Input Device with Interchangeable Surface

• US 20130342464A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bathiche, Steven Nabil, Panay, Panos C., Groene, Ralf, Wang, Hua, Shaw, Timothy C., Lane, David M., Kim, Young Soo
• Application Number:
  US13/974,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

An input device with an interchangeable surface is described. In one or more implementations, an input device base includes a connection portion configured to provide a physical and communicative coupling to a computing device and a plurality of sensors configured to initiate respective inputs responsive to contact from a user. The input device also includes an interchangeable surface that is removable and connectable, physically, to the input device base, the interchangeable surface having a plurality of indications of inputs that are to be initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

an input device base having;

a connection portion configured to provide a physical and communicative coupling to a computing device having a slate configuration; and

a plurality of sensors configured to initiate respective inputs responsive to contact from a user; and

an interchangeable surface that is removable and connectable, physically, to the input device base, the interchangeable surface having a plurality of indications of inputs that are to initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors.

2. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are pressure sensitive sensors.

3. An input device as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors are pressure sensitive sensors that are each configured to communicate different amounts of pressure as part of the respective inputs responsive to contact from the user.

4. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein a single one of the indications corresponds to two or more respective said sensors.

5. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the interchangeable surface is configured to connect mechanically to the input device base.

6. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the interchangeable surface is configured to connect electrostatically to the input device base.

7. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the interchangeable surface is configured to connect magnetically to the input device base.

8. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the interchangeable surface includes an identifier that is usable to identify an arrangement of the indications.

9. An input device as described in claim 8, wherein the identifier is configured to support mapping of the arrangement of the indications to corresponding ones of the plurality of sensors.

10. An input device as described in claim 8, further comprising another interchangeable surface that is also removable and connectable, physically, to the input device base, the interchangeable surface having another plurality of indications of inputs that are to initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors that is different that the plurality of indications of inputs of the interchangeable surface.

11. An interchangeable surface comprising:

a securing device that is configured to support a removable physical connection to an input device base of an input device; and

a plurality of indications of inputs that are to initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors of the input device base.

12. An interchangeable surface as described in claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors are pressure sensitive sensors.

13. An interchangeable surface as described in claim 11, wherein a single one of the indications correspond to two or more respective said sensors.

14. An interchangeable surface as described in claim 11, wherein the interchangeable surface is configured to connect magnetically, electrostatically, or mechanically attached to the input device base.

15. An interchangeable surface as described in claim 11, further comprising an identifier that is usable to identify an arrangement of the indications.

16. An interchangeable surface as described in claim 15, wherein the identifier is configured to support mapping of the arrangement of the indications to corresponding ones of the plurality of sensors.

17. A method comprising:

forming an input device base having a plurality of pressure sensitive keys in a first arrangement; and

forming an interchangeable surface that is removable and connectable, physically, to the input device base, the interchangeable surface having a plurality of indications of inputs in a second arrangement that are to initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors, the second arrangement being different that the first arrangement of the plurality of pressure sensitive keys.

18. A method as described in claim 17, wherein the interchangeable surface includes a force concentrator layer having the second arrangement.

19. A method as described in claim 17, wherein force concentrator layer includes a bridge pad that is configured to cause pressure to be channeled through the bridge pad to at least two said pressure sensitive keys.

20. A method as described in claim 17, wherein the input device base includes a connection portion configured to provide a communicative coupling to a computing device having a slate configuration.