MULTI-FUNCTIONAL HAND-HELD DEVICE

• US 20150153895A1
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: HOTELLING, Steven P.
• Application Number:
  US14/595,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• 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 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a multi-functional hand-held device capable of configuring user inputs based on how the device is to be used. Preferably, the multi-functional hand-held device has at most only a few physical buttons, keys, or switches so that its display size can be substantially increased. The multi-functional hand-held device also incorporates a variety of input mechanisms, including touch sensitive screens, touch sensitive housings, display actuators, audio input, etc. The device also incorporates a user-configurable GUI for each of the multiple functions of the devices.

Claims

1. A touch and force sensing apparatus, comprising:

a touch sensing mechanism configured for generating one or more touch signals when a plurality of objects contact the touch and force sensing apparatus at a plurality of touch locations at a same time; and

a force sensing mechanism configured for generating one or more force signals when the plurality of objects contact the touch and force sensing apparatus at the plurality of locations at the same time;

wherein the one or more touch signals and the one or more force signals include information for determining coordinates of the plurality of touch locations and a force distribution across the plurality of touch locations, wherein the force signals represent force values from a continuous range of possible force values.

2. The touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, the force sensing mechanism comprising a plurality of strain gauges.

3. The touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 1, the touch sensing mechanism comprising a capacitive sensing mechanism.

4. The touch and force sensing apparatus of claim 3, the capacitive sensing mechanism comprising a first drive layer configured for receiving first drive signals for generating the one or more touch signals.

5. A touch and force sensing system, comprising:

a touch sensing mechanism configured for generating one or more touch signals when a plurality of objects contact the touch and force sensing system at a plurality of touch locations at a same time;

a force sensing mechanism configured for generating one or more force signals when the plurality of objects contact the touch and force sensing system at the plurality of touch locations at the same time; and

a processor capable of receiving the one or more touch signals and the one or more force signals and determining from those signals the plurality of touch locations and a force distribution across the plurality of touch locations,

wherein the force signals represent force values from a continuous range of possible force values.

6. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the one or more force signals comprising force information associated with an amount of force being applied to the touch and force sensing system.

7. The touch and force sensing system of claim 6, the one or more touch signals comprising touch information associated with a location of the plurality of touch locations.

8. The touch and force sensing system of claim 7, the processor further capable of utilizing the force information and the touch information to generate the force distribution across the plurality of touch locations.

9. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the force distribution comprising a level of force at one or more of the plurality of touch locations.

10. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the force sensing mechanism comprising a plurality of strain gauges disposed along a perimeter of the force sensing mechanism.

11. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the force sensing mechanism comprising self-capacitance sensors.

12. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the touch sensing mechanism comprising a plurality of capacitive touch sensors.

13. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the processor further capable of generating one or more control signals from the one or more force signals when a force threshold is reached.

14. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the processor further capable of determining a total force being applied to the touch and force sensing system.

15. The touch and force sensing system of claim 5, the touch sensing mechanism comprising a mutual capacitance sensing mechanism.

16. The touch and force sensing system of claim 15, the mutual capacitance sensing system comprising a first drive layer configured for receiving first drive signals for generating the one or more touch signals.

17. A method for sensing touch and force, comprising:

generating one or more touch signals and generating one or more force signals when a plurality of objects contact a touch and force sensing system at a plurality of touch locations at a same time; and

determining, from the one or more touch signals and the one or more force signals, coordinates of the plurality of touch locations and a force distribution across the plurality of touch locations,

wherein the force signals represent force values from a continuous range of possible force values.

18. The method of claim 17, the one or more force signals including force information associated with an amount of force being applied to the touch and force sensing system.

19. The method of claim 18, the one or more touch signals including touch information associated with a location of the plurality of touch locations.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising utilizing the force information and the touch information to generate the force distribution across the plurality of touch locations.