INTERACTIVE DISPLAY WITH TACTILE FEEDBACK

• US 20110234498A1
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tactile Displays, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tactile Displays, LLC
• Inventors: Gray, R. O'Neal
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays

Abstract

An electronic device including a housing having a first surface and a second surface, and an interactive display having a keyboard-enabled mode and a keyboard-disabled mode. The interactive display includes a first image display device disposed at the first surface that displays image data, and a physical keypad disposed at the second surface that provides tactile feedback to a user only when the interactive display is in the keyboard-enabled mode, the physical keypad being substantially smooth when the interactive display is in the keyboard-disabled mode.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing comprising a first surface and a second surface;

an interactive display having a keyboard-enabled mode and a keyboard-disabled mode, the interactive display comprising;

a first image display device disposed at the first surface that displays image data; and

a physical keypad disposed at the second surface that provides tactile feedback to a user only when the interactive display is in the keyboard-enabled mode, the physical keypad being substantially smooth when the interactive display is in the keyboard-disabled mode.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first image display device displays an imaged keypad comprising imaged keys when the interactive display is in the keyboard-enabled mode.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a second image display device disposed at the second surface.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the physical keypad disposed at the second surface comprises one or more physical keys that control activation of the imaged keys within the imaged keypad.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the physical keypad disposed at the second surface comprises one or more physical keys that perform a different function from the one or more imaged keys of the imaged keypad.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor that detects user interaction with the physical keypad disposed on the second surface; and

an image generator that displays within the first image display device an imaged representation of the user interaction with the physical keypad disposed on the second surface.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the sensor comprises one or more of the following sensor types:

a motion sensor, a thermal sensor and a pressure sensor.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the imaged representation of the user interaction comprises an imaged depiction of the user'"'"'s finger or thumb interacting with the imaged keypad.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second surfaces are opposite from one another.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second surfaces are angled relative to one another.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second surfaces are adjacent to one another.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the physical keypad comprises piezoelectric material.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric material is quartz.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the physical keypad comprises magnetostrictive material.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the image display device is selected from one of the following types of image display devices:

liquid crystal displays, digital light processor displays, plasma displays and light emitting diode displays.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is selected from one of the following types of electronic devices:

cell phones, personal digital assistants, gaming devices, automatic teller machines and data input devices.