Touch position sensitive surface
First Claim
1. A touch position sensitive device for use in conjunction with a signal source, said device comprisingspaced apart surfaces arranged such that signals are introduced by total internal reflection between said surfaces as a result of a change in medium bounding at least one of said surfaces, anda flexible overlay adjacent said one surface, said overlay adapted to be deflected into contact with said one surface in response to a depression of said overlay so as to cause said medium change thereby providing a distinctive signal level change between the surfaces of said device when said signals are introduced between said surfaces.
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Abstract
A touch sensitive device is arranged with substantially parallel surfaces which are at least partially transparent to light. A flexible membrane is supported above the top surface of the screen and when the overlay is flexed into contact with the screen, light which had passed through the screen, is trapped between the screen surfaces by total internal reflection. The edges of the screen are fitted with light detectors for gathering the trapped light. Using this arrangement positional determination of one or more screen touches is possible.
359 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A touch position sensitive device for use in conjunction with a signal source, said device comprising
spaced apart surfaces arranged such that signals are introduced by total internal reflection between said surfaces as a result of a change in medium bounding at least one of said surfaces, and a flexible overlay adjacent said one surface, said overlay adapted to be deflected into contact with said one surface in response to a depression of said overlay so as to cause said medium change thereby providing a distinctive signal level change between the surfaces of said device when said signals are introduced between said surfaces.
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9. A position sensitive device for use in conjunction with a source of light, said device comprising
substantially parallel surfaces arranged such that light from said light source impinging upon one of said surfaces is subject to a changeable light ray angle within said surfaces due to a change in the medium bounding said one surface, and a membrane overlayed on one of said surfaces, said overlay adapted for changing said light ray angle.
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15. A touch position sensitive device adapted for mating with the screen of a CRT operable for generating light patterns on the surface thereof, said light patterns being coordinately positioned under control of repetitive vertical and horizontal inputs, said device comprising
a rigid sheet of transparent material having inner and outer surfaces substantially parallel to each other through which light from a mated CRT screen passes, said inner surface shaped to mate with said CRT, said outer surface being open to air, a flexible membrane overlayed on said outer surface, said membrane spaced apart from said outer surface, light accepting means arranged along at least one edge of said device, said accepting means arranged for providing outputs indicative of the magnitude of the light impinging on said accepting means, and means for positioning said accepting means so that light which impinges thereupon comes substantially from within said device between said parallel surfaces, and so that when the air bounding said outer surface of said rigid sheet is removed at a point on said outer surface by contact with said membrane said outputs reflect such contact for a period of time corresponding to the time when said light is being generated at said position where said contact is made.
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16. A device for use in combination with the screen of a CRT, said CRT operable for generating light images on the screen thereof, said light images occurring as a result of a horizontal and vertical scan of an electron beam directed against said screen said device including
a first sheet of material having inner and outer parallel surfaces through which light generated at said CRT screen will pass with a refraction angle θ - 1 at said inner surface next to said CRT screen and with a refraction angle θ
2 at said outer surface,a flexible membrane overlaying said outer surface, photodetecting means arranged along at least one edge of said device and operable for providing an output representative of the magnitude of light which impinges on said photodetecting means, and means for positioning said photodetecting means such that said impinging light comes substantially from between said surfaces of said first sheet and such that when said refraction angle θ
2 is changed to refraction angle θ
3 by contact between said membrane and said outersurface said photodetector means output reflects said angle change, said refraction angle θ
3 being such that total internal reflection occurs.
- 1 at said inner surface next to said CRT screen and with a refraction angle θ
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17. A CRT having a touch position sensitive total internally reflective screen, said screen comprising
substantially parallel surfaces arranged such that light is introduced between said surfaces as a result of a change in medium bounding an outer one of said surfaces, a flexible overlay supportable adjacent to said outer surface, said overlay adapted to be deflected into contact with said outer surface in response to a depression of said overlay at position, said contact causing total internal reflection to occur within said parallel surfaces, light detecting means arranged to provide a distinctive output when said light is introduced between said surfaces so as to become entrapped within said screen by total internal reflection of said surfaces of said screen.
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22. A touch sensitive device for use in conjunction with a light source, said device comprising
spaced apart flexible surfaces arranged such that signals are introduced between said surfaces so as to become entrapped within said surfaces by total internal reflection between said surfaces as a result of a change in medium bounding at least one of said surfaces, said medium change occurring as a result of a flexed contact between said one surface and said light source, and signal utilization means communicating with a region between said surfaces so as to provide a distinctive output when said signals are so introduced between said surfaces.
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25. Deflection detection apparatus for use with a signal source, said apparatus comprising
a structure having spaced apart surfaces such that signals from said signal source are introduced by total internal reflection between said surfaces, and means adjacent one of said surfaces adapted for deflection into contact with said one surface so as to cause said introduction of signals between said surfaces by total internal reflection.
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27. A touch sensitive device for use in conjunction with a light source, said device comprising
spaced apart flexible surfaces arranged such that signals are introduced between said surfaces so as to become entrapped within said surfaces by total internal reflection between said surfaces as a result of a flexure of at least one of said surfaces, and signal utilization means communicating with a region between said surfaces so as to provide a distinctive output when said signals are so introduced between said surfaces.
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28. A touch position sensitive device adapted for mating with the screen of a CRT operable for generating light patterns on the surface thereof, said light patterns being coordinately positioned under control of repetitive vertical and horizontal inputs, said device comprising
a flexible sheet of transparent material having inner and outer surfaces substantially parallel to each other through which light from a mated CRT screen passes, said inner surface shaped to mate with said CRT, and light accepting means arranged for providing outputs indicative of the magnitude of the light impinging on said accepting means, said accepting means positioned so that light which impinges thereupon comes substantially from within said device between said parallel surfaces, and so that when said sheet of material is flexed to allow light to become entrapped within said material by total internal reflection said outputs reflect such flexure for a period of time corresponding to the time when said light is being generated at said position where said flexure occurs.
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29. Deflection detection apparatus for use with a signal source, said apparatus comprising
a flexible structure having spaced apart surfaces such that signals from said signal source are introduced by total internal reflection between said surfaces as a result of a flexure of said structure.
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30. Deflection detection apparatus comprising, in combination, a signal source, and
a flexible structure having spaced apart surfaces such that signals from said signal source are introduced by total internal reflection between said surfaces, as a result of a flexure of said structure.
Specification