Individually controlling a tactile area of an image displayed on a multi-touch display

• US 8,866,766 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haptic Synergy LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: HJ Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Vartanian, Harry, Jurikson-Rhodes, Jaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US13/291,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20120050200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/85 characterised by tactile feedback features
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/05 electromechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/006 : Different feeling for different switch sites
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/038 : Prompting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9643 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard

Abstract

A mobile electronic device that substantially individually controls tactile areas on a multi-touch display is disclosed. An image is associated with a tactile area. The tactile area may have a substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern. Subsequent to a rotation, the image may be automatically associated by the mobile electronic device with the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern in a new tactile area.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device characterized in that:

a multi-touch display, in communication with a controller component within the mobile electronic device, is configured to display an image;

the controller component is configured to substantially individually control tactile areas on the multi-touch display;

the mobile electronic device is configured to associate the image with a tactile area, wherein the tactile area has a substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern;

wherein the image is automatically placed in a new tactile area, by the mobile electronic device, in association with a sensor detected rotation of the mobile electronic device; and

wherein, subsequent to the rotation, the image is automatically associated by the mobile electronic device with the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern.

2. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is at least one of a texturization, gyration, a texturized gyration, or a texturized gyration pattern.

3. The mobile electronic device of claim 1 further characterized in that:

the mobile electronic device is configured to provide a different programmable vibration pattern for the image in response to a zoom operation.

4. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is changed responsive to motion of the mobile electronic device detected by the sensor or another sensor.

5. The mobile electronic device of claim 1 further comprising at least one piezoelectric device or electo-active polymer (EAP) device in communication with the controller component, wherein the at least one piezoelectric device or electo-active polymer (EAP) device is configured to provide the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern.

6. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is responsive to at least one of a scrolling or drag and drop input detected by the mobile electronic device.

7. The mobile electronic device of claim 1 further characterized in that:

circuitry is configured to raise, by the mobile electric device, each tactile area to a height above a surface of the multi-touch display.

8. A method performed by a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying, by a multi-touch display in communication with a controller component within the mobile electronic device, an image;

controlling, by the controller component on the multi-touch display, substantially individually tactile areas;

associating, by the mobile electronic device, the image with a tactile area, wherein the tactile area has a substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern;

placing, automatically by the mobile electronic device, the image in a new tactile area in association with a sensor detected rotation of the mobile electronic device; and

associating, by the mobile electronic device automatically subsequent to the rotation, the image with the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is at least one of a texturization, gyration, a texturized gyration, or a texturized gyration pattern.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing, by the mobile electronic device, a different programmable vibration pattern for the image in response to a zoom operation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is changed responsive to motion of the mobile electronic device detected by the sensor or another sensor.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising at least one piezoelectric device or electo-active polymer (EAP) device in communication with the controller component, wherein the at least one piezoelectric device or electo-active polymer (EAP) device provides the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the substantially individually programmable tactile vibration pattern is responsive to at least one of a scrolling or drag and drop input detected by the mobile electronic device.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

raising, by the mobile electric device, the tactile area to a height above a surface of the multi-touch display.