Providing an elevated and texturized display in an electronic device

• US 9,400,558 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US15/061,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 144 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 may have a texturizing polymer layer. The texturizing polymer layer may elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize information displayed on the multi-touch display layer. A gesture may be detected for the elevated surface portion.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a multi-touch display layer configured to receive multi-touch inputs, wherein a texturizing polymer layer that is comprised in part of gel is above the multi-touch display layer and the multi-touch display layer is substantially non-flexible;

a controller configured to control the multi-touch display layer and the texturizing polymer layer to elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize a key on a keyboard displayed on the multi-touch display layer;

a sensor configured to detect one of a plurality of gestures for the elevated surface portion; and

wherein the one of the plurality of gestures comprises a finger push applied to a part of the elevated surface portion to cause displacement of the gel and comprises a detected multi-touch input of the elevated surface portion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detected one of the plurality of gestures is further based on a finger force applied to a top of the elevated surface portion.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detected one of the plurality of gestures is further based on a detected pull by a pinch input or a detected scrolling input of the elevated surface portion.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a zoom operation, received by the electronic device, of the keyboard updates elevation of the elevated surface portion.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising:

a motion sensor or an orientation sensor configured to detect an orientation change of the electronic device; and

the electronic device configured to update the elevation of the elevated surface portion based on the detected orientation change.

6. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a multi-touch display layer, multi-touch inputs, wherein a texturizing polymer layer that is comprised in part of gel is above the multi-touch display layer and the multi-touch display layer is substantially non-flexible;

controlling, by a controller, the multi-touch display layer and the texturizing polymer layer to elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize a key on a keyboard displayed on the multi-touch display layer;

detecting, by a sensor, one of a plurality of gestures for the elevated surface portion; and

wherein the one of the plurality of gestures comprises a finger push applied to a part of the elevated surface portion to cause displacement of the gel and comprises a detected multi-touch input of the elevated surface portion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the detected one of the plurality of gestures is further based on a finger force applied to a top of the elevated surface portion.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the detected one of the plurality of gestures is further based on a detected pull by a pinch input or a detected scrolling input of the elevated surface portion.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a zoom operation, received by the electronic device, of the keyboard updates elevation of the elevated surface portion.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

detecting, by a motion sensor or an orientation sensor, an orientation change of the electronic device; and

updating, by the electronic device, the elevation of the elevated surface portion based on the detected orientation change.