TACTILE GRAPHICAL DISPLAY

• US 20190324547A1
• Filed: 07/03/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hardee, Christopher J., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,705,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for generating a visual and tactile representation of a plurality of flexed pages associated with a set of data and presented on a graphical display. The graphical display may sense a plurality of flexural states and model respective tactile gradients according to the plurality of flexural states. For a flexural state meeting a set of criteria, the tactile gradient may be applied to the graphical display by distributing a selective volume contained with the graphical display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a flexural state of a graphical display presenting a current page of a document having a plurality of pages;

determining a change from a first flexural state to a second flexural state of the graphical display is above a first threshold;

defining, in response to determining the change from the first flexural state to the second flexural state is above a first threshold, a tactile gradient comprising a plurality of discrete surfaces representing at least a portion of the plurality of pages of the document, wherein a first surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces comprises a different geometry with respect to a second surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces, and wherein no two surfaces of the plurality of discrete surfaces are coplanar; and

applying the tactile gradient to the graphical display by distributing a selective volume within a portion of the graphical display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a pressure above a second threshold, the pressure being associated with a location of the pressure on the tactile gradient;

sensing a translation of the pressure above a third threshold, the translation being associated with a direction of the translation; and

transitioning from the current page to a selected page of the document based on the direction of the translation and the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transitioning comprises a change to the tactile gradient, and wherein the method further comprises

applying the change to the tactile gradient to the graphical display;

and

presenting the selected page of the document on the graphical display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a pressure above a second threshold, the pressure being associated with a location of the pressure on the tactile gradient;

sensing a translation of the pressure, the translation being below a fourth threshold;

sensing a direction of the translation of the pressure, the direction being within a first range;

re-defining the tactile gradient to produce an updated tactile gradient;

applying the updated tactile gradient to the graphical display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the updated tactile gradient includes a marking, wherein the marking comprises a protrusion and a depression, the protrusion and the depression having a common edge, wherein the common edge forms a line of symmetry between the protrusion and the depression, wherein the protrusion and the depression are a function of the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient, the translation of the pressure, and the direction of the translation;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

associating the marking with the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the tactile gradient comprises defining the tactile gradient to produce a marking on at least one surface, wherein the marking is discrete from a surrounding surface, wherein the marking indicates a location of a selected page of the document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the marking has a geometry selected from a group consisting of:

polygonal, and ovoidal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold is based on a maximum permissible angle formed between an axis of rotation of the first flexural state and an axis of rotation of the second flexural state, and a maximum permissible difference in a degree of a curvature of the first flexural state with respect to a degree of a curvature of the second flexural state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical display comprises a microfluidics panel.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

monitoring a flexural state of a graphical display presenting a current page of a document having a plurality of pages;

determining a change from a first flexural state to a second flexural state of the graphical display is above a first threshold;

defining, in response to determining the change from the first flexural state to the second flexural state is above a first threshold, a tactile gradient comprising a plurality of discrete surfaces representing at least a portion of the plurality of pages of the document, wherein a first surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces comprises a different geometry with respect to a second surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces, and wherein no two surfaces of the plurality of discrete surfaces are coplanar; and

applying the tactile gradient to the graphical display by distributing a selective volume within a portion of the graphical display.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

sensing a pressure above a second threshold, the pressure being associated with a location of the pressure on the tactile gradient;

sensing a translation of the pressure above a third threshold, the translation being associated with a direction of the translation; and

transitioning from the current page to a selected page of the document based on the direction of the translation and the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the transitioning comprises a change to the tactile gradient, and wherein the method further comprises

applying the change to the tactile gradient to the graphical display;

and

presenting the selected page of the document on the graphical display.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

sensing a pressure above a second threshold, the pressure being associated with a location of the pressure on the tactile gradient;

sensing a translation of the pressure, the translation being below a fourth threshold;

sensing a direction of the translation of the pressure, the direction being within a first range;

re-defining the tactile gradient to produce an updated tactile gradient;

applying the updated tactile gradient to the graphical display.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the updated tactile gradient includes a marking, wherein the marking comprises a protrusion and a depression, the protrusion and the depression having a common edge, wherein the common edge forms a line of symmetry between the protrusion and the depression, wherein the protrusion and the depression are a function of the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient, the translation of the pressure, and the direction of the translation;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

associating the marking with the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein defining the tactile gradient comprises defining the tactile gradient to produce a marking on at least one surface, wherein the marking is discrete from a surrounding surface, wherein the marking indicates a location of a selected page of the document.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the marking has a geometry selected from a group consisting of:

polygonal, and ovoidal.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first threshold is based on a maximum permissible angle formed between an axis of rotation of the first flexural state and an axis of rotation of the second flexural state, and a maximum permissible difference in a degree of a curvature of the first flexural state with respect to a degree of a curvature of the second flexural state.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the graphical display comprises a microfluidics panel.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions which, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

monitoring a flexural state of a graphical display presenting a current page of a document having a plurality of pages;

determining a change from a first flexural state to a second flexural state of the graphical display is above a first threshold;

defining, in response to determining the change from the first flexural state to the second flexural state is above a first threshold, a tactile gradient comprising a plurality of discrete surfaces representing at least a portion of the plurality of pages of the document, wherein a first surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces comprises a different geometry with respect to a second surface of the plurality of discrete surfaces, and wherein no two surfaces of the plurality of discrete surfaces are coplanar; and

applying the tactile gradient to the graphical display by distributing a selective volume within a portion of the graphical display.

20. The system of claim 19, the method further comprising:

sensing a pressure above a second threshold, the pressure being associated with a location of the pressure on the tactile gradient;

sensing a translation of the pressure above a third threshold, the translation being associated with a direction of the translation; and

transitioning from the current page to a selected page of the document based on the direction of the translation and the location of the pressure on the tactile gradient.