PRESSURE BUTTON FOR A TOUCH SENSITIVE SURFACE, PHYSICAL INTERFACE AND PROTECTION ELEMENT USING SAME

• US 20200133408A1
• Filed: 03/14/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Esnault, Regis, Gregoire, Christian, Pellen, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 10,955,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/04 Cases; Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/12 Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

A pressure button for a touch-sensitive surface, a physical interface for a touch-sensitive surface, and a protection element for a touch-sensitive surface, in particular a touch screen of a terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet. The pressure button has a contact switch passing through the pressure button, from the upper surface to the lower surface of said pressure button. The contact switch is suitable for allowing interaction with a terminal via a touch-sensitive surface when the pressure button is positioned on the latter. The user can thus interact with the terminal by using a pressure button without requiring connectors for this interface.

Claims

1. A physical pushbutton for a touch-sensitive surface, the pushbutton comprising:

an upper surface and a lower surface; and

a contactor passing through the pushbutton from the upper surface of the pushbutton to the lower surface of the pushbutton, the contactor being configured to allow an interaction with a terminal by way of a touch-sensitive surface when the pushbutton is positioned on the touch-sensitive surface.

2. The physical pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the upper surface allows a finger of a user to exert a pressure on the pushbutton,

the lower surface is positioned above the touch-sensitive surface and is configured to be brought into contact with the touch-sensitive surface when a pressure is exerted on the pushbutton, and

the contactor is positioned;

on the upper surface so as to be in contact with the finger of the user exerting a pressure on the upper surface of the pushbutton, and

on the lower surface so as to be in contact with the touch-sensitive surface when the lower surface is brought into contact with the touch-sensitive surface.

3. The physical pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pushbutton includes a plurality of contactors, each contactor having a separate position on the upper surface and the lower surface of the pushbutton, allowing an interaction with a separate part of the touch-sensitive surface.

4. The physical pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pushbutton includes fasteners for fastening the pushbutton in a position in relation to the touch-sensitive surface.

5. The physical pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pushbutton is formed of at least one flexible material.

6. The physical pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contactor is formed of at least one conductive material.

8. The physical interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical interface includes a provider of an identifier of the physical interface to the terminal, such that the identifier of the physical interface allows the terminal to modify a virtual interface with the terminal, the modification depending on the identifier of the physical interface.

9. The physical interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifier provider consists of at least one of the following devices:

a symbol affixed to the physical interface;

a transmission circuit having a memory containing the identifier of the physical interface, the circuit being a contact-based or contactless transmission circuit.

10. The physical interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identifier provider includes a controller, the identifier provider transmitting a virtual interface adaptation command generated by the controller, the adaptation command triggering the modification of the virtual interface depending on the identifier of the physical interface contained in the adaptation command.

7. A physical interface for a touch-sensitive surface including:

at least one physical pushbutton, the pushbutton including an upper surface and a lower surface, and a contactor passing through the pushbutton from the upper surface to the lower surface, the contactor being configured to allow an interaction with a terminal by way of the touch-sensitive surface when the pushbutton is positioned on the touch-sensitive surface.

11. A protector for covering at least part of a touch-sensitive surface able to allow an interaction with a terminal, the protector comprising:

a frontal part including;

at least one pushbutton for the touch-sensitive surface;

or

a physical interface for the touch-sensitive surface including at least one pushbutton for the touch-sensitive surface,

the at least one pushbutton including a contactor passing through the pushbutton from an upper surface of the pushbutton to a lower surface of the pushbutton, the contactor being configured to allow an interaction with the terminal by way of the touch-sensitive surface when the pushbutton is positioned on the touch-sensitive surface.

13. The virtual interface method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the virtual interface method includes modifying the virtual interface depending on an identifier of a physical interface for the touch-sensitive surface, the physical interface including the at least one pushbutton for the touch-sensitive surface and a provider of the identifier of the physical interface to the terminal.

12. A virtual interface method for a terminal, including:

positioning a pushbutton on a touch-sensitive surface of the terminal; and

capturing an interaction with the terminal, by way of a contactor passing through the pushbutton from an upper surface of the pushbutton to a lower surface of the pushbutton, by way of the touch-sensitive surface.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code instructions stored thereon for executing a virtual interface method when said program is executed by a processor of a terminal, wherein the instructions configure the terminal to:

capture an interaction with the terminal, by way of a contactor passing through the pushbutton from an upper surface of the pushbutton to a lower surface of the pushbutton, by way of a touch-sensitive surface of the terminal when the pushbutton is positioned on the touch-sensitive surface.

15. A terminal comprising:

a touch-sensitive surface; and

a virtual interface configured to capture an interaction with the terminal, by way of a contactor passing through a pushbutton from an upper surface of the pushbutton to a lower surface of the pushbutton, by way of the touch-sensitive surface when the pushbutton is positioned on the touch-sensitive surface.