METHOD FOR ADJUSTING THE USER INTERFACE OF A DEVICE

• US 20110001613A1
• Filed: 07/05/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tactus Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tactus Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Ciesla, Craig Michael, Saal, Nathaniel Mark, Yairi, Micah B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1664 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• 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 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A method adjusting a user interface experience for a device that includes providing a user interface to retrieve a user input, providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid and a displacement device 10 that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation retrieving a user preference between a first type, location, and/or timing and a second embodiment, location, and/or timing through the user interface, and manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation of one of the first and second type, location, and/or timing is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting the user interface of a device, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface to retrieve a user input;

providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid and a displacement device that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation;

retrieving a user preference between a tactilely distinguishable formation of a first type and a second type through the user interface; and

manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation of one of the first type and second type based on the user preference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is provided on the tactile interface layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation is a button.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the button includes a substantially dome-shaped protrusion.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the surface is substantially planar, and wherein the button extends beyond the plane of the surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile interface layer defines a fluid vessel that contains a volume of fluid and that is arranged underneath the surface, and wherein the step of manipulating the volume of fluid includes manipulating the volume of fluid within the fluid vessel to expand at least a portion of the fluid vessel, thereby deforming the particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fluid vessel includes a cavity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation of the first type is of a first height and the tactilely distinguishable formation of the second type is of a second height.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation of the first type is of a first firmness and the tactilely distinguishable formation of the second type is of a second firmness.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation of the first type deforms at a first rate and the tactilely distinguishable formation of the second type deforms at a second rate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation of the first type is deformed for a first duration of time and the tactilely distinguishable formation of the second type is deformed for a second duration of time.

12. A method for adjusting the user interface of a device, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface to retrieve a user input;

providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid and a displacement device that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation;

retrieving a user preference between a tactilely distinguishable formation at a first location and at a second location through the user interface; and

manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation at one of the first location and the second location based on the user preference.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the tactilely distinguishable formation is a button.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the tactile interface layer defines a fluid vessel that contains a volume of fluid and that is arranged underneath the surface, and wherein the step of manipulating the volume of fluid includes manipulating the volume of fluid within the fluid vessel to expand at least a portion of the fluid vessel, thereby deforming a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fluid vessel includes a channel that directs the manipulated volume of fluid within the fluid vessel to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation at one of the first location and the second location based on the user preference.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second location are relative to the device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second location are relative to the tactile interface layer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the displacement device manipulates the fluid to deform a plurality of particular regions of the surface into tactilely distinguishable formations, and wherein the first and second locations of a particular tactilely distinguishable formation is relative to another tactilely distinguishable formation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of tactilely distinguishable regions cooperatively represent a keyboard layout and wherein the first and second location of a particular tactilely distinguishable formation is a first and second location for a particular key of the keyboard.

20. A method for adjusting the user interface of a device, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface to retrieve a user input;

providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid and a displacement device that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation;

retrieving a user preference for a particular timing for a tactilely distinguishable formation; and

manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation at the particular timing of the user preference.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the particular timing is when a particular application of the device is actuated.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the displacement device manipulates the fluid to deform a plurality of particular regions of the surface into tactilely distinguishable formations that cooperatively represent a numeric keypad, and wherein the particular time is when the phone application of the device is actuated.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of retrieving a user preference for a particular timing includes retrieving a user preference between a first timing and a second timing for a tactilely distinguishable formation and the step of manipulating the volume of fluid includes manipulating the fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation at one of the first timing and the second timing based on the user preference.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first timing is when a first application of the device is actuated and the second timing is when a second application of the device is actuated.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the displacement device manipulates the fluid to deform a plurality of particular regions of the surface into tactilely distinguishable formations, wherein the step of retrieving a user preference for a particular timing includes retrieving a user preference for a particular tactilely distinguishable formation at the particular timing, and wherein manipulating the volume of fluid includes manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into the particular tactilely distinguishable formation based on the user preference.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of tactilely distinguishable formations cooperatively represent a keyboard and wherein the particular key corresponds to a particular key of the keyboard.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the keyboard is of a type selected from the group consisting of a text keyboard and a numeric keypad.

28. A method for adjusting the user interface of a device, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface to retrieve a user input;

providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid, a displacement device that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation, and a sensor that detects a user input at the tactilely distinguishable formation;

retrieving a user preference between a first sensitivity and a second sensitivity for the sensor through the user interface; and

manipulating the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into one of a first type of tactilely distinguishable formation for the first sensitivity for the sensor and a second type of tactilely distinguishable formation for the second sensitivity of the sensor based on the user preference.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the first type of tactilely distinguishable formation is of a first height and the second type of tactilely distinguishable formation is of a second height lower than the first height and wherein the first sensitivity is less than the second sensitivity.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the deformation is a button, and wherein the touch sensor is adapted to sense a user touch that deforms the button.

31. A method for adjusting the user interface of a device, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface to retrieve a user input;

providing a tactile interface layer that defines a surface and includes a volume of fluid and a displacement device that manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation;

retrieving a user preference between a device action of a first type and a second type when the displacement device manipulates the volume of fluid to deform a particular region of the surface into a tactilely distinguishable formation; and

manipulating the device to provide a device action of one of the first type and the second type based on the user preference.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the device action of the first type is to provide a sound and the device action of the second type is to provide a vibration.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the device action of the first type is a vibration of a first intensity and the device action of the second type is a vibration of a second intensity.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of retrieving a user preference between a device action includes retrieving a user preference between a device action of a first reaction type and a second reaction type when a user input is detected at the tactilely distinguishable formation and the step of manipulating the device to provide a device action includes manipulating the device to provide a device action of the first reaction type and the second reaction type based on the user preference.