THREE-DIMENSIONAL TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20090201258A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Inventors: Fyke, Steven, Griffin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/030,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201258A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A portable electronics device comprises a data processor and a display. The display comprises a display device, and a transparent three-dimensional touch-sensitive screen disposed over the display device. The touch-sensitive screen comprises a raised region and a recessed region surrounding the raised region. The data processor renders on the display device a data input/output screen comprising a plurality of data input regions, the raised region overlaying the data input regions; and detects, as input from one of the data input regions, touch activity at a portion of the raised region coincident with the one data input region.

Claims

1. A portable electronics device comprising:

a data processor; and

a display coupled to the data processor, the display comprising;

a display device; and

a transparent three-dimensional touch-sensitive screen disposed over a portion of the display device, the touch-sensitive screen comprising a raised region and a recessed region surrounding the raised region, the data processor being configured to;

(i) render on the display device a data input/output screen comprising a plurality of data input regions, the raised region overlaying the data input regions; and

(ii) detect, as input from one of the data input regions, touch activity at a portion of the raised region coincident with the one data input region.

2. The portable electronics device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to render on the display device a virtual delimiter aligned with a lateral extent of at least one of the data input regions, the virtual delimiter separating the data input regions.

3. The portable electronics device according to claim 1, wherein the recessed region comprises a mask provided on the touch-sensitive screen, the mask comprising a visual delimiter disposed around the data input regions.

4. The portable electronics device according to claim 3, wherein the data processor is configured to depict on the display device a plurality of the data input/output screens, each said data input/output screen comprising a plurality of the data input regions, at least one of the data input regions on each said data input/output screen being common amongst all of the data input/output screens, the visual delimiter separating the common data input regions.

5. The portable electronics device according to claim 4, wherein the common data input region of one of the data input/output screens comprises a plurality of the data input regions, the virtual delimiter separating the data input regions of the common data input region.

6. The portable electronics device according to claim 3, wherein the touch-sensitive screen comprises a planar transparent touch-sensitive panel, and a three-dimensional transparent lens fixed to the touch-sensitive panel.

7. A method of detecting input from a touch-sensitive display, the touch-sensitive display comprising a display device, and a transparent three-dimensional touch-sensitive screen disposed over the display device, the touch-sensitive screen comprising a raised region and a recessed region surrounding the raised region, the method comprising:

rendering on the display device a data input/output screen comprising a plurality of data input regions, the raised region overlaying the data input regions, and rendering on the data input/output screen a virtual delimiter separating the data input regions; and

detecting, as input from one of the data input regions, touch activity at a portion of the raised region coincident with the one data input region.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the rendering step comprises depicting on the display device a plurality of the data input/output screens each comprising a plurality of the data input regions, at least one of the data input regions on each said data input/output screen being common amongst all of the data input/output screens, the recessed region comprises a visual delimiter separating the common data input regions.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the common data input region of one of the data input/output screens comprises a plurality of the data input regions, the virtual delimiter separating the data input regions of the common data input region.

10. A computer-readable medium carrying processing instructions for an electronics device, the electronics device comprising a touch-sensitive display, the touch-sensitive display comprising a display device and a transparent three-dimensional touch-sensitive screen disposed over the display device, the touch-sensitive screen comprising a raised region and a recessed region surrounding the raised region, the processing instructions when executed by a processor of the electronics device causing the electronics device to perform the following steps:

render on the display device a data input/output screen comprising a plurality of data input regions, the raised region overlaying the data input regions, and rendering on the data input/output screen a virtual delimiter separating the data input regions; and

detect, as input from one of the data input regions, touch activity at a portion of the raised region coincident with the one data input region.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the rendering step comprises depicting on the display device a plurality of the data input/output screens each comprising a plurality of the data input regions, at least one of the data input regions on each said data input/output screen being common amongst all of the data input/output screens, the recessed region comprises a visual delimiter separating the common data input regions.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the common data input region of one of the data input/output screens comprises a plurality of the data input regions, the virtual delimiter separating the data input regions of the common data input region.

13. A three-dimensional touch-sensitive display comprising:

a display device; and

a transparent three-dimensional touch-sensitive screen disposed over the display device, the touch-sensitive screen comprising a plurality of raised regions and a recessed region surrounding the raised regions, the recessed region comprising a printed mask.

14. The three-dimensional touch-sensitive display according to claim 13, wherein the touch-sensitive screen comprises a planar transparent touch-sensitive panel, and a three-dimensional transparent lens fixed to the touch-sensitive panel.

15. The three-dimensional touch-sensitive display according to claim 14, wherein the touch-sensitive panel comprises a capacitive touch-sensitive panel, and the capacitive touch-sensitive panel is disposed between the transparent lens and the display device.

16. The three-dimensional touch-sensitive display according to claim 14, wherein the touch-sensitive panel comprises a resistive touch-sensitive panel, and the transparent lens is disposed between the resistive touch-sensitive panel and the display device.

17. The three-dimensional touch-sensitive display according to claim 14, wherein the printed mask is incorporated onto the transparent lens using an in-mould decoration (IMD) fabrication process.