Mobile device with a pressure and indentation sensitive multi-touch display

• US 9,335,824 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haptic Synergy LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: HJ Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Vartanian, Harry, Jurikson-Rhodes, Jaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US14/485,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/85 characterised by tactile feedback features
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/05 electromechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/006 : Different feeling for different switch sites
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/038 : Prompting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9643 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard

Abstract

A multi-touch display layer of a mobile electronic device may be configured with a tactile area on a clear layer on the multi-touch display layer. The mobile electronic device may display a view of information based on applied force from a detected touch to the tactile area and a detected indentation level of the clear layer. The mobile electronic device may display a menu based on a detected further indentation of the tactile area on the clear layer

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a multi-touch display layer, of the mobile electronic device, configured to display an image, wherein a tactile area on a clear layer substantially on the multi-touch display layer is associated with the image;

a processor configured to display, on the multi-touch display layer, a view of information based on applied force from a detected touch to the tactile area and a detected indentation level of the clear layer, wherein the applied force is detected by a layer of sensors substantially behind the multi-touch display layer and the indentation level is detected in part with accelerometer based information; and

the processor further configured to display, on the multi-touch display layer, a menu based on a detected further indentation of the tactile area on the clear layer.

2. The mobile electronic device of claim 1 further comprising:

the mobile electronic device is configured to provide a programmable vibration in relation to a zoom operation of the image.

3. The mobile electronic device of claim 2, wherein a piezoelectric device or an electroactive polymer (EAP) device is configured to provide the vibration.

4. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the tactile area is changed responsive to at least one of a scrolling or drag and drop input detected by the mobile electronic device.

5. The mobile electronic device of claim 1 further comprising:

circuitry configured to raise, by the mobile electronic device, the tactile area to a height above the multi-touch display layer.

6. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein a vibration or a texture pattern is provided in association with the detected further indentation level.

7. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the clear layer is an electro-active polymer layer.

8. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch display layer is a flexible OLED display.

9. A method performed by a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying, by a multi-touch display layer of the mobile electronic device, an image, wherein a tactile area on a clear layer substantially on the multi-touch display layer is associated with the image;

displaying, by the mobile electronic device on the multi-touch display layer, a view of information based on applied force from a detected touch to the tactile area and a detected indentation level of the clear layer, wherein the applied force is detected by a layer of sensors substantially behind the multi-touch display layer and the indentation level is detected in part with accelerometer based information; and

displaying, by the mobile electronic device on the multi-touch display layer, a menu based on a detected further indentation of the tactile area on the clear layer.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

providing, by the mobile electronic device, a programmable vibration in relation to a zoom operation of the image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a piezoelectric device or an electroactive polymer (EAP) device provides the vibration.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the tactile area is changed responsive to at least one of a scrolling or drag and drop input detected by the mobile electronic device.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

raising, by the mobile electronic device, the tactile area to a height above the multi-touch display layer.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a vibration or a texture pattern is provided in association with the detected further indentation level.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the clear layer is an electro-active polymer layer.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-touch display layer is a flexible OLED display.