Touch screen assembly and display for an electronic device

• US 7,098,897 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tracy, James L., Vakil, Bharat N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US10/610,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20050007349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345174-179, 178 1801- 1803, 178 1804- 1805
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2201/018 transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2201/028 Indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/002 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/038 transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/06 transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/082 transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0222 Foldable in two directions, i.e. using a two degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A touch screen assembly includes a first outer layer (102) and a second outer layer (110) separated by a separator layer (118). The first and second outer layers are transparent, and the separator layer has openings (120) at button locations where buttons will be defined. On each of the outer layers is a layer of transparent conductor (104, 112). On the first outer layer the transparent conductor is in the form of a contiguous trace or path. The touch screen assembly is placed on a display element (203) and images displayed on the display element can be seen through the touch screen assembly. Images such as characters are displayed at button locations, and when a user presses on one of the images the conductive layers on the first and second outer layers of the touch screen assembly come into contact.

Claims

1. The multi-configuration portable electmnic device, comprising:

a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portion hingeably joined and moveable with respect to each other into at least a first configuration and a second configuration;

a touch screen display disposed on the first portion, the touch screen display including a display element and a touch screen assembly disposed on the display element, the touch screen assembly comprising;

a first outer layer of transparent insulator having a first trace of transparent conductor disposed thereon on an inside surface;

a second outer layer of transparent insulator having a second trace of transparent conductor disposed thereon on an inside surface; and

a separator layer formed of transparent insulator disposed between the first and second outer layers and having a plurality of openings formed therethrough, each of the openings corresponcbng to one of a plurality of button locations;

wherein the first and second transparent conductor traces intersect at the button locations;

wherein;

when the multi-configuration portable electronic device is operated in the first configuration, a first image set is displayed on the display element, the first image set comprising a plurality of images, each one of the images being displayed at a different one of the plurality of button locations; and

when the multi-configuration portable electronic device is operated in the second configuration, a second image set is displayed on the display element, the second image set comprising a plurality of images, each one of the images being displaytcl at a different one of the plurality of button locations.

2. The multi-configuration portable electronic device as defined in claim 1, where in the first and second image sets comprise characters, the characters having an orientation, the first and second image sets having different orientations.

3. The multi-configuration portable electronic device as defined in claim 1, wherein a voltage is applied to the first trace of transparent conductor thereby creating a voltage gradient across the first trace of transparent conductor, and wherein a voltage level at the button location may be read via the second trace of transparent conductor when the first and second traces of transparent conductor make contact upon being pressed together by a user of the touch screen display.

4. The multi-configuration portable electronic device as defined in claim 3, wherein the second trace of transparent conductor is electrically coupled to a detection circuit for detecting the voltage level at the button location.

5. The multi-configuration portable electronic device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second traces of transparent conductor are formed of indium tin oxide.

6. The multi-configuration portable electronic device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second traces of transparent conductor form pad segments corresponding to the button locations.