Touch screen overlay apparatus

• US 20020054030A1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Paul Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 6,667,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/018 Indication of switch sites
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A touch screen overlay apparatus for use in association with a touch screen having a rigid contact surface. The touch screen overlay apparatus comprises a flexible membrane that covers at least a portion of the rigid contact surface. This flexible membrane is removably maintained in a predetermined position over the rigid contact surface to provide a more tactually desirable surface for manual actuation than the rigid contact surface. Furthermore, the flexible membrane may include one of said one or more raised dome-shaped regions which are disposed on the membrane so as to be in substantial registration with input regions on the rigid contact surface to provide tactile landmarks for the user.

Claims

1. A touch screen overlay apparatus for use in association with a user input apparatus having a touch screen with a rigid contact surface with one or more indicia displayed thereon, said contact surface having a periphery with a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge and a right edge, said touch screen being disposed within a housing, said touch screen overlay apparatus comprising:

a membrane of a size sufficient to cover one or more desired ones of said one or more indicia displayed on said rigid contact surface, said membrane being formed of a flexible material; and

means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position in which said membrane is superimposed on at least said desired ones of said one or more indicia.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said membrane includes one or more domes, each of said one or more domes being disposed on said membrane so as to be in substantial registration with a respective one of said desired ones of said one or more indicia.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein each of said domes are formed integrally to said membrane.

4. The invention according to claim 2 wherein each of said domes are formed by adding additional material to said membrane.

5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises:

a frame having one or more frame members, each of said frame members being formed of a semi-rigid material, said membrane being attached about its entire periphery to each of said one or more frame members; and

means for mounting said frame to said housing.

6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said mounting means comprises a hinge connected between said housing and said frame.

7. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said mounting means comprises a groove disposed adjacent said touch screen on said housing and a tongue associated with said frame slidably disposed within said groove.

8. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said membrane has a left edge region and a right edge region, said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises:

a first series of holes located in said left edge region of said membrane;

a second series of holes located in said right edge region of said membrane;

a left sprocket having teeth that engage said first series of holes;

a right sprocket having teeth that engage said second series of holes; and

means for rotating said left and right sprockets simultaneously at the same rate of rotation.

9. The invention according to claim 8 wherein said left and right edge regions are formed of a semi-rigid material.

10. The invention according to claim 9 wherein said rotating means includes a reversible electric motor.

11. The invention according to claim 9 wherein said rotating means includes a manually actuated knob.

12. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises:

a membrane storage chamber disposed within said housing, said membrane storage chamber having an opening extending substantially parallel and proximate to one of said edges of said contact surface;

a pair of opposing slots, each of said opposing slots being positioned substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to said membrane storage chamber opening, each of said opposing slots extending from said membrane storage chamber opening to a location proximate an opposite edge of said contact surface; and

means for slidably restraining said membrane within said pair of slots.

13. The invention according to claim 12 wherein said membrane is biased to retract into said membrane storage chamber, said touch screen overlay apparatus further comprising means for fastening said membrane in its touch screen registration position.

14. The invention according to claim 12 wherein said membrane has a left edge region and a right edge region, said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises:

a first series of holes located in said left edge region of said membrane;

a second series of holes located in said right edge region of said membrane;

a left sprocket having teeth that engage said first series of holes;

a right sprocket having teeth that engage said second series of holes; and

means for rotating said left and right sprockets simultaneously at the same rate of rotation.

15. The invention according to claim 14 wherein said left and right edge regions are formed of a semi-rigid material.

16. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises one or more fasteners disposed about the peripheries of said rigid contact surface and said membrane.

17. The invention according to claim 16 wherein said one or more fasteners comprise a mated pair of hook and loop fasteners.

18. The invention according to claim 16 wherein each of said one or more fasteners comprise a mated snap pair.

19. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for removably maintaining said membrane in a predetermined position comprises a band of adhesive disposed adjacent to said periphery of said membrane.

20. The invention according to claim 12 wherein said membrane size being sufficient to avoid contact between said band of adhesive of said rigid contact surface.

21. A touch screen overlay apparatus for use in association with a user input apparatus having a touch screen with a rigid contact surface encompassing one or more input regions, said rigid contact surface having a periphery with a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge and a right edge, said touch screen being disposed within a housing, said touch screen overlay apparatus comprising:

a flexible membrane of a size sufficient to cover at least a portion of said rigid contact surface, said flexible membrane including one or more raised dome-shaped regions; and

means for removably maintaining said flexible membrane in a predetermined position in which at least one of said one or more raised dome-shaped regions is in substantial registration with one of said one or more input regions.

22. The invention according to claim 21 wherein each of said raised dome-shaped regions are formed integrally to said membrane.

23. The invention according to claim 21 wherein each of said raised dome-shaped regions are formed by adding additional material to said membrane.

24. The invention according to claim 21 wherein each of said raised dome-shaped regions being tactually perceptible to the user.