Tactile interface system for manipulation of a touch screen
First Claim
1. An interface system for allowing cross-disability manipulation of a computer touch screen that is operably connected to an electronic computer having a software program stored thereon, comprising:
- a bezela computer touch screen housed in the bezel;
a tactile button assembly operatively connected to the bezel and including a panel and a tactile button having a support end operatively connected to panel, an intermediate portion extending from the panel over at least a portion of the computer touch screen and a contact end, the tactile button including tactile indicia that can be tactilely perceived by a user and being moveable between a non-actuated position wherein the contact end is spaced from and supported above the computer touch screen by the panel in a cantilevered arrangement and an actuated position wherein the contact end of the tactile button is relatively closer to the computer touch screen than when the tactile button is in the non-actuated position.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interface system that allows for tactile manipulation of a touch screen for people with disabilities and which provides appropriate tactile marking for the action they wish to carry out and that may afford a sensation that a button is being pressed to a user, is provided. The system includes a touch screen and a tactile button assembly that extends over at least a portion of the touch screen. The tactile button assembly includes tactile buttons with tactile indicia that can be felt by a user. The tactile buttons are arranged with respect to the touch screen so that when a tactile button is pressed by a user, a contact end of the tactile button contacts a button on the touch screen to perform a predetermined task associated with pressing such button on the touch screen.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An interface system for allowing cross-disability manipulation of a computer touch screen that is operably connected to an electronic computer having a software program stored thereon, comprising:
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a bezel a computer touch screen housed in the bezel; a tactile button assembly operatively connected to the bezel and including a panel and a tactile button having a support end operatively connected to panel, an intermediate portion extending from the panel over at least a portion of the computer touch screen and a contact end, the tactile button including tactile indicia that can be tactilely perceived by a user and being moveable between a non-actuated position wherein the contact end is spaced from and supported above the computer touch screen by the panel in a cantilevered arrangement and an actuated position wherein the contact end of the tactile button is relatively closer to the computer touch screen than when the tactile button is in the non-actuated position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An interface system for providing cross-disability use of a computer touch screen that is operably connected to an electronic computer having a software program stored thereon, comprising:
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a bezel; a computer touch screen housed in the bezel and defining a virtual button area having multiple virtual buttons that are graphically displayed on the computer touch screen so that each of the virtual buttons is within a line-of-sight view of a user and can be pressed by a finger of the user to perform a predetermined task of the software program, and a hidden button area having multiple buttons that are at least partially covered from a line-of-sight view of the user; and a tactile button assembly operatively connected to the bezel, extending over the hidden button area of the computer touch screen and including multiple, actuatable tactile buttons, each of the tactile buttons including tactile indicia that can be tactilely perceived by the user and wherein each of the tactile buttons can move between a non-actuated position and an actuated position, each of the tactile buttons including a supported end, an intermediate portion extending from the supported end over at least a portion of the computer touch screen and a contact end that is arranged to selectively contact a respective one of the hidden buttons when the tactile button is moved from the non-actuated position to the actuated position for performing a predetermined task of the software program, the contact end of the tactile button being spaced from and supported above the computer touch screen in a cantilevered arrangement when the tactile button is in the non-actuated position.
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20. A tactile button assembly for allowing cross-disability manipulation of a computer touch screen that is operably connected to an electronic computer having a software program stored thereon, the computer touch screen housed in a bezel, the tactile button assembly comprising:
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a panel connectable to the bezel for supporting the tactile button assembly with respect to the computer touch screen; and at least one actuatable tactile button being configured to move with respect to the panel between a non-actuated position and an actuated position, each of the one actuatable tactile button; having a supported end operatively connected to the panel, an intermediate portion extending from the panel and a contact end being spaced from and supported above the computer touch screen in a cantilevered arrangement when the tactile button is in the non-actuated position; and including tactile indicia that can be tactilely perceived by a user; wherein the at least one tactile button is relatively further from the computer touch screen in the non-actuated position and the at least one tactile button is relatively closer to the computer touch screen in the actuated position. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification