or second touch-sensitive material;

wherein, in response to application of a force to the first layer, the electrical resistance of the first layer changes differently than the electrical resistance of the second layer.

11. The input device of claim 10, wherein the first and second touch sensitive materials are formed from an elastomeric material having a conductive material embedded therein.

12. The input device of claim 11, wherein the elastomeric material is silicone and the conductive material is carbon.

13. The input device of claim 10,

wherein the first and second electrode pairs are configured to operatively couple the input device to the electronic device.

14. The input device of claim 10, wherein:

the first layer has a first hardness; and

the second layer has a second hardness different from the first hardness.

15. An accessory for an electronic device, the accessory comprising:

a body configured to attach to the electronic device;

an input region comprising;

a first layer comprising a first deformable material; and

a second layer comprising a second deformable material;

wherein, when a first touch force is applied to the input region, the first layer is configured to decrease in resistance electrical resistance enough to register a first user input and the second layer is configured not to decrease in resistance electrical resistance enough to register the first user input;

wherein, when a second touch force is applied to the input region with a magnitude greater than a magnitude of the first touch force, the first layer and the second layer are each configured to decrease in resistance electrical resistance enough to register a second user input; and

a connector configured to operatively couple the input region to the electronic device.

16. The accessory of claim 15, further comprising:

a first electrode pair coupled to the first layer; and

a second electrode pair coupled to the second layer;

wherein the first and second electrode pairs are configured to operatively couple the input device to the electronic device.

17. The accessory of claim 15, wherein:

the first layer has a first hardness; and

the second layer has a second hardness different from the first hardness.