ACTUATING USER INTERFACE

• US 20150062050A1
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: ZADESKY, Stephen Paul, IVE, Jonathan P., STRINGER, Christopher J., ROHRBACH, Matthew Dean, LYNCH, Stephen Brian, DEGNER, Brett William
• Application Number:
  US14/535,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20150062050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• 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 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 : using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 : Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 : Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 : for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 : including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An actuating user interface for a media player or other electronic device is disclosed. According to one aspect, the user interface is a display device that can both display visual information and serve as a mechanical actuator to generate input signals is disclosed. By way of example, the display device, which displays visual information such as text, characters and graphics, may also act like a push or clickable button(s), a sliding toggle button or switch, a rotating dial or knob, a motion controlling device such as a joystick or navigation pad, and/or the like. According to another aspect, the user interface is an input device that includes a movable touch pad control signal capable of detecting the movements of the movable touch pad so as to generate one or more distinct second control signals. The control signals being used to perform actions in an electronic device operatively coupled to the input device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for interpreting a touch, comprising:

a touch surface configured for designating a plurality of dynamically configurable regions and detecting a touch;

at least one depressible hardware button configured for detecting an application of pressure on the touch surface; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the touch surface and the at least one depressible hardware button and capable of

receiving an indication of detected pressure from the at least one depressible hardware button,

determining a particular dynamically configurable region, and

interpreting the determined particular dynamically configurable region and the detected pressure to determine a function to be performed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one depressible hardware button comprising one or more pressure sensors.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more pressure sensors is a capacitive sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, the processor further capable of determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on an actuation of the one or more pressure sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor further capable of determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on a detected touch on the touch surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising at least one pressure sensor located proximate to one or more of the dynamically configurable regions.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch surface is a touch screen.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the touch screen is configured for displaying an icon at one or more of the plurality of dynamically configurable regions.

9. A method for interpreting a touch on a touch surface, comprising:

designating a plurality of dynamically configurable regions on the touch surface;

detecting an application of pressure on the touch surface;

determining a particular dynamically configurable region; and

interpreting the determined particular dynamically configurable region and the detected pressure to determine a function to be performed.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting the application of pressure using at least one depressible hardware button.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the application of pressure comprises actuating one or more pressure sensors.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more pressure sensors is a capacitive sensor.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on an actuation of the one or more pressure sensors.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on a detected touch on the touch surface.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing at least one pressure sensor proximate to one or more of the dynamically configurable regions.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch surface is a touch screen.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying an icon at one or more of the plurality of dynamically configurable regions.

18. An apparatus for interpreting a touch, comprising:

means for designating a plurality of dynamically configurable regions on the touch surface;

means for detecting an application of pressure on the touch surface;

means for determining a particular configurable region; and

means for interpreting the determined particular dynamically configurable region and the detected pressure to determine a function to be performed.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for detecting the application of pressure comprises at least one depressible hardware button.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for detecting the application of pressure comprises one or more pressure sensors.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one of the one or more pressure sensors is a capacitive sensor.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising means for determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on an actuation of the one or more pressure sensors.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for determining the particular dynamically configurable region based on the detected touch from the touch surface.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising at least one pressure sensor proximate to one or more of the dynamically configurable regions.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for displaying an icon at one or more of the plurality of dynamically configurable regions.