Multi touch with multi haptics

• US 9,235,267 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Burrough, Bobby G., Pope, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): ILUYOMADE, IFEDAYO B
• Application Number:
  US14/168,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20140145994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing touch inputs are disclosed. The invention in one respect includes reading data from a multi-touch sensing device such as a multi-touch touch screen where the data pertains to touch input with respect to the multi-touch sensing device, and identifying at least one multi-touch gesture based on the data from the multi-touch sensing device and providing an appropriate multi-haptic response.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising

a touch sensitive surface arranged to receive a user provided multi-touch event associated with at least a first location and a second location on the touch sensitive surface;

a multi-touch detection mechanism operatively coupled to the touch sensitive surface that detects the multi-touch event and generates a corresponding a multi-touch signal; and

a plurality of haptic feedback devices operatively coupled to the multi-touch detection mechanism and the touch sensitive surface;

wherein;

the plurality of haptic devices provides at least a first haptic response at the first location, a second haptic response at the second location, and a null response at a location between the first location and the second location by generating signals that destructively interfere with each other in response to the multi-touch event; and

the multi-touch detection mechanism determines a change to the multi-touch event and dynamically changes the first haptic response while the second haptic response remains static.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic devices provides the dynamically changed first haptic response at a third location on the touch sensitive surface.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic response and the second haptic response are different.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic response and the second haptic response are discreet from each other.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first haptic response or the second haptic response comprise a vibro-tactile response.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic feedback devices include at least two different types of haptic feedback devices.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first haptic response or the second haptic response is related to at least one amount of pressure applied to the touch sensitive surface.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch event is associated with at least one of zooming, panning, scrolling, rotating, enlarging, gloating controls, zooming targets, paging, inertia, keyboarding, or wheeling.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic devices are configured in at least one of a matrix or an array.

10. A method for processing a touch event at a touch sensitive surface, comprising:

receiving a user provided multi-touch event associated with at least a first location and a second location on a touch sensitive surface;

detecting the multi-touch event;

generating a multi-touch signal corresponding to the multi-touch event;

responding to the multi-touch signal by a plurality of haptic feedback devices providing at least a first haptic response at the first location, a second haptic response at the second location, and a null response at a location proximate to the first location and the second location in response to the multi-touch event;

determining a change to the multi-touch event; and

dynamically changing the first haptic response while the second haptic response remains static.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the dynamically changed first haptic response is provided at a third location on the touch sensitive surface.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first haptic response and the second haptic response are different.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first haptic response and the second haptic response are discreet from each other.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first haptic response or the second haptic response comprise a vibro-tactile response.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of haptic feedback devices include at least two different types of haptic feedback devices.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first haptic response or the second haptic response is related to at least one amount of pressure applied to the touch sensitive surface.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the multi-touch event is associated with at least one of zooming, panning, scrolling, rotating, enlarging, gloating controls, zooming targets, paging, inertia, keyboarding, or wheeling.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of haptic devices are configured in at least one of a matrix or an array.

19. A system for providing multi-touch haptic feedback, comprising:

a touch sensitive surface arranged to receive a user provided multi-touch event associated with at least a first location and a second location on the touch sensitive surface;

a multi-touch detection mechanism that detects the multi-touch event and generates a corresponding a multi-touch signal; and

a plurality of haptic feedback devices;

wherein in response to the multi-touch event the plurality of haptic devices provides at least;

a first haptic response at the first location;

a second haptic response at the second location; and

a null response at a location between the first location and the second location by generating signals that destructively interfere with each other.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the dynamically changed first haptic response is provided at a third location on the touch sensitive surface.