Single-layer touchpad having touch zones

• US 20040125087A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian Taylor, David Taylor, Michael D. Layton
• Original Assignee: Brian Taylor, David Taylor, Michael D. Layton
• Inventors: Taylor, Brian, Taylor, David, Layton, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/634,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

Abstract

A single-layer touchpad comprised of a relatively clear substrate, a first active electrode disposed thereon, and a sense electrode disposed thereon, wherein the first active electrode and the sense electrode are comprised of a conductive material, wherein the first active electrode in combination with the sense electrode are used to detect the presence of a pointing object in a zone, determining in which zone the pointing object has been detected, or the simultaneous presence of multiple pointing objects in multiple zones, and wherein the first active electrode and/or the sense electrode are made sufficiently visible so that a pattern is visually detectable to the user when looking at the display screen.

Claims

1. A single-layer touchpad for providing input to a device having a display screen, said single-layer touchpad comprised of:

a first active electrode disposed in at least two discrete regions of a touch-sensitive area, wherein the first active electrode is generally transparent when disposed over a display screen;

a sense electrode disposed adjacent to the first active electrode in the at least two discrete regions, wherein the sense electrode is generally transparent when disposed over the display screen; and

a touchpad sensing circuit coupled to the first active electrode and to the sense electrode, wherein the touchpad sensing circuit determines when a pointing object makes contact in the touch-sensitive area, and wherein the touchpad sensing circuit determines in which of the at least two discrete regions the pointing object has made contact.