Counter-tactile keypad

• US 8,836,637 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bychkov, Eyal, Katz, Hagay
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARINELLI, PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/190,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A touch-based user interface for an electronic device, including a housing including electronic circuitry, a plurality of buttons mounted within a first area on a first side of the housing, and a screen mounted on a second area of a second side of the housing, the second side being opposite to the first side, and the second area being opposite to at least a portion of the first area, wherein the electronic circuitry is operative (i) to display on the screen at least one user interface control element that corresponds respectively to at least one button, each such user interface control element having a command associated therewith, and (ii) to perform the command associated with a designated user interface control element when its corresponding button is pressed. A method and a computer-readable storage medium is also described and claimed.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

electronic circuitry contained within said housing;

an orientation sensor coupled to said electronic circuitry, for detecting an orientation of said housing;

a button mounted on a first side of said housing and having a symbol engraved thereon, the symbol representing a default function; and

a screen mounted on a second side of said housing, the second side being opposite the first side,

wherein said electronic circuitry is operative (i) to dynamically display on said screen at different times, each of two different user interface control elements at a screen location that is substantially opposite the location of said button, each user interface control element having a device command associated therewith, and (ii) to adapt the device so that a press of said button invokes the device command associated with that control elements that is currently being displayed on the second side opposite said button,

wherein the respective device commands associated with the different user interface control elements relate to different modes of operation of the device, and

wherein a button-only interface, for which a press of said button activates said button'"'"'s default function regardless of the displayed user interface control element, is enabled when said orientation sensor detects an orientation of said housing wherein said screen is facing down and said button is facing up.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said screen comprises a touch screen, and wherein the press of said button at a given time invokes the device command only when said electronic circuitry confirms that the control element that is currently being displayed on the second side opposite said button is being touched at the given time.

3. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the electronic device, notification that a user has pressed a button on a first side of the electronic device at a given time, the button having a symbol engraved thereon and the symbol representing a default function;

dynamically displaying each of two different control elements, each having a device command associated therewith, at different times on a screen at a screen location that is substantially opposite the location of the button

detecting an orientation of said housing; and

invoking the device command associated with that control element that is being displayed at the given time on the second side opposite the button, in response to said receiving,

wherein the screen is located on a second side of the electronic device, the second side being opposite the first side,

wherein the respective device commands associated with the different user interface control elements relate to different modes of operation of the device, and

wherein when said detecting detects that the screen is facing down and the button is facing up, then invoking the button'"'"'s default function in response to said receiving regardless of the displayed control element.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising playing an audio sound in response to said receiving.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the audio sound is the sound of a button being clicked.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying a video cue on the screen in response to said receiving.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the video cue is a succession of images showing a button being pushed and released.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the screen is a touch screen, and wherein said invoking is conditional upon confirming, by the electronic device, that the control element currently being displayed on the second side opposite the button is being touched at the given time.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code for causing an electronic device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving notification that a user has pressed a button on a first side of the electronic device at a given time, the button having a symbol engraved thereon and the symbol representing a default function;

dynamically displaying each of two different control elements, each having a device command associated therewith, at different times on a screen at a screen location that is substantially opposite the location of the button

detecting an orientation of said housing; and

invoking the device command associated with that control element that is being displayed at the given time on the second side opposite the button, in response to said receiving,

wherein the screen is located on a second side of the electronic device, the second side being opposite the first side,

wherein the respective device commands associated with the different user interface control elements relate to different modes of operation of the device, and

wherein when said detecting detects that the screen is facing down and the button is facing up, then invoking the button'"'"'s default function in response to said receiving regardless of the displayed control element.