Touch sensitive display having tactile structures

• US 8,098,232 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US11/468,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 715/701, 715/702
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• 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

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device has a touch sensitive display which comprises a number of elongated tactile structures that are haptically detectable by a user. Various routines executable on the handheld electronic device can cause visual elements to be output in various predetermined arrangements with respect to the arrangement of the tactile structures in order to facilitate input.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensitive display-structured to provide-visual output and to respond to a touch;

a plurality of tactile structures that are haptically detectable and are on and along an outer surface of the touch sensitive display in an elongated parallel arrangement;

wherein the visual output comprises a plurality of visual elements that are positioned in a predetermined arrangement with respect to placement of the plurality of tactile structures and wherein the plurality of visual elements comprises at least one visual elongated bar displayed below at least one of the tactile structures.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures overlie the visual output.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures extend away from an outer surface of the touch sensitive display.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are formed of a translucent material.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are protuberances extending away from the outer surface of the touch sensitive display.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive display comprises a translucent base that is substantially planar, and wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are elongated in a direction generally parallel with the base.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures overlie at least some of the plurality of visual elements.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein an input zone extends from locations spaced from alternate sides of a first tactile structure that overlies at least a first visual element.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of visual elements are arranged in a number of rows having one pitch and a number of columns having another pitch.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are disposed between adjacent rows of the plurality of visual elements.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of visual elements are characters of a keyboard disposed in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, the columns being arranged such that at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are disposed coincident with at least some of the columns.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures comprise a plurality of tactile elements disposed along the direction of elongation of the tactile structure.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are disposed between adjacent columns of the plurality of visual elements.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual elements comprises at least one elongated bar displayed below at least one of the plurality of tactile structures.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are disposed overlying at least one of a row and a column of the plurality of visual elements.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a pair of the plurality of tactile structures is disposed parallel with and between a first elongated bar and a second elongated bar of the plurality of visual elements, a first input zone disposed adjacent the first elongated bar, a second input zone disposed adjacent the second elongated bar, and a third input zone being disposed between the pair of tactile structures.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the first input zone extends between the first elongated bar and the second elongated bar.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of tactile structures are disposed between adjacent visual elements.

19. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of visual elements comprise a pair of characters.

20. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensitive display-structured to provide-visual output and to respond to a touch;

a plurality of tactile structures that are haptically detectable and are on and along an outer surface of the touch sensitive display in an elongated parallel arrangement;

wherein the visual output comprises a plurality of visual elements that are positioned in a predetermined arrangement with respect to placement of the plurality of tactile structures, wherein a first input zone is disposed between a first tactile structure and a second tactile structure, and wherein a second input zone is disposed partially below a third tactile structure.