Detachable back mounted touchpad for a handheld computerized device

• US 9,310,905 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Handscape Inc., A Delaware Corporation
• Original Assignee: Handscape Inc., A Delaware Corporation
• Inventors: Luo, Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): MA, CALVIN
• Application Number:
  US13/223,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/173, 715/701, 715/702
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a detachable touchpad for a handheld computerized device. This detachable touchpad is configured to reversibly attach to the back of a handheld computerized device that lacks a rear mounted touchpad, and with appropriate software, allow the user to at least in part control the handheld computerized device from behind the device.

Claims

1. A detachable touchpad device having an opening adapted to reversibly receive a non-transparent handheld computerized device, said detachable touchpad device comprising:

a rigid non-foldable cover including a front side adapted to form a contact with a back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said non-transparent handheld computerized device is inserted in said detachable touchpad device via said opening;

at least one touch sensing pad disposed on a back side of said rigid non-foldable cover of said detachable touchpad device, said touch sensing pad adapted to detect a touch input from a user when said user holds said detachable touchpad device thereby enabling the user to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device using said detachable touchpad device, wherein said touchpad is free from mechanically actuated keys; and

a data transfer device in said detachable touchpad device comprising interface circuitry adapted to transfer data representative of said touch input from said detachable touchpad device to at least one processor of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, said processor being adapted to detect and interpret said touch input to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said data is transferred.

2. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to part or all of said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, and said cover does not cover a device display screen of said non-ransparent handheld computerized device.

3. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to part or all of said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, and said cover also covers a portion of said device display screen.

4. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein a shape of said rigid non-foldable cover front side substantially conforms to at least a shape of said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device.

5. The detachable touchpad device of claim 4, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to said non-transparent handheld computerized device by snapping into a position in which a complementary fit between the shape of raised or lowered surfaces on said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device and the shape of raised or lowered features on said rigid non-foldable cover front side acts to attach said detachable touchpad device to said non-transparent handheld computerized device.

6. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, in which said data transfer device communicates said touch input to said non-transparent handheld computerized device via an electrical cable and/or direct electrical connector.

7. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, in which said data transfer device communicates said touch input to said non-transparent handheld computerized device via a wireless link.

8. detachable touchpad device of claim 1, in which said touch sensing pad comprises a multi-touch sensing surface capable of recognizing the presence and locations of at least two points of contact with said multi-touch sensing surface, and transmitting said presence and locations to said data transfer device.

9. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein an operating system software or software applications running under said operating system software on said non-transparent handheld computerized device uses said touch input to generate images on a device display screen of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, the images portraying the approximate position of at least some of said user'"'"'s finger positions and finger movement.

10. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein a device display screen on said non-transparent handheld computerized device is a touch sensitive device display screen, and in which said non-transparent handheld computerized device is controlled by touch input from both said touch sensitive device display screen and touch input from said detachable touchpad device.

11. The detachable touchpad device of claim 1, wherein said non-transparent handheld computerized device additionally comprises a touchpad device battery, and in which said touchpad device battery is configured to either draw power from said handheld device battery and/or provide power to said handheld device battery.

12. A detachable touchpad device having an opening adapted to reversibly receive a non-transparent handheld computerized device, said detachable touchpad device comprising:

a rigid non-foldable cover including a front side adapted to form a contact with a back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said non-transparent handheld computerized device is inserted in said detachable touchpad device via said opening;

at least one touch sensing pad disposed on a back side of said rigid non-foldable cover of said detachable touchpad device, said touch sensing pad adapted to detect a touch input from a user when said user holds said detachable touchpad device thereby enabling the user to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device using said detachable touchpad device, wherein said touchpad is free from mechanically actuated keys; and

a data transfer device in said detachable touchpad device comprising interface circuitry adapted to transfer data representative of said touch input from said detachable touchpad device to at least one processor of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, said processor being adapted to detect and interpret said touch input to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said data is transferred.

13. The detachable touchpad device of claim 12, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to said non-transparent handheld computerized device by snapping into a position in which a complementary fit between the shape of raised or lowered surfaces on said backside of said non-transparent handheld computerized device and the shape of raised or lowered features on said rigid non-foldable cover front side acts to attach said detachable touchpad device to said non-transparent handheld computerized device.

14. The detachable touchpad device of claim 12, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to part or all of said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, and said cover does not cover a device display screen of said non-ransparent handheld computerized device.

15. A method of operating a non-transparent handheld computerized device, said method comprising:

providing a detachable touchpad device having an opening adapted to reversibly receive the non-transparent handheld computerized device, said detachable touchpad device comprising;

a rigid non-foldable cover including a front side adapted to form a contact with a back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said non-transparent handheld computerized device is inserted in said detachable touchpad device via said opening;

at least one touch sensing pad disposed on a back side of said rigid non-foldable cover of said detachable touchpad device, said touch sensing pad adapted to detect a touch input from a user when said user holds said detachable touchpad device thereby enabling the user to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device using said detachable touchpad device, wherein said touchpad is free from mechanically actuated keys; and

a data transfer device in said detachable touchpad device comprising interface circuitry adapted to transfer data representative of said touch input from said detachable touchpad device to at least one processor of said non-transparent handheld computerized device, said processor being adapted to detect and interpret said touch input to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device when said data is transferred.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a device display screen of said non-transparent handheld computerized device is a touch sensitive device display screen, and further using touch input from both said touch sensitive device display screen and touch input from said detachable touchpad device to control said non-transparent handheld computerized device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said rigid non-foldable cover reversibly attaches to said non-transparent handheld computerized device by snapping into a position in which a complementary fit between the shape of raised or lowered surfaces on said back side of said non-transparent handheld computerized device and the shape of raised or lowered features on said rigid non-foldable cover front side acts to attach said detachable cover touchpad device to said non-transparent handheld computerized device.