Musical instrument with one sided thin film capacitive touch sensors

• US 8,471,138 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Imagination LLC
• Original Assignee: Pure Imagination LLC
• Inventors: Wallace, Michael, Odom, Philip T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Qin, Jianchun
• Application Number:
  US13/163,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20110308378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 847/33
• US Class Current: 84/733
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0551 using variable capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/32 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/161 with 2D or x/y surface coordinates sensing graphical user interface or touchscreen input G10H2220/091; microtonal keyboard G10H2210/401
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/135 Spint guitar, i.e. guitar-like instruments in which the sound is not generated by vibrating strings, e.g. guitar-shaped game interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/00 Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/10 using capacitive pick-up means

Abstract

Touch sensitive musical instruments are described herein including embodiments having: one-sided capacitive touch sensors with conductive ground planes, one-sided capacitive touch sensors with air gaps, one-sided capacitive touch sensors with separating material, and/or one-sided capacitive touch sensors including a combination of conductive ground planes, air gaps, and/or separating material. Embodiments of touch sensitive musical instruments simulating string instruments such as guitars are described.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive musical instrument comprising:

a capacitive touch sensor layer; and

an air gap layer adjacent the capacitive touch sensor layer configured to shield a backside of the capacitive touch sensor layer, the air gap layer further comprising a lattice structure, a corrugated structure, or a combination thereof to form the air gap layer adjacent the backside of the capacitive touch sensor layer.

2. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 1, the capacitive touch sensor layer further comprising conductive ink printed on a thin film substrate.

3. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 2, the capacitive touch sensor layer further comprising a capacitive element with a conductive ink grid having less than complete conductive ink coverage.

4. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 3, the conductive ink grid further having less than complete conductive ink coverage and greater than 50% coverage.

5. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 3, the conductive ink grid further having less than complete conductive ink coverage and greater than 35% coverage.

6. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 1 further comprising a printed art layer adjacent the capacitive touch sensor layer and opposite the air gap layer.

7. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 6 wherein the capacitive touch sensor layer is integrally formed in the printed art layer.

8. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 7, the integrally formed printed art and capacitive touch sensor layer further comprising an opaque layer disposed between the printed art and the capacitive touch sensor layer.

9. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 1, the capacitive touch sensor layer further comprising a substantially one-sided capacitive touch sensor layer shielded by the air gap layer.

10. The touch sensitive musical instrument of claim 9, the one-sided capacitive touch sensor layer to substantially prevent sensing a touch on a back side of the touch sensitive musical instrument.