Mobile application interaction guide via tactile feedback

• US 9,912,364 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chi, Jian Wen, Sun, Yu Wei, Yue, Li, Zhang, Kang, Zhou, Liyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONYEKABA, AMY
• Application Number:
  US14/749,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers

Abstract

A method includes detecting, by a contact sensing layer, a position of one or more fingers of a mobile device user, the contact sensing layer is located in a back area of a mobile device and the one or more fingers of the mobile device user are in direct contact with the contact sensing layer, receiving the detected position of the one or more fingers, identifying a plurality of advanced features contained in at least one software application running on the mobile device, selecting a feedback type based on the plurality of advanced features, and sending the selected feedback type to an interactive layer of the mobile device causing the interactive layer to generate a notification which is detectable by the one or more fingers, the notification communicates at least one of the advanced features to the mobile device user.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is program to;

detect, by a contact sensing layer, a position of one or more fingers of a mobile device user, wherein the contact sensing layer is located in a back area of a mobile device and the one or more fingers of the mobile device user are in direct contact with the contact sensing layer;

receive the detected position of the one or more fingers;

identify at least one software application running on the mobile device;

associate a feedback type with the at least one software application running on the mobile device;

associate the feedback type with the position of the one or more fingers in the area of the contact sensing layer;

receive an instruction from the at least one software application running in the mobile device; and

in response to the received instruction from the at least one software application, generate the feedback type in an interactive layer of the mobile device located in direct contact with an entire surface of the contact sensing layer, wherein the feedback type is generated solely in an area corresponding with the detected position of the one or more fingers, wherein the generated feedback type is detectable by the one or more fingers,

wherein the generated feedback type alerts and causes a response from the mobile device user.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the feedback type comprises a directional vibration flow.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of balls configured to generate a motion wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the motion wave comprises a plurality of sequential taps hopping between different points selected based on the detected position of the one or more fingers to present the feedback type associated with the at least one software application to the mobile device user.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the motion wave comprises vertical, horizontal, or angled movements.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the feedback type comprises a local change in a temperature of the contact sensing layer.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of heating nodes to generate a temperature wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further programmed to:

identify a first software application and a second software application running on the mobile device; and

associate a first feedback type with the first software application and a second feedback type with the second software application, wherein the first feedback type is different from the second feedback type.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable non-transitory article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a computer to carry out a method comprising;

detecting, by a contact sensing layer, a position of one or more fingers of a mobile device user, wherein the contact sensing layer is located in a back area of a mobile device and the one or more fingers of the mobile device user are in direct contact with the contact sensing layer;

receiving the detected position of the one or more fingers;

identifying at least one software application running on the mobile device;

associating a feedback type with the at least one software application running on the mobile device;

associating the feedback type with the position of the one or more fingers in the area of the contact sensing layer;

receiving an instruction from the at least one software application running in the mobile device; and

in response to the received instruction from the at least one software application, generating the feedback type in an interactive layer of the mobile device located in direct contact with an entire surface of the contact sensing layer, wherein the feedback type is generated solely in an area corresponding with the detected position of the one or more fingers, wherein the generated feedback type is detectable by the one or more fingers,

wherein the generated feedback type alerts and causes a response from the mobile device user.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the feedback type comprises a directional vibration flow.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of balls configured to generate a motion wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the motion wave comprises a plurality of sequential taps hopping between different points selected based on the detected position of the one or more fingers to present the feedback type associated with the at least one software application to the mobile device user.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the feedback type comprises a local change in a temperature of the contact sensing layer.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the interactive layer comprises a plurality of heating nodes to generate a temperature wave that travels in different directions according to the detected position of the one or more fingers by the contact sensing layer.

15. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is program to;

determine a position of one or more fingers of a user in direct contact with a contact sensing layer, the contact sensing layer comprises an outer back layer of a mobile device above and in direct contact with an interactive layer, the interactive layer comprises an inner layer of the mobile device adjacent to a chip of the mobile device and is able to communicate with the chip and the contact sensing layer;

identify one or more software applications running on the mobile device;

associate a feedback type with each software application in the one or more software applications running on the mobile device, wherein the feedback type comprises a directional temperature change accompanied by a vibrational movement;

associate the feedback type with the determined position of the one or more fingers;

receive an instruction from at least one software application in the one or more software applications running in the mobile device, the instruction requesting an action by the user; and

in response to the received instruction, generate the feedback type associated with the at least one software application solely in an area corresponding with the determined position of the one or more fingers to alert the user of the received instruction and cause the requested action from the user,

wherein the directional temperature change and the vibrational movement associated with the feedback type is generated by the interactive layer based on the determined position of the one or more fingers and each software application, and

wherein the feedback type is deliver to the user via the contact sensing layer.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the interactive layer comprises:

a plurality of balls configured to generate a motion wave; and

a plurality of heating nodes configured to generate a temperature wave,

wherein the motion wave and the temperature wave in association with each software application and the determined position of the one or more fingers creates the directional temperature change accompanied by the vibrational movement in the contact sensing layer.