Haptic key controlled data input

• US 20050184959A1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Williams, Jason, Kompe, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for entering data into a computing device. The apparatus comprises at least two haptic keys having more than one state of activation, a graphical user interface for presenting hierarchically organised information to a user of the computing device, and a control means for controlling the generation of input data with respect to a haptic key selected, the current state of activation of the selected haptic key, and the information presented by the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. Apparatus for entering data into a computing device, the apparatus comprising

at least two haptic keys with each having more than one state of activation,

a graphical user interface for presenting hierarchically organised information to

a user of the computing device, and

a control means for controlling the generation of input data with respect to a haptic key selected, the current state of activation of the selected haptic key, and

the information presented by the graphical user interface.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1,

characterised in

that the apparatus comprises four haptic keys.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1,

characterised in

that the haptic keys are arrayed in a line at a first sidewall of the apparatus.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2,

characterised in

that the apparatus comprises a fifth key with at least one distinguished state of activation prompting the control means to generate predefined input data irrespective of the information presented by the graphical user interface.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4,

characterised in

that the fifth key is arranged at a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4,

characterised in

that the fifth key provides a jog dial function.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4,

characterised in

that the fifth key is formed as a haptic key.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1,

characterised in

that each state of activation of a haptic key is assigned a defined range of pressure force applied to said haptic key.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8,

characterised in

that each state of activation of a haptic key is arranged in a sequence of subsequent states of activation.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1,

characterised in

that the information presented by the graphical user interface is a menu structure of at least two hierarchy levels.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10,

characterised in

that a menu on the topmost hierarchy level is directly accessible by means of selection of a respective haptic key.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10,

characterised in

that a menu on a hierarchy level higher than the one presented on the graphical user interface is directly accessible through means of a haptic key being assigned to that respective menu.

13. Apparatus according to claim 10,

characterised in

that an item within a sequence of items in a menu selected by a corresponding haptic key is highlighted according to its position in the sequence corresponding to the position of the state of activation activated in the sequence of subsequent states of activation provided by said haptic key.

14. Apparatus according to claim 10,

characterised in

that a higher-level menu contains items indicating an access to a collection of characters and a lower level menu corresponding to the respective item presents each character for being selected with respect to a text input.