FINGER-SENSING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20100328264A1
• Filed: 01/12/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oxbridge Creation Limited
• Original Assignee: Oxbridge Creation Limited
• Inventors: Yip, Chak Lam Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes

Abstract

A finger-sensing apparatus (23) and a method with a page detection mechanism (47). The apparatus (23) comprises a finger-sensitive substrate (26) having a plurality of keypads (30), a page detection mechanism (47), a control circuit (31) and a pliable media (25). When a finger (33) of a user is proximate to a keypad (30), the control circuit (31) detects a change in a characteristic at the keypad (30). The page detection mechanism (47) determines a page (24) exposed to the user and sends the information to the control circuit (31). The characteristic is a capacitance.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a substrate comprising at least one finger-sensitive sensor that senses a finger of a user,

a page detection mechanism for determining a page exposed to the user; and

a control circuit coupled to said at least one finger-sensitive touch sensor and said page detection mechanism to indicate a specific page being exposed to the user and a specific site on the substrate activated with the finger of the user.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said finger-sensitive sensor is a capacitive sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said capacitive sensor includes:

a sensing keypad;

said sensing keypad comprising electrically conductive materials deposited onto said substrate;

shielding area surrounding but not connected to said sensing keypad comprising electrically conductive materials deposited on said substrate,

whereby said control circuit detects a change of capacitance between said sensing keypad and said shielding area when said finger is proximate to said keypad.

4. The apparatus according claim 1, wherein said at least one finger-sensitive sensor is arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns in said substrate.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said page detection mechanism comprises:

a strip attached to different locations of a page;

a strip detecting circuit coupled to said control circuit;

wherein when said strip moves from a first position to a second position as the user flips the page, the strip detecting circuit detects the movement of said strip and sends a control signal to said control circuit, indicating the page that is exposed to said user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is a pliable membrane.

7. An interactive electronic book comprising:

a substrate comprising at least one finger-sensitive sensor that senses a finger of a user;

a pliable media including at least one page with at least one site, said pliable media removably attached on top of said substrate;

a page detection mechanism that determines a page exposed to the user;

a control circuit that receives an indication from the page detection mechanism of a current page being displayed and an indication from the finger-sensitive touch sensor of a location on the page being touched by the user;

a memory device coupled to said control circuit and storing at least one multimedia object, each of said at least one multimedia object corresponds to one of said site of said page;

a multimedia output device coupled to said control circuit that presents said at least one multimedia object to said user.

8. The book according to claim 7, wherein said substrate is a pliable membrane.

9. The book according to claim 7, wherein said finger-sensitive sensor is a capacitive sensor.

10. The book according to claim 7, wherein said memory device is attached to said pliable media.

11. The book according to claim 7, wherein said multimedia object is an audio message.

12. The book according to claim 7, wherein said page detection mechanism comprises:

a strip attached to different locations of said page;

a strip detecting circuit coupled to said control circuit;

wherein when said strip moves from a first position to a second position as the user flips the page;

the strip detecting circuit detects the movement of said strip and sends out at least one signal to said control circuit, indicating the page that is exposed to said user.

13. The book according to claim 12 wherein said strip detecting circuit generates a first signal when said strip is at a third position that is between said first position and said second position and generates a second signal when said strip is at said second position and also after a predefined period of time when said first signal is generated.

14. The book according to claim 13 wherein said first signal is used to activate said control circuit and said memory device.

15. The book according to claim 7, wherein said pliable media is bound to a spine.

16. The book according to claim 15, wherein said memory device is attached to said spine.

17. A method, comprising:

determining which one of a plurality of pages are displayed to a user;

detecting a presence of a finger of said user when said finger is proximate a site in said page before said finger actually touches the site in said page;

activating a multimedia object that corresponds to the site on said page.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

providing a strip attached to different locations of said page, wherein said strip moves from a first position to a second position as said user flips said page;

detecting a strip at said second position and an immediately previous strip at said first position.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

moving said user finger in the vicinity of at least one finger-sensitive sensor;

detecting a change in at least one characteristic at said at least one finger-sensitive sensor.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said characteristic is capacitance, and said detecting step further comprising:

sending a square pulse from a control circuit to said finger-sensitive sensor;

measuring a voltage at a pre-determined interval relative to said square pulse;

said voltage directly correlated to said capacitance of said finger-sensitive sensor;

computing a difference between said voltage and a reference voltage, and

deducing a finger is detected when said difference is higher than a pre-determined threshold.