Mechanism for employing and facilitating placement of a sensor cover over a capacitive circuitry sensor at a computing device

• US 20160253000A1
• Filed: 12/23/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: WILLIAMS, JAMESON H., GRAUMANN, DAVID L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,120,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches

Abstract

A mechanism is described for employing and facilitating placing a sensor cover over an external sensor of a computing device. A method of embodiments of the invention includes sensing, at a sensor of a computing device, user touches to an outer surface of an impregnated sensor cover placed over the sensor, wherein the sensor cover includes a plurality of holes through the outer surface and a plurality of conductive leads corresponding to the plurality of holes, and wherein sensing is performed through one or more of the plurality of holes and their one or more corresponding conductive leads; and facilitating an action in response to each of the sensed user touches.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A computing system capable of being used in facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at the computing device, the computing system comprising:

a sense surface; and

the computing device having;

a sensor to detect a user touch to the sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor;

a processor; and

storage capable of storing instructions to be executed by the processor,

wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform an action in response to the user touch.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor.

21. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device.

22. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device.

23. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press.

24. A method for facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at a computing device, the method comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, a user touch to a sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and

performing, by a processor, an action in response to the user touch.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press.

29. A apparatus comprising:

a sense surface; and

a computing device having;

a sensor to detect a user touch to the sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and

a processor to perform an action in response to the user touch.

30. The apparatus claim 29, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press.

34. At least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, a user touch to a sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and

performing an action in response to the user touch.

35. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor.

36. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press.