Handheld electronic touch screen communication device

• US 10,651,879 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hobson, Phillip Michael, Wang, Erik L., Jenks, Kenneth A., Hill, Robert J., Schlub, Robert W., Dinh, Richard Hung Minh, Tan, Tang Yew, Mittleman, Adam D., Andre, Bartley K., Coster, Daniel J., de Iuliis, Daniele, Howarth, Richard P., Ive, Jonathan P., Jobs, Steven P., Kerr, Duncan Robert, Nishibori, Shin, Rohrbach, Matthew Dean, Satzger, Douglas B., Seid, Calvin Q., Stringer, Christopher J., Whang, Eugene Antony, Zorkendorfer, Rico L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US15/712,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20180076843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00

Abstract

A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. Transceiver circuitry, such as radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry configured to transmit and receive RF signals, may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. The electronic device may have an integrated touch screen display in which a user can control the device by interacting directly with the display.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device comprising:

wireless communications circuitry configured to handle wireless signals;

a touch screen display system that includes a glass element;

a plurality of touch sensors, wherein the glass element extends past an edge of at least one of the plurality of touch sensors; and

a button integrated into the glass element and configured to accept input commands.

2. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the glass element includes an opening.

3. The wireless communications device of claim 2, wherein the button is a mechanical button that is positioned within the opening.

4. The wireless communications device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of touch screen sensors.

5. The wireless communications device of claim 4, wherein a first touch screen sensor of the plurality of touch screen sensors implements a first touch sensing technology, and wherein a second touch screen sensor of the plurality of touch screen sensors implements a second touch sensing technology.

6. The wireless communications device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of touch screen sensors includes at least one touch screen sensor integrated into the touch screen display and at least one touch screen sensor separate from the touch screen display.