User interface
First Claim
1. A hand portable device comprising:
- a user input device comprising a plurality of sensors in an array for tactile actuation by a user;
control means responsive to the actuation of a sensor by itself or the simultaneous actuation of a pair of adjacent sensors;
wherein the control means produces one of N control signals upon actuation of a sensor by itself or the simultaneous actuation of an adjacent pair of sensors; and
wherein each of the N control signals belong to a first set of control signals or a second set of control signals, wherein each sensor of the array is associated with only one of the control signals of the first set and wherein each of the control signals of the second set is associated with an adjacent pair of sensors in the array, but each adjacent pair of sensors is not associated with a control signal of the second set.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A user input device for providing 8-way directional control, comprising a first set of sensors consisting of a first sensor adjacent a second sensor, constituting a first pair of sensors, and a third sensor adjacent the second sensor, constituting a second pair of sensors; and a second set of sensors, adjacent the second set of sensors, consisting of a fourth sensor adjacent a fifth sensor, constituting a third pair of sensors, and a sixth sensor adjacent the fifth sensor, constituting a fourth pair of sensors; wherein user actuation of a respective one of at least four of the six sensors provides for control in a respective one of four different directions and user actuation of a respective one of the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors provides for control in a respective one of the remaining four different directions.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A hand portable device comprising:
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a user input device comprising a plurality of sensors in an array for tactile actuation by a user;
control means responsive to the actuation of a sensor by itself or the simultaneous actuation of a pair of adjacent sensors;
wherein the control means produces one of N control signals upon actuation of a sensor by itself or the simultaneous actuation of an adjacent pair of sensors; and
wherein each of the N control signals belong to a first set of control signals or a second set of control signals, wherein each sensor of the array is associated with only one of the control signals of the first set and wherein each of the control signals of the second set is associated with an adjacent pair of sensors in the array, but each adjacent pair of sensors is not associated with a control signal of the second set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of providing N-way directional control using more than N/2 but less than N sensors to provide N different control signals, wherein each of the N different control signals is a member of either a first set of control signals or a second different set of control signals, the method comprising:
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associating each one of the sensors in the array with only one control signal from the first set;
associating each of the control signals of the second set with a pair of sensors without associating each of the pairs of sensors with a control signal of the second set;
detecting when a sensor or sensors of the array are actuated; and
providing the control signal associated with the detected actuated sensor(s).
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24. A user input device for providing 8-way directional control, comprising
a first set of sensors consisting of a first sensor adjacent a second sensor, constituting a first pair of sensors, and a third sensor adjacent the second sensor, constituting a second pair of sensors; - and
a second set of sensors, adjacent the first set of sensors, consisting of a fourth sensor adjacent a fifth sensor, constituting a third pair of sensors, and a sixth sensor adjacent the fifth sensor, constituting a fourth pair of sensors;
wherein user actuation of a respective one of at least four of the six sensors provides for control in a respective one of four different directions and user actuation of a respective one of the first, second, third and fourth pairs of sensors provides for control in a respective one of the remaining four different directions. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of providing 8-way directional control using a user input device comprising a first set of sensors consisting of a first sensor adjacent a second sensor, constituting a first pair of sensors, and a third sensor adjacent the second sensor, constituting a second pair of sensors and a second set of sensors, adjacent the first set of sensors, consisting of a fourth sensor adjacent a fifth sensor, constituting a third pair of sensors, and a sixth sensor adjacent the fifth sensor, constituting a fourth pair of sensors, comprising the steps of:
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actuating predetermined ones of the sensors to move in any one of a first four orthogonal directions, and actuating predetermined ones of the four pairs of the sensors to move in any one of a second four orthogonal directions, off-set by 45 degrees from the first four orthogonal directions.
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Specification