ACCOMMODATIVE USER INTERFACE FOR HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20200133474A1
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Helke
• Original Assignee: Michael Helke
• Inventors: HELKE, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 11,360,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information

Abstract

A tactile user interface for handheld electronic devices that accommodates the human hand irrespective of morphology, size or laterality thus enabling any user to conveniently operate such devices with all five fingers which comprises an outer surface, one or more continuous sensor regions on said outer surface, wherein the regions are configured with one or more sensors to detect multiple simultaneous contact patches made by one or more fingers and/or the base of the thumb of a hand, a processor connected to the one or more sensors, wherein the processor identifies a particular contact patch based on the relative location of the particular contact patch with respect to the other contact patches wherein the processor is configured to control an electronic device by identifying a sign consisting of the combined distinctive features of one or more contact patches and associating the sign with a signal for controlling the electronic device or to input data and by transmitting said signal to the device.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A user interface for an electronic device comprising:

an outer surface,

one or more continuous sensor remoras On Said outer surface,

wherein the regions are configured with uniformly distributed sensors covering the sensor region to detect a plurality of contact patches, each of said contact patches made either by a finger or the base of the thumb of a hand said contact patches (1) having no fixed location and (2) existing;

only while actual contact of a finger or the base of the thumb is in progress and (3) being associated with at least one dis-tinctive feature,

whereby said contact patches correspond to a standard configuration of six contact patches where each contact patch in the standard configuration is located at posi-tions relative to each other determined by where a finger or the base of the thumb of a hand would naturally came into contact with the outer surface of the interface when a user is holding the electronic device in a handshake like grip in order to use it

a processor connected to the One or more sensors, wherein the processor is configured

to identify a particular contact patch based on the relative location of the particular contact patch with respect to the other contemporaneous contact patches independently of where the user actually grips the device

to determine the relative location of a particular contact patch with respect to the other contemporaneous contact patches the hand makes by comparing an azimuth 8 and either a radial distance r or a polar angle <

p of its centroid from a center-bottom origin on the electronic device or mutatis mutandis another coordinate system

to label each of said contemporaneous contact patches in accordance with the particular finger or the base of the thumb of an arbitrary normal hand holding a device in a handshake like grip the contact patch of which has the same relative azimuth 8 and either the same relative radial distance r or the same relative polar angle <

p as the contact patch to be labelled

to control said electronic device by identifying a sign consisting of the combined distinctive features of a plurality of said contemporaneous contact patches and associating the sign with a signal for controlling the electronic device or to input data and by transmitting said signal to the device.

25. The interface according to claim 24, wherein control of the electronic device by the processor is not initiated unless the processor recognizes a standard configuration of six contact patches.

26. A stand-alone handheld electronic device equipped with the interface according to claim 24 as an integral part of the device.

27. An accessory electronic device which is an accessory device equipped with the interface according to claim 24 as an integral part of the accessory device wherein the functions of said accessory device include controlling a separate device.

28. The stand-alone handheld electronic device according to claim 26, wherein at least one of die one or more continuous sensor regions of the interlace is located on the sides or back of the electronic device.

29. The accessory electronic device according to claim 27, wherein at least one of the one or more continuous sensor regions is located on the sides or hack of the accessory electronic device.

30. The interface according to claim 24, wherein the distinctive features of a contact patch are determined by a finger making a movement,

wherein the movement by the finger comprises basic movements including pressing, changing position, and/or breaking contact, and the like, and

wherein the timing, intensity, speed, and/or direction of the basic movements can be varied and

wherein the basic movements can be combined or otherwise structured to produce composite movements.

31. The interface according to claim 24, wherein an absolute location of each contact patch within one or more continuous sensor regions varies depending on hand morphology, hand size, and handedness of the user as well as variations/inconsistencies in the way the user holds the interface and also as a consequence of intentional finger movements the user makes to operate the device and

wherein a the relative location of the contact patches with respect to one another is constant.

32. The interface according to claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to ignore signs unless the processor detects that all five fingers of a hand and the base of the thumb are in contact with one or more continuous sensor regions and that the contact patches are in standard configuration.

33. The accessory device according to claim 27, configured for receiving and/or attaching to another device.

34. The accessory device of claim 33, wherein the accessory is configured as a casing.

35. The accessory electronic device of claim 27, wherein the accessory device communicates with the controlled device by wireless technology.

36. The accessory electronic device of claim 27, wherein the accessory device communicates with the controlled device by a physical connection.

37. The accessory device according to claim 34, which is in the form of a handheld casing configured to snap onto the other device.

38. The accessory device according to claim 34, which is in the form of a handheld casing configured to flexibly mold around the other device,

39. An electronic remote control device equipped with an interface according to claim 24 as an integral part of the remote control device wherein the functions of said remote control device include controlling a separate device.

40. The interface according to claim 24, wherein the distinctive features of a contact patch are determined by a finger and/or the base of the thumb touching the interface surface.

41. A stand-alone handheld electronic computing device equipped with the interface according to claim 24 as an integral part of the device.

42. A stand-alone handheld electronic communications device such as a wireless communications device equipped with the interface according to claim 24 as an integral part of the device.

43. The user interface for an electronic device according to claim 24, wherein said one or more continuous regions on said outer surface are configured with one or more mechanical transducers, such as a refreshable Braille display, to give tactile feedback to the contact patch made by one or more fingers or by the base of the thumb.