Remote controller with analog pressure sensor (S)

• US 6,400,303 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anascape, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Brad A. Armstrong
• Inventors: Armstrong, Brad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Application Number:
  US09/815,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20010017592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 341/176, 341/34, 345/159, 345/167, 345/169, 200/511, 348/734
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/785 characterised by the material of the contacts, e.g. conductive polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2201/036 Variable resistance
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9625 using a force resistance transducer

Abstract

A remote controller, methods of use and manufacture thereof, for controlling electronic devices or host devices, the controller including a housing, electronic circuitry, power source and structuring for communicating with the electronic device to be controlled. A plurality of finger depressible buttons are exposed and interfacing with sensors associated with the circuitry. The buttons are for user selection of communication information sent to the host. At least one sensor is a pressure-sensitive analog sensor structured for varying electrical conductance through at least three readable states dependent upon user selected varying depressive pressure levels applied to the associated button. The circuitry reads the states of the analog sensor and information representing the state or value of the sensor is communicated to the host. A user can select any of a plurality of selectable pressure levels associated with analog sensor.

Claims

1. A remote controller structure allowing a user to manipulate functions of an associated remotely positioned host device;

said remote controller including a housing, said housing having a battery socket allowing batteries to be inserted into said housing, said batteries to serve as an electrical power source for electronic circuitry within said housing;

a plurality of finger depressible buttons exposed on said housing and interfacing with sensors electrically associated with said circuitry for allowing a user selection of function-control signals communicated from said remote controller to said host device;

said circuitry including an emitter for communicating user selected function-control signals from said remote controller to the host device;

at least one of said sensors including a depressible dome shaped member and a compression-sensitive variable-conductance structure, the compression-sensitive variable-conductance structure capable of providing at least three readable states of varied electrical conductance, said states dependant upon compression levels applied to the compression-sensitive variable-conductance structure through depression of at least one of said finger depressible buttons against the dome shaped member;

means for reading said at least three readable states of said compression-sensitive variable-conductance structure and for forming distinct function-control signals for each of at least two states of said at least three readable states.

2. A remote controller structure according to claim 1 wherein,

said compression levels include:

a) no compression applied by the user,

b) low compression applied by the user, and

c) high compression applied by the user wherein said high compression is greater than said low compression; and

said communicating of user selected function-control signals from said remote controller to the host device includes said emitter and a receiver on said host device.

3. A remote controller structure according to claim 2 wherein said distinct function-control signals for each of at least two states of said at least three readable states are

scroll control signals each with a rate of scroll aspect different one from the other, the scroll control signals with scroll rate aspects are associated with available television channels, and said host device is at least associated with a television.

4. A remote controller structure according to claim 2 wherein said distinct function-control signals for each of at least two states of said at least three readable states are

control signals for variable channel change rate.

5. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller, said remote controller including improvements comprising:

at least one finger depressible button interfacing with a sensor electrically associated with electronic circuitry allowing a user selection of function-control signals communicated to said remote device;

said sensor including a depressible dome member and a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structural arrangement capable of providing at least three readable states of varied conductance, at least two of said states dependant upon depressive pressure levels applied to the pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structural arrangement through depression of said finger depressible button;

said electronic circuitry including means for differentiating between said at least three readable states of said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structural arrangement and for communicating to said remote device distinct function-control signals for each of said at least two of said states.

6. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller according to claim 5 wherein, said at least two of said states correlate to A) low pressure applied as a pressure by the user to said button and associated with a first of said two states, and B) high pressure applied as a pressure higher than said low pressure to said button, said high pressure associated with a second of said two states.

7. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller according to claim 6 wherein said distinct function-control signals for each of said at least two of said states are

scroll function-control signals with rate of scroll aspects.

8. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller according to claim 7 wherein said electronic remote device is at least associated with a television, and said scroll function-control signals are associated with available channels selectable with a tuner.

9. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller according to claim 6 wherein said distinct function-control signals for each of said at least two of said states are

video play function-control signals with rate of video play aspects;

and

said electronic remote device is at least associated with recorded video playing.

10. A hand-holdable remote controller operatively associated with an electronic remote device positioned remotely of said remote controller according to claim 6 wherein said distinct function-control signals for each of said at least two of said states are

audio play function-control signals;

and said electronic remote device is at least associated with a audio playback capable device.

