Interchangeable Surface Translation and Force Concentration
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An input device comprising:
- an input device base having a sensor substrate having one or more conductors and a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate and configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input for a respective one of a plurality of keys; and
an interchangeable surface having a force concentrator layer including a bridge pad that is configured to cause pressure applied to be channeled through the bridge pad to at least two said keys of the input device base.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
76 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An input device comprising:
-
an input device base having a sensor substrate having one or more conductors and a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate and configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input for a respective one of a plurality of keys; and an interchangeable surface having a force concentrator layer including a bridge pad that is configured to cause pressure applied to be channeled through the bridge pad to at least two said keys of the input device base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method comprising:
-
receiving one or more inputs detected via contact applied by a user to an interchangeable surface of an input device that is communicatively coupled to a computing device, the one or more inputs detected via respective ones of a plurality of sensors of an input device base of the input device; translating the received one or more inputs, the translation usable to identify an indication of the interchangeable surface positioned as corresponding to the respective ones of the plurality of sensors; and exposing the translation to one or more applications that are executed by the computing device, the translation usable to initiate one or more operations of the application. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An input device comprising:
-
an input device base having a plurality of sensors configured to initiate respective inputs responsive to contact from a user; and a plurality of interchangeable surfaces that are removable and connectable, physically, to the input device base concurrently, each of the interchangeable surfaces having a plurality of indications of inputs that are to be initiated via respective ones of the plurality of sensors. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
Specification