METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A SKIN TEXTURE SURFACE ON A DEVICE USING A GAS

• US 20080248248A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Caine, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US11/696,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20080248248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/152
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1664 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0279 Improving the user comfort or ergonomics
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24446 Wrinkled, creased, crinkled or creped

Abstract

A portable electronic device (100) includes a controllable skin texture surface that includes a skin texture surface actuation structure that includes an expandable gas actuation structure. The expandable gas actuation structure includes a gas (1802) and a flexible skin structure (1804) that moves in response to movement of the gas to change a tactile configuration of at least a portion of the controllable skin texture surface. In one example, the flexible skin structure includes expandable portions that define a plurality of gas chambers (1800) and each of the gas chambers include one or more controllable heating elements (1808). Control logic (200) controls the heating elements to expand and contract the gas to provide, for example, raising and lowering of texture elements (322) of the flexible skin structure.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a controllable skin texture surface comprising a skin texture surface actuation structure that is comprised of an expandable gas actuation structure comprising a gas and a flexible skin structure that moves in response to movement of the gas to change a tactile configuration of at least a portion of the controllable skin texture surface.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 comprising control logic to control at least one heating element to control movement of the gas.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2 wherein the control logic is operative to control the controllable skin texture surface to change the tactile configuration of a non-user interface portion of the portable electronic device.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 2 wherein the control logic is operative to control the controllable skin texture surface to change the tactile configuration of a user interface key of the portable electronic device.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 2 wherein the flexible skin structure comprises expandable portions that define a plurality of gas chambers and wherein each of the gas chambers comprises a controllable heating element.

6. A handheld wireless device comprising:

a wireless telephone subsystem;

a display operatively coupled to the wireless telephone subsystem; and

a controllable skin texture surface comprising;

a skin texture surface actuation structure that is comprised of an expandable gas actuation structure comprising a gas and a flexible skin structure that moves in response to movement of the gas to change a tactile configuration of at least a portion of the controllable skin texture surface.

7. The handheld wireless device of claim 6 comprising control logic operatively coupled to the shape memory alloy to control movement of the gas.

8. The handheld wireless device of claim 7 wherein the control logic is operative to control the controllable skin texture surface to change the tactile configuration of a non-user interface portion of the portable electronic device.

9. The handheld wireless device of claim 7 wherein the control logic is operative to control the controllable skin texture surface to change the tactile configuration of a user interface key of the portable electronic device.

10. The handheld wireless device of claim 7 wherein the flexible skin structure comprises expandable portions that define a plurality of gas chambers and wherein each of the gas chambers comprises a controllable heating element.