11. A controller for controlling a host device, said controller comprising:

a housing, electronic circuitry within said housing, a plurality of finger depressible buttons exposed on said housing and interfacing with sensors electrically associated with said circuitry for allowing user selection of function-control signals output from said controller to the host device;

at least one of said sensors structured as an analog pressure-sensitive sensor;

said circuitry -including means for reading at least three readable values of said analog pressure-sensitive sensor;

said host device enabling display of recorded video controlled by said controller allowing variable video speed dependant upon the degree of depressive pressure applied to said analog pressure-sensitive sensor.

12. A controller for controlling a host device according to claim 11 including

at least three of said sensors structured as analog pressure-sensitive sensors; of the plurality of finger depressible buttons;

a reverse video speed control button associated with a first of said analog pressure-sensitive sensors,

a forward video speed control button associated with a second of said analog pressure-sensitive sensors,

a fast forward video speed control button associated with a third of said analog pressure-sensitive sensors.

13. A controller for controlling a host device according to claim 12 wherein at least one of the video speed control buttons is a dual role sensor.

14. An improved method of controlling at least one function-control of a host device using a hand-held remote controller operatively associated with a wireless communication link to said host device,

wherein the improvement comprises:

depressing, by the user, a depressible surface associated with an analog pressure sensor with a first level of user selectable pressure of a plurality of user selectable pressure levels, said depressing of said depressible surface activating a first change rate function-control signal of a plurality of activatable change rate function-control signals associated with said depressible surface to be sent from said remote controller to said host device;

and then,

depressing, by the user, said depressible surface with a second level of user selectable pressure different than said first level of pressure and causing activation of a second change rate function-control signal associated with said depressible surface to be sent from said remote controller to said host device, whereby the user selects and activates change rate function-control signals associated with said depressible surface by way of selecting the selectable pressure applied to said depressible surface.

15. An improved method according to claim 14 wherein said change rate function-control signals are utilized as

scroll rate function-control signals associated with available selectable television channels.

16. An improved method according to claim 14 wherein said change rate function-control signals are utilized as

recorded video playback rate function-control signals.

17. An improved method according to claim 14 wherein said change rate function-control signals are utilized as

audio playback rate function-control signals.

18. A method of manufacturing an improved hand-held controller including the steps of:

molding a housing;

installing electronic circuitry;

installing a plurality of finger depressible buttons with sensors electrically associated with said circuitry;

installing a flexible dome-cap member as a component of at least one of said sensors;

installing a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structure under said flexible dome-cap member, said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structure positioned to be activated by depression of one of the depressible buttons, said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structure structured to provide at least three readable analog values, said values dependant upon depressive pressure levels applied to said one of the depressible buttons;

said circuitry including means for reading an immediate value of said at least three readable analog values of said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance structure, and for outputting from said controller, data representative of the immediate value as a signal useful for effecting an associated television.

19. A method of manufacturing an improved hand-holdable remote controller according to claim 18 further including providing said flexible dome-cap member made of elastomeric material;

and

further wherein said flexible dome-cap member is structured to provide a user discernable tactile feedback upon depression of the associated button.

20. An improved hand-holdable remote controller for controlling a host device wherein said host device includes a channel tuner, and said remote controller outputs at least two distinct function-control signals to said host device, said two distinct function-control signals are signals for causing a scrolling of available channels, said two distinct function-control signals are each different one from the other so that differing rates of scrolling are determined by said two distinct function-control signals, said two distinct function-control signals selectable by a human user by way of varying finger pressure on a finger depressible surface located on said remote controller, wherein the rate of scrolling of available channels can be varied by varied pressure applied to said depressible surface.

21. An improved hand-holdable remote controller for controlling a host device according to claim 20 further including

an elastomeric dome member structured to provide the human user a discernable tactile feedback upon depression of said depressible surface.

22. An improved hand-holdable remote controller for controlling a host device according to claim 21 including a pressure-sensitive analog output sensor associated with said finger depressible surface, said analog output sensor capable of outputting at least three values differing one from the other and determinable by varying finger pressure against said finger repressible surface.

23. An improved hand-holdable remote controller for controlling a host device according to claim 22 including analog to digital converting means for converting at least two of said at least three values into digital values.