MOBILE APPLICATION INTERACTION GUIDE VIA TACTILE FEEDBACK

• US 20160378188A1
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chi, Jian Wen, Sun, Yu Wei, Yue, Li, Zhang, Kang, Zhou, Liyi
• Granted Patent: US 9,917,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers

Abstract

A method includes detecting, by a contact sensing layer, a position of one or more fingers of a mobile device user, the contact sensing layer is located in a back area of a mobile device and the one or more fingers of the mobile device user are in direct contact with the contact sensing layer, receiving the detected position of the one or more fingers, identifying a plurality of advanced features contained in at least one software application running on the mobile device, selecting a feedback type based on the plurality of advanced features, and sending the selected feedback type to an interactive layer of the mobile device causing the interactive layer to generate a notification which is detectable by the one or more fingers, the notification communicates at least one of the advanced features to the mobile device user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a contact sensing layer, a position of one or more fingers of a mobile device user, wherein the contact sensing layer is located in a back area of a mobile device and the one or more fingers of the mobile device user are in direct contact with the contact sensing layer;

receiving the detected position of the one or more fingers;

identifying a plurality of advanced features contained in at least one software application running on the mobile device;

selecting a feedback type based on the plurality of advanced features; and

sending the selected feedback type to an interactive layer of the mobile device causing the interactive layer to generate a notification which is detectable by the one or more fingers,

wherein the notification communicates at least one of the advanced features to the mobile device user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback type comprises a directional vibration flow.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of balls configured to generate a motion wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the motion wave comprises a plurality of sequential taps hopping between different points to present the notification to the mobile device user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the motion wave comprises vertical, horizontal, or angled movements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback type comprises a local change in a temperature of the contact sensing layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of heating nodes to generate a temperature wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.