Dorsal touch input

• US 9,152,185 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karakotsios, Kenneth M., Bozarth, Bradley J., Lewbel, Hannah Rebecca
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US14/196,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04808 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A back touch sensor positioned on a back surface of a device accepts user input in the form of touches. The touches on the back touch sensor map keys on a virtual keyboard, a pointer input, and so forth. Touches on a touch sensor positioned on a front surface provide additional input while also allowing the user to grasp and hold the device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

a display coupled to the one or more processors to present a content item;

a front surface via which the content item is viewable and a back surface opposite the front surface;

a touch sensor disposed along at least a portion of the back surface;

instructions stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors, wherein the instructions, in conjunction with the touch sensor, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a touch input via the touch sensor at one of a plurality of locations, the one of the plurality of locations being mapped to a pre-determined command of a multi-dimensional control array; and

cause an action to be performed relative to the content item based on the pre-determined command mapped to the one of the plurality of locations.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to detect an engagement gesture, the engagement gesture being used to activate functionality of the touch sensor.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined command is one of a plurality of pre-determined commands, and selective ones of the plurality of pre-determined commands are mapped to respective ones of the plurality of locations mapped to the multi-dimensional control array.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a magnitude of a force of the touch input, and wherein the pre-determined command is one of a plurality of pre-determined commands, and selective ones of the plurality of pre-determined commands are mapped to respective determined magnitudes of force.

5. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

a housing;

a display disposed in the housing and coupled to the one or more processors to present a content item;

a touch sensor coupled to the housing at a location apart from the display; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions program the one or more processors to;

receive touch input information from the touch sensor, the touch input information including an indication of a touch at a position on the touch sensor associated with a multi-dimensional control; and

cause an action to be performed using the content item based on a pre-determined command mapped to the position on the touch sensor.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, further comprising a front surface via which the content item is viewable and a back surface opposite the front surface, wherein the touch sensor is disposed along at least a portion of the back surface.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the touch input information includes a position of the touch on the touch sensor.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the pre-determined command is one of a plurality of pre-determined commands, selective ones of the plurality of pre-determined commands being mapped to respective positions on the touch sensor.

9. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the touch input information includes a magnitude of force of the touch.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the pre-determined command is one of a plurality of pre-determined commands, selective ones of the pre-determined commands corresponding to respective magnitudes of force of the touch input.

11. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the action comprises manipulation of data on the display.

12. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the action comprises manipulation of a list of items.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the manipulation of the list of items comprises at least one of selecting an item in the list or scrolling through the list.

14. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processors to detect an engagement gesture requesting to activate functionality of the touch sensor.

15. A method performed by a device having a display and a touch sensor, the method comprising:

detecting, by the device, a magnitude of force of a touch input using the touch sensor, wherein the touch sensor is located apart from the display;

determining, by the device, that the magnitude of force of the touch input corresponds to a first predetermined command; and

executing, by the device, the first predetermined command.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting, by the device, an engagement gesture comprising one or more touches on the touch sensor; and

activating the touch sensor based at least in part on detecting the engagement gesture.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the executing the predetermined command comprises manipulating a content item displayed on the display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the manipulating the content item comprises selecting an action to take relative to data on the display.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting a position of the touch input.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining, by the device, that the position of the input corresponds to a second pre-determined command; and

executing, by the device, the second predetermined command.