FEEDBACK-PROVIDING KEYPAD FOR TOUCHSCREEN DEVICES

• US 20090237364A1
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bloomcamp, Eric M., Cope, Warren B., Werner, Shane R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,786,555 B2
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/005 Details of specially-adapted software to access information, e.g. to browse through hyperlinked information

Abstract

Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and a touchscreen device manipulating user-input elements are provided. Generally, manipulation includes identifying a predefined configuration associated with a request received from a user and/or application, deriving configuration settings from the predefined configuration, and transmitting the configuration settings to an electromechanical device that adjusts a portion of user-input elements to an extended orientation and activates a portion of user-input elements. In embodiments, the extended user-input elements positioned in the extended orientation are activated, while the remainder are set to an idle condition. Typically, the extended user-input elements produce outwardly-extending protrusions expressed at a flexible touchpad incorporated in the touchscreen device. These outwardly-extending protrusions may replicate keys of a standard keyboard and correspond with the presently-running application implemented on the touchscreen device. User-initiated actuations of activated user-input elements provide a tactile feedback that substantially simulates a click generated by standard keyboard keys.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for manipulating a set of moveable pins to produce a physically-extending keypad on a touchscreen device, the method comprising:

receiving an request at a processing unit of the touchscreen device;

determining whether manipulating the physically-extending keypad is appropriate to address the request; and

if appropriate, providing an indication to activate an electromechanical device to adjust a portion of the set of movable pins to an extended orientation,

wherein the portion of the set of movable pins in the extended orientation influences an appearance of a flexible touchpad incorporated within the touchscreen device, and

wherein, when in the extended orientation, the portion of the set of movable pins produces the physically-extending keypad consistent with the request.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein receiving a request comprises:

monitoring operations performed by an application; and

identifying one of the operations as being associated with a predefined configuration of the set of movable pins;

wherein the predefined configuration

specifies the portion of the set of movable pins to adjust to the extended orientation and which of the set of movable pins to set to an active condition.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein receiving a request comprises:

detecting a user-initiated input via one or more of the set of movable pins in the active condition; and

identifying the user-initiated input as being associated with a predefined configuration that is distinct from the predefined configuration to which the set of movable pins is adjusted.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein receiving the user-initiated input comprises receiving an indication to execute a key-entry function, and wherein the predefined configuration of the physically-extending keypad is an alphanumeric pattern of outwardly-extending protrusions expressed at the flexible touchpad.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein determining whether manipulating the physically-extending keypad is appropriate to address the request comprises identifying the request as a call to present content on the flexible touchscreen as outwardly-extending protrusions.

6. A touchscreen device for manipulating one or more user-input elements according to configuration settings, the touchscreen device comprising:

a processing unit for communicating presentation data to a flexible touchpad and for executing a manipulation procedure comprising;

(1) receiving one or more requests; and

(2) accessing configuration settings based on processing the one or more requests;

an electromechanical device for manipulating a portion of one or more user-input elements to an extended orientation and a retracted orientation consistent with the configuration settings;

the one or more user-input elements for providing a tactile feedback in the extended orientation when actuated by a user; and

the flexible touchpad for rendering a user-interface (UI) display that is controlled, in part, by the presentation data, and for expressing outwardly-extending protrusions generated by the manipulation of the one or more user-input elements.

7. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the one or more user-input elements are the set of movable pins that functions as touch-sensitive keys, wherein the set of movable pins is disposed in substantial perpendicular-spaced relation to the flexible touchpad.

8. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the one or more user-input elements employ a spring-loaded mechanism to provide the tactile feedback that imitates a click generated upon pressing a key on a normal electromechanical keyboard.

9. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the flexible touchpad is a self-illuminating film that projects the UI display without the assistance of backlighting, wherein the self-illuminating film substantially overlays the one or more user-input elements and is in partial communicative contact therewith.

10. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the flexible touchpad is an organic light-emitting diode (OLED).

11. The touchscreen device of claim 6, further comprising an application configured for providing the one or more requests to the processing unit upon executing an operation of the application;

wherein the one or more requests are associated with particular presentation data and particular configuration settings that correspond to the operation of the application.

12. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the flexible touchpad is further configured for:

expressing the outwardly-extending protrusions as a replication of a physically-extending keypad; and

displaying at least one character in association with each of the outwardly-extending protrusions in accordance with the configuration settings.

13. The touchscreen device of claim 6, wherein the electromechanical device is further configured for manipulating the portion of the one or more user-input elements to the extended orientation in a pattern that is expressed by the outwardly-extending protrusions at the flexible touchpad, wherein the pattern is a common physically-extending keypad such that an identity of each of the outwardly-extending protrusions is intuitive to the user, and wherein the presentation data directs the flexible touchpad to resist displaying characters in association with the outwardly-extending protrusions.

14. The touchscreen device of claim 7, wherein the set of movable pins is further configured for:

receiving an actuation from a user;

providing tactile feedback to the user incident to receipt of the actuation; and

communicating an indication of the actuation to the processing unit.

15. A computerized method for manipulating user-input elements to manage outwardly-extending protrusions expressed at a flexible touchpad incorporated in a touchscreen device, the computerized method comprising:

receiving a request to manipulate the expression of the outwardly-extending protrusions;

processing the request by executing a manipulation procedure for controlling a portion of the user-input elements, the manipulation procedure comprising;

(1) accessing configuration settings based on processing the one or more requests; and

(2) manipulating the portion of the user-input elements in accordance with the configuration settings, thereby affecting the outwardly-extending protrusions; and

rendering a user-interface (UI) display at the flexible touchpad according to the request.

16. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein rendering a UI display comprises:

extracting presentation data from the request;

communicating the presentation data to the flexible touchpad; and

rendering the UI display at the flexible touchpad to present one or more characters in association with each of the outwardly-extending protrusions,

wherein the one or more characters visually indicate which of the user-input elements are in an active condition.

17. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein the manipulation procedure further comprises:

identifying the configuration settings as indicating an adjustment of the portion of the user-input elements to a text-entry mode; and

manipulating the portion of the user-input elements such that the outwardly-extending protrusions replicate a physically-extending keypad.

18. The computerized method of claim 17, wherein manipulating comprises manipulating the portion of the user-input elements to an extended orientation, wherein the portion of the user-input elements resides in an active condition, and wherein a remainder of the user-input elements resides in a retracted orientation and an idle condition.

19. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein the request is a user-initiated actuation at a location on the flexible touchpad, and wherein the manipulated portion of the user-input elements are proximate to the location of the actuation.

20. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein manipulating comprises:

releasing the portion of the user-input elements to an extended orientation, wherein the released portion of the user-input elements resides in an active condition; and

retaining a remainder of the user-input elements in a retracted orientation, wherein the retained remainder of the user-input elements resides in an idle condition.