Systems for dynamically illuminating touch sensors
First Claim
1. A touch sensor system having a contact area and comprising:
- a. a substantially transparent molding positioned over the surface; and
b. a dynamic illuminator positioned to show through the molding.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for and method of illuminating a contact (or touch) device such as a fingerprint sensor are disclosed. In an exemplary system, a touch sensor system has a surface or contact area and comprises a substantially transparent molding positioned over the contact area and a dynamic illuminator positioned to show through the molding. The dynamic illuminator is for indicating a status of the touch sensor system, such as power on, standby, error, low power, an input mode for receiving user input, or a selected operating mode. The touch sensor system includes any one of a fingerprint sensor, a miniature joystick, a touch-sensitive navigation disc, a touch-sensing navigation pad, an N-way pressure-sensitive directional control, to name a few touch sensor devices. In one embodiment, when the touch sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor, the operating mode is for emulating an input device such as a scroll wheel, a push button, a steering wheel, a joy stick, a pressure button, and a mouse. The operating mode also includes an authentication mode for authenticating an identity of a user. Preferably, the dynamic illuminator includes light sources and multiple light channels, colored or not, that are configured to be illuminated in multiple configurations, where each configuration corresponds to a status of the touch sensor system.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A touch sensor system having a contact area and comprising:
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a. a substantially transparent molding positioned over the surface; and
b. a dynamic illuminator positioned to show through the molding. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system comprising:
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a. a means for detecting contact to a surface of a contact device; and
b. a means for indicating a status of the contact device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of fabricating an electronic device comprising:
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a. forming a touch sensor having a contact surface;
b. forming a dynamic illuminator for indicating a status of the touch sensor; and
c. forming a substantially transparent molding over the surface and the dynamic illuminator. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification