ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH KEYPAD ASSEMBLY

• US 20080106519A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murray, Matthew J.
• Application Number:
  US11/555,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20080106519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device includes a keypad assembly. The keypad assembly has a plurality of depressible keys and a touch sensitive pad disposed over at least one of the depressible keys.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a keypad assembly that includes:

a plurality of depressible keys; and

a touch sensitive pad disposed over at least one of the depressible keys.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the depressible keys are configured for user entry of at least one of alphanumeric characters or function commands, and the touch sensitive pad is configured for user entry of directional input.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive pad is configured for user entry of directional input.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive pad is configured as a touch sensitive wheel for user entry of directional commands for scrolling through a menu or a play list by clockwise or counterclockwise movement of a finger of the user while touching the touch sensitive pad.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the electronic device is configured to play back audiovisual content.

6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein a playback command input associated with the touch sensitive wheel is activated by user tapping of the touch sensitive pad.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the tapping to activate a playback command input is maintained for at least a specified duration.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive pad includes plural touch sensitive segments.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the touch sensitive segments are disposed in proximity to one another such that contiguous user movement while touching the pad corresponds to a moving input command.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein there is a touch sensitive segment for each key over which a portion of the touch sensitive pad is present.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the depressible keys are dome keys.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit that receives input signals from the keypad assembly, the input signals corresponding to user interaction with the keypad assembly.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the control circuit carries out input functions associated with the input signals.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the control circuit uses a situational context relating to operation of the electronic device at the time of touching of the touch sensitive pad to interpret an input signal from the touch sensitive pad and carries out a navigational function or a command function corresponding to the interpretation of the input signal.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the control circuit uses a time delay to interpret an input signal from the touch sensitive pad and carries out a navigational function or a command function corresponding to the interpretation of the input signal.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the keypad assembly further includes user viewable indicia that indicate a function of each depressible key and a function of the touch sensitive pad.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein an area of touch sensitivity that is associated with the touch sensitive pad is visually indicated by a graphical indicator.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a mobile telephone having a radio circuit to establish a call over a communications network.