Contortion of an Electronic Apparatus

• US 20130187864A1
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kildal, Johan, Reponen, Erika, PAASOVAARA, Pii Susanna
• Granted Patent: US 9,823,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks

Abstract

An apparatus including: a body configured for resilient contortion from a neutral equilibrium shape by a user, the body having an exterior surface that resiliently contorts in response to user provision of a force, wherein the body defines, proximal to a perimeter of a face of the body, at least a first portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus and a second portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus that opposes the first portion across the face, wherein user provision of a force in a first direction results in a first contortion of the exterior surface and user provision of a force in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, results in a second contortion of the exterior surface; and electronic circuitry configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force to the exterior surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a body configured for resilient contortion from a neutral equilibrium shape by a user, the body having an exterior surface that resiliently contorts in response to user provision of a force, wherein the body defines, proximal to a perimeter of a face of the body, at least a first portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus and a second portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus that opposes the first portion across the face, wherein user provision of a force in a first direction results in a first contortion of the exterior surface and user provision of a force in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, results in a second contortion of the exterior surface; and

electronic circuitry including at least a processor configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and to provide consistent meaning across the plurality of software applications for user provision of a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first contortion of the first portion provides, in the plurality of software applications, a command for advancement and wherein a first contortion of the second portion provides, in the plurality of applications, a command for retreat.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first contortion of the first portion provides, in the plurality of software applications, a navigation command consistent with a location of the first portion and wherein a first contortion of the second portion provides, in the plurality of software applications, a navigation command consistent with a location of the second portion.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the navigation commands enable, in the software applications, one or more of:

navigating through a hierarchical menu structure;

scrolling;

panning; and

positioning a pointer.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first contortion of the first portion consistently provides, in the plurality of software applications, a command that completes an action defined by an in-use one of the software applications and a subsequent first contortion of the second portion consistently provides a command that at least partially undoes the completed action.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein user provision of a force in a first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface results in a backward bending of the first portion;

wherein user provision of a force in a first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface results in a backward bending of the second portion;

wherein user provision of a force in a second direction to the first portion of the exterior surface results in a forward bending of the first portion; and

wherein user provision of a force in the second direction to the second portion of the exterior surface results in a forward bending of the second portion.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the second direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and to provide consistent meaning across the plurality of software applications for user provision of a force in the second direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to provide consistently a common meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and user provision of a force in the second direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications in response to simultaneous user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for simultaneous user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface and to provide the same consistent meaning across the plurality of different software applications for simultaneous user provision of a force in the second direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and a force in the second direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for simultaneous user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface is different to

the consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the first direction only to the first portion of the exterior surface;

the consistent meaning across the plurality of applications for user provision of a force in the first direction only to the second portion of the exterior surface;

the consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the second direction only to the first portion of the exterior surface; and

the consistent meaning across the plurality of applications for user provision of a force in the second direction only to the second portion of the exterior surface.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the consistent meaning across the plurality of different software applications for simultaneous user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface is selection.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface, the consistent meaning across the plurality of applications for user provision of a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface, the consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for user provision of a force in the second direction to the first portion of the exterior surface, and the consistent meaning across the plurality of applications for user provision of a force in the second direction to the second portion of the exterior surface is pre-selection navigation.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first portion is displaced relative to an origin along a first vector and the second portion displaced relative to an origin along a second vector, wherein user provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface navigates in a direction of the first vector and user provision of a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface navigates in a direction of the second vector.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first portion is a first edge and the second portion is a second different edge, wherein the first edge and the second edge are a pair of edges from a group comprising:

left edge, top edge, bottom edge, right edge wherein bending the right edge back navigates right; and

/or wherein bending the right edge forward navigate left; and

/or wherein bending top edge back navigates up; and

/or wherein bending the bottom edge forward navigates down; and

/or wherein bending the bottom edge back navigates down; and

/or wherein bending the bottom edge up navigates up.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 sized as a hand-portable apparatus.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

wherein the body has an exterior surface that resiliently contorts in response to user provision of a force but contorts differentially dependent upon which side of the body the force is provided;

wherein the body defines, proximal to a first portion of a perimeter of a first side of a face of the body, first portions of an exterior surface of the apparatus and defines, proximal to a portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus;

wherein user provision of a force in a first direction to any of the first portions results in a first contortion of the exterior surface to a different extent than user provision of the same force in the first direction to the second portion; and

wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to provide different functions in response to user provision of a force in a first direction to the first portions and user provision of the same force in the first direction to the second portion.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

26. An apparatus comprising:

a body configured for resilient contortion from a neutral equilibrium shape by a user, the body having an exterior surface that resiliently contorts in response to user provision of a force but contorts differentially dependent upon which side of the body the force is provided;

wherein the body defines, proximal to a first portion of a perimeter of a first side of a face of the body, first portions of an exterior surface of the apparatus and defines, proximal to a second portion of the perimeter of a second side of the face of the body, at least a second portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus;

wherein user provision of a force in a first direction to any of the first portions results in a first contortion of the exterior surface to a different extent than user provision of the same force in the first direction to the second portion; and

electronic circuitry including at least a processor configured to provide a first function in response to user provision of a force in a first direction to the first portions and to provide a second function in response to user provision of the same force in the first direction to the second portion.

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first portions are positioned for use by a user'"'"'s right-hand in providing the first function and the second portion is positioned for use by a user'"'"'s left-hand in providing the second function.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the apparatus is rotatable such that the first portions are positioned for use by a user'"'"'s left-hand in providing the first function and the second portion is positioned for use by a user'"'"'s right-hand in providing the second function.

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the side edge is a right edge and bending the right edge back navigates right and bending the right edge forward navigates left.

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

38. (canceled)

39. (canceled)

40. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

45. (canceled)

46. An apparatus comprising:

a body configured for resilient contortion from a neutral equilibrium shape, the body having an exterior surface that resiliently contorts in response to provision of a force, wherein the body defines, proximal to a perimeter of a face of the body, at least a first portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus and a second portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus that opposes the first portion across the face, wherein provision of a force in a first direction results in a first contortion of the exterior surface and provision of a force in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, results in a second contortion of the exterior surface; and

electronic circuitry including at least a processor configured to provide consistent meaning across a plurality of different software applications for provision of a force in the first direction to the first portion of the exterior surface and to provide consistent meaning across the plurality of software applications for provision of a force in the first direction to the second portion of the exterior surface.

47. (canceled)