Touch-sensitive panel

• US 9,489,089 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaine, Sebastien, Filton, Thomas, Pelletier, Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US12/863,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The invention relates to a touch sensitive panel comprising a single interaction means with at least a first and a second interaction area, wherein the interaction means is transparent in the first interaction area, at least one transforming means for transforming a mechanical, in particular pressure, excitation of the at least first and/or second interaction area of the interaction means into respective signals, and a processing means configured to identify the position of the excitation based on the signals. It furthermore relates to a device comprising such touch sensitive panel. It furthermore relates to an improved drag and drop method.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive panel comprising:

a one piece, single interaction component with at least a first and a second interaction area, wherein;

the single interaction component is transparent in the first interaction area and opaque in the second interaction area, wherein the second interaction area includes an opaque film applied at a back side of the single interaction component; and

the single interaction component comprises one of a one piece glass material or a one piece plastic material;

at least one transducer configured to transform acoustic waves created by impacts caused by an object in contact with either the first or the second interaction areas of the single interaction component into respective signals; and

processing circuitry configured to identify positions of the impacts based on the respective signals, wherein;

the single interaction component includes a third interaction area positioned on the main surface of the single interaction component;

the touch sensitive panel further includes an external interface configured to allow a connection with an external device;

the third interaction area includes a button area associated with the at least one external interface; and

the processing-circuitry is configured to trigger a data transfer with the external device upon determining an excitation of the button area when the external device is connected with the external interface.

2. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein the second interaction area comprises secondary button areas and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to trigger predetermined actions upon an excitation of at least one of the secondary button areas.

3. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one transducer and the processing circuitry are arranged in the second interaction area.

4. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the transducer and the processing circuitry are embedded in the single interaction component.

5. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein the single interaction component, the at least one transducer, and the processing circuitry form a module.

6. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 5, wherein the module attached to a device turns the device into a touch-sensitive device.

7. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 6, wherein the device provides additional input surfaces on the second interaction area.

8. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein the single interaction component furthermore comprises at least a third interaction area, and the third interaction area is transparent.

9. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, further comprising a writable area over the second interaction area.

10. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive panel is included with a device including one of a laptop, an on-board computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television, a HiFi device, an automatic vending or teller machine, a playing console or a machine input device, the device further comprising a screen with a display panel.

11. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, wherein the touch sensitive panel is arranged such that the first interaction area is over the display panel of the screen thereby forming a touch sensitive display and such that the second interaction area is positioned away from the display panel.

12. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to carry out predetermined actions upon determining an excitation at a predetermined area of the second interaction area, wherein the predetermined actions are associated with one or more of information displayed on the screen and a hardware functionality.

13. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a dragging of an object from the screen based on an excitation on the first interaction area and a dropping of the object onto a secondary button area of the second interaction area based on a subsequent excitation on the second interaction area.

14. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, wherein the second interaction area extends over an area of a frame of the display panel.

15. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, wherein the single interaction component extends laterally on at least one side over the device.

16. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to carry out a scroll bar functionality based on excitations identified on a side surface of the single interaction component.

17. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 10, further comprising at least one interface configured to allow a connection with an external device and arranged within or adjacent to the second interaction area:

wherein the second interaction area comprises a predetermined area associated with the interface; and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to trigger a predetermined interaction task between the device and the external device upon determining an excitation at the predetermined area associated with the interface.

18. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined area associated with the interface of the second interaction area is adjacent to an edge region of the interface.

19. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined area associated with the interface encircles the interface.

20. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 17, wherein the interface is on a main surface of the single interaction component.

21. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 1, further comprising a secondary screen with a secondary display panel positioned underneath a third transparent interaction area.

22. The touch sensitive panel according to claim 21, further comprising at least one interface configured to allow a connection with an external device and arranged within or adjacent to the second interaction area:

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to trigger a predetermined interaction task between the device and the external device upon determining an excitation of the third interaction area.

23. A method of performing a drag and drop on a touch sensitive panel, comprising:

selecting a displayed object at a first interaction area of a one piece, single interaction component with at least the first interaction area and a second interaction area, wherein;

the single interaction component is transparent in the first interaction area and opaque in the second interaction area;

the single interaction component comprises one of a one piece glass material or a one piece plastic material; and

the second interaction area includes an opaque film applied at a back side of the single interaction component;

dragging the displayed object from the first interaction area to the second interaction area; and

dropping the displayed object at the second interaction area, wherein the selecting, dragging, and dropping of the displayed object results in acoustic waves created by impact caused by object contact with the first interaction area and the second interaction area of the single interaction component that are transformed by at least one transducer into signals, and wherein;

single interaction component includes a third interaction area positioned on the main surface of the single interaction component;

the third interaction area includes a button area associated with an external interface; and

the method further includes, in response to an external device being connected with the external interface and a second displayed object being dropped at the button area of the third interaction area, triggering a data transfer with the external device.