Integrated control mechanism for handheld electronic devices

• US 20110095988A1
• Filed: 10/24/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2009
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Original Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Inventors: Singhal, Tara Chand
• Application Number:
  US12/589,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095988A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

An integrated control mechanism integrates a touch sense control mechanism on the top and an electrical switch control mechanism underneath the touch sense control mechanism. The integrated control mechanism is operated by a thumb-tip touch action on surface of the touch sense control mechanism to operate the touch sense control mechanism and by thumb-tip pressure on the same touch sense control mechanism to operate the electrical switch control mechanism underneath. Using an integrated control mechanism operated by a human thumb-tip enables the human hand to hold handheld devices in the palm and fingers and the human thumb-tip via the integrated control mechanism to be able to operate various functions and operational modes of the handheld device. The integrated control mechanism may be used in many types of handheld electronic devices.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a. the handheld electronic device has a display screen on a part of the device;

b. an integrated control mechanism, that integrates a touch sense control mechanism on top and an electrical switch control mechanism underneath the touch sense control mechanism, is positioned on the handheld device next to the display screen.

2. The handheld device as in claim 1, further comprising:

the integrated control mechanism is operated by a thumb-tip touch action on surface of the touch sense control mechanism to operate the touch sense control mechanism and by thumb-tip pressure on the same touch sense surface to operate the electrical switch mechanism underneath.

3. The handheld device as in claim 1, further comprising:

the handheld device is used for one of the applications from a group of applications of, (i) a remote control for controlling remote devices via a infrared transmitting means in the handheld device, (ii) a cellular phone, (iii) a multi-purpose device that incorporates multiple features of cell phone, music device and camera, (iii) a music device, (iv) and a digital camera device.

4. The handheld device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a. a touch screen detection logic in the touch sense control mechanism receives touch inputs from the touch sense control surface and provides a user interface from the control mechanism for controlling and navigating the functions of the handheld device;

b. in the electrical switch control mechanism that is operated by a mechanical movement of the switch mechanism, logic that output switch states to a device function control logic, enabling the integrated control mechanism to be interfaced to the handheld device.

5. The handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

the electrical switch mechanism that is positioned underneath the touch sense control mechanism is a pressure type for activation by a downward pressure of a thumb-tip on the touch sense control mechanism.

6. The handheld device as in claim 1, comprising:

the touch sense control mechanism has a touch sense surface that is limited in surface size in one of its dimensions to be a maximum of 1.0 inch and the surface area is less than or equal to one square inch.

7. The handheld device as in claim 1, further comprising:

the electrical switch mechanism activates a plurality of functional modes of the device from the group of, (i) on/off, (ii) transition to and from a standby mode, (iii) connect and disconnect to a telephone connection, and (iv) transition between major modes of, music, games, personal data and home.

8. A control mechanism for use in a handheld electronic device, comprising:

a. an integrated control mechanism that integrates a touch sense control mechanism on the top and an electrical switch mechanism underneath the touch sense control mechanism;

b. the integrated switch mechanism is operated by a thumb-tip touch action on surface of the touch sense control mechanism to operate the touch sense control mechanism and by thumb-tip pressure on the touch sense surface to operate the electrical switch control mechanism underneath.

9. The control mechanism as in claim 8, comprising:

the integrated control mechanism used in handheld electronic devices from a group of (i) remote control devices (ii) wireless communication devices, (iii) multi-purpose devices, and (iv) gaming devices.

10. The control mechanism as in claim 8, comprising:

the electrical switch mechanism that is positioned underneath the touch sense control mechanism is of a pressure type for activation by a downward pressure of a thumb-tip on the touch sense control mechanism.

11. The control mechanism as in claim 8, comprising:

the touch sense control mechanism has a touch sense surface that is limited in surface size in one of its dimensions to be a maximum of 1.0 inch and the surface area is less than or equal to one square inch.

12. The control mechanism as in claim 8, further comprising:

a. the touch sense control mechanism has touch sense signal outputs that correspond to the touch sense for interface to an operational logic circuit of the handheld device;

b. the electrical switch mechanism has signal outputs that correspond with the electrical switch states for interface to an operational logic circuit of the handheld device.

16. The mechanism as in claim 11, comprising:

a first processor function embedded in the touch sense control mechanism that receives inputs from the touch surface and processes them to identify a touch location on the touch surface.

17. The mechanism as in claim 16, comprising:

a second processor function, (i) stores boundary data of multiple touch areas of the control surface (ii) receives touch surface inputs from the first processor function, and (iii) processes them to identify one or more touch control commands on a touch area of the surface and a slide between two touch areas of the surface for output from the module to the handheld device.

13. An integrated control mechanism for handheld electronic devices comprising:

a. touch sense control mechanism with a capacitive touch sense surface module that includes a substrate, a conducting and a non-conductive layer, and a protective layer and the module is used in a handheld electronic device for controlling the functions of the device by not placing the module over a display screen of the device;

b. an electrical switch mechanism is positioned underneath the touch sense control device for activation by pressure action of the thumb on the touch surface of the touch sense control mechanism.

14. The mechanism as in claim 13, comprising:

the touch sense module is limited in touch surface size in one of its dimensions to be a maximum of 1.0 inch and the surface area is less than or equal to one square inch.

15. The mechanism as in claim 13, comprising:

the module has electrical interfaces on a periphery of the module that enable the module to be directly attached to a receiving interface socket in the handheld device.

18. The mechanism as in claim 13, further comprising:

the electrical switch control mechanism is positioned under the touch sense control mechanism for activation by a downward pressure of a thumb-tip on the touch surface.

19. The mechanism as in claim 13, further comprising:

the electrical switch mechanism activates a plurality of functional modes of the device from the group of, (i) on/off, (ii) transition to and from a standby mode, (iii) connect and disconnect to a telephone connection, and (iv) transition between major modes of, music, games, personal data and home.

20. The mechanism as in claim 13, further comprising:

the electrical switch control mechanism has signal outputs that correspond with the electrical switch states and are in the form of electrical contacts on the integrated control mechanism for interface to an operational logic of the handheld device.