Touch Screen with Tactile Feedback

• US 20100308983A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Conte, Thomas M., Mangione-Smith, Bill
• Granted Patent: US 9,372,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Examples of sensing a human touch to a touch screen and providing tactile and visual feedback are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing a human touch that indicates a user input to a computing device via a touch screen;

generating an input signal associated with the user input;

providing tactile feedback responsive to the human touch; and

providing visual feedback based, at least in part, on the input signal,

wherein sensing the human touch and providing tactile feedback occurs in a manner such that the visual feedback is substantially unobstructed as observed by a human associated with the human touch.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein sensing the human touch comprises sensing the human touch via one or more sensors included in a first layer of the touch screen.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein providing tactile feedback responsive to the human touch comprises providing tactile feedback via one or more micro electromechanical machines (MEMs) included in a second layer of the touch screen.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein providing visual feedback based, at least in part, on the input signal comprises, providing visual feedback via a third layer of the touch screen, the third layer providing visual feedback using a display technology that includes one of liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), interferometric modulator display (IMOD) or electrophoretic display.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the computing device includes one of a digital broadband telephony device, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a navigation device, a game player, a music player or a video player.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a first layer to generate an input signal in response to sensing a human touch, the input signal associated with a user input to a computing device;

a second layer to provide tactile feedback responsive to the human touch; and

a third layer to provide visual feedback responsive to the input signal generated by the first layer,

wherein the first, second and third layers are arranged such that visual feedback provided by the third layer is substantially unobstructed by the first and second layers as observed by a human associated with the human touch.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first layer to generate the input signal in response to sensing the human touch comprises the first layer to sense the human touch via one or more sensors included in the first layer, the one or more sensors to include indium tin oxide.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second layer to provide tactile feedback responsive to the human touch comprises the second layer to include one or more micro electromechanical machines (MEMs), the one or more MEMs to provide tactile feedback via vibration.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the one or more MEMs to provide tactile feedback via vibration comprises the one or more MEMs to include a piezoelectric device, the piezoelectric device to include a clear piezoelectric crystal that vibrates based on a voltage being applied to the clear piezoelectric crystal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the clear piezoelectric crystal comprises one of gallium phosphate, quartz or tourmaline.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6, where the third layer to provide visual feedback comprises the third layer to provide visual feedback using a display technology that includes one of liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), interferometric modulator display (IMOD) or electrophoretic display.

12. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second layer is located below the third layer in relation to the human touch, the third layer to provide visual feedback using a display technology that includes organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

13. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input signal associated with the user input to the computing device comprises the input signal to indicate a request for a full screen image, wherein the third layer to provide visual feedback responsive to the input signal comprises the third layer to provide visual feedback that includes the full screen image.

14. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the computing device includes one of a digital broadband telephony device, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a navigation device, a game player, a music player or a video player.

15. A system comprising:

a computing platform; and

a touch screen coupled with the computing platform, the touch screen to include;

a first layer to generate an input signal in response to sensing a human touch, the input signal associated with a user input;

a second layer to provide tactile feedback responsive to the human touch; and

a third layer to provide visual feedback responsive to the input signal generated by the first layer,

wherein the first, second and third layers are arranged such that visual feedback provided by the third layer is substantially unobstructed by the first and second layers as observed by a human associated with the human touch.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first layer to generate the input signal in response to sensing the human touch comprises the first layer to sense the human touch via one or more sensors included in the first layer, the one or more sensors to include indium tin oxide.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the second layer to provide tactile feedback responsive to the human touch comprises the second layer to include one or more micro electromechanical machines (MEMs), the one or more MEMs to provide tactile feedback via one of vibration, pushback, flexing or controlled pulse.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the one or more MEMs to provide tactile feedback comprises the one or more MEMs to include a piezoelectric device, the piezoelectric device to include a piezoelectric crystal, based on the human touch compressing the piezoelectric crystal, the piezoelectric crystal to provide a voltage to enable the one or more MEMs to provide tactile feedback to an area of the touch screen at or near the human touch.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the piezoelectric crystal comprises one of gallium phosphate, quartz or tourmaline.

20. A system according to claim 15, where the third layer to provide visual feedback comprises the third layer to provide visual feedback using a display technology that includes one of liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), interferometric modulator display (IMOD) or electrophoretic display.