DOMESTIC APPLIANCE DEVICE

• US 20130038526A1
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Lebrun, Yves, Mager, Gerhard, Flesch, Sebastien, Hechtbauer, Markus, Redelstab, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,667,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96031 Combination of touch switch and LC display

Abstract

A household appliance apparatus includes a display screen and an input unit which has at least one substantially transparent input device. In order to achieve advantageous ease of use with little design expenditure, the input device covers only a partial region of the display screen. The input device may hereby be configured as a conductive layer.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A household appliance apparatus, comprising:

a display screen; and

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen.

15. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least two of said input device, said at least two input devices covering different partial regions of the display screen.

16. The household appliance apparatus of claim 15, wherein the input devices are disposed at a distance from one another.

17. The household appliance apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the input devices supplies a characteristic input variable, wherein the characteristic input variable of one of the input devices is substantially independently of the characteristic input variable of the other one of the input devices during operation.

18. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an electronic operating unit provided to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key.

19. The household appliance apparatus of claim 18, further comprising an electronic display unit, which is configured separately from the electronic operating unit.

20. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input device is configured as a conductive layer.

21. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one layer element, which is connected to the input device with a material fit.

22. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit covers at most 50% of the display screen.

23. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one substantially transparent conductor path.

24. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one flexible printed circuit board.

25. The household appliance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one rotary switch.

26. A household appliance, comprising a household appliance apparatus said household appliance apparatus, comprising:

a display screen; and

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen.

27. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit has at least two of said input device, said at least two input devices covering different partial regions of the display screen.

28. The household appliance of claim 27, wherein the input devices are disposed at a distance from one another.

29. The household appliance of claim 27, wherein each of the input devices supplies a characteristic input variable, wherein the characteristic input variable of one of the input devices is substantially independently of the characteristic input variable of the other one of the input devices during operation.

30. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the household appliance apparatus includes an electronic operating unit provided to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key.

31. The household appliance of claim 30, wherein the household appliance apparatus includes an electronic display unit, which is configured separately from the electronic operating unit.

32. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input device is configured as a conductive layer.

33. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit has at least one layer element, which is connected to the input device with a material fit.

34. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit covers at most 50% of the display screen.

35. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit has at least one substantially transparent conductor path.

36. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit has at least one flexible printed circuit board.

37. The household appliance of claim 26, wherein the input unit has at least one rotary switch.