1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic devices having input devices in the form of a pressure sensitive displays or touch pads.
2. Description of Prior Art
Capacitive and resistive displays known as “touchpads” are commonly used in the consumer electronics industry as a means of pointing and selecting application functions.
For example, SmartPhone touchscreen displays utilize resistive technology as a means of interacting with the SmartPhone functions. Likewise, many personal audio MP3 players utilize capacitive touch pads to operate the MP3 Player. Laptops also utilize capacitive touch pads as a means for pointing and selecting and thereby creating user-interaction. These touchscreens and touchpads have been deployed in a number of products in recent years.
Existing solutions in this field have a number of limitations. One main limitation is that they tend to have limited functionality and require supplemental mechanical keys to operate multiple functions.
For example, SmartPhones tend to include a number of dedicated mechanical keys to switch between applications. While SmartPhones deploy a resistive or capacitive touch screen, they require the use of mechanical keys to navigate from the email application, to the phone application, to the calendar, etc. The same is true of laptops that have capacitive touchpads as they also include right select and left select keys for pointer selection and activation of additional menu options, and dedicated function buttons such as Quick Launch mechanical buttons or dedicated purpose buttons all on a separate part of the laptop such as a keypad to launch specific applications.
It would be more efficient to provide a pressure sensitive touch pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons for launching Utility Applications.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a pressure sensitive Display Pad separate and apart from the primary computer display, for example, resident where a mouse pad would normally reside with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons for launching Utility Applications.
It is another object to provide a pressure sensitive Display Pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons that reduce or eliminate the need for mechanical buttons.
It is another object to provide a pressure sensitive touch pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons that fixed or programmable functionality for application assignment flexibility and non-mechanical customization.
It is still another object to provide a pressure sensitive Display Pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons that provide feedback audible and/or tactile upon accepted selection of a command.
It is yet another object to provide a pressure sensitive Display Pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons displayed with, or in association with graphic content or aesthetics such as a screen saver, slideshow, or entertainment including a game or video clip.
It is another object to provide a pressure sensitive Display Pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons having embedded dual functionality such as operating as a mouse for pointer navigation and selection on the computing device while simultaneously providing productivity and displaying applications such as a calculator, currency converter, daily event calendar, etc.
In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present system and apparatus is an improvement to existing resistive and capacitive touch pads that eliminates the need for additional dedicated mechanical buttons for launching utility applications.
An exemplary embodiment is disclosed in the context of a pressure sensitive Display Pad with virtual programmable buttons for operating a laptop computer. The Display Pad performs the pointing and selection functions of existing laptop touchpads, and additionally provides for fixed or programmable pressure sensitive application functions using virtual buttons on the touchpad which can launch utility applications associated with those buttons, either on the computer screen or on the Display Pad display or both. These fixed virtual buttons may have optional feedback tactile and/or audible as well as visual upon accepted selection of a command.
The fixed or programmable Virtual Application Keys are fully programmable for application assignment flexibility or non-mechanical customization, and they additionally provide aesthetics such as a screen saver or slideshow, entertainment with a game or video clip, or productivity with applications like a calculator, currency converter, or daily event calendar while at the same time operating as a mouse for pointer navigation and selection on the computing device.
Specifically, the pressure sensitive Display Pad superposes virtual programmable buttons overtop or segregates them from a display area for viewing multifunctional applications. This is much easier and more convenient than leaving the main computer application displayed on the laptop display and searching with the mouse in the computer menu system for a calculator, for instance. The applications initiated from the virtual programmable buttons on the Display Pad can be run on the primary computer display, the Display Pad display, or both. The Display Pad may be powered by its own resident power source a battery, or may derive power from the power bus of the computing device. The programmable force sensitive Display Pad is therefore also a way to reduce the energy consumption of the computing device by eliminating the need for powering up the main display for all applications.
The touch pad preferably includes an extended area that has fixed-position virtual buttons, with either dedicated or programmable functionality for easy customization and assigning different applications. These virtual buttons are marginally outside the display area but still within the touch sensitive area. When a fixed virtual button is selected, it invokes an associated command on Display Pad or Computing Device associated with that virtual button.
The Display Pad may also contain “soft” buttons. These soft buttons are completely included in the pressure sensitive display touch area and are completely software driven.
The Display Pad provides multi-functionality in addition to the standard mouse function, some examples of functions that can be supported by the system include but are not limited to: Calculator, Currency Converter, Time and Date, World Clock, Screen Saver, SlideShow of your favorite Pictures, Alarm, Alerts, Day Calendar, Audible and Tactile response to selection, etc.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention is a pressure sensitive display pad separate and apart from the primary computer display and resident, for example, where a mouse pad would normally reside. The pressure sensitive display pad includes Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons for launching Utility Applications.
In this embodiment, the force sensors 12 are each a small package where an internal pressure sensor is seated atop a small metal ball 13 that hits an underlying surface 10, which could be a PCB, housing, or other mechanical component of the device. Thus, the balls 13 are pressed onto the pressure sensors 12 when pressure is applied on the lens assembly 11. Given four (4) corner mounted sensors 12 as illustrated, each sensor 12 registers a different force which can be readily combined to yield an exact coordinate representing where the touch is registered. In order to ensure that side forces, in the xy-plane are minimized or eliminated and that the touch pad system only register forces in the z-plane when the lens assembly 11 is touched, especially if sensitive pressure sensors 12 are used, the lens assembly 11 may be spring loaded with regular spiral springs 15 or other suspension mechanisms, such as illustrated in PCT application PCT/US200803374 filed on Mar. 14, 2008, which is integrated in the lens housing 11, or other spring system or cushioning such as rubber or foam.
The lens assembly may also have downwardly protruding stops 16 that contact the underlying surface before the pressure sensors 12 bottom out and possibly get damaged.
The flexfilm 14 in the assembly 1 also serves as component surface for the assembly's specific electronic components 17. The display 19 will include its own flexfilm connector, and the flexfilm 14 and display 19 connectors may be combined as an integral flexfilm, providing all control lines as well as power supply to both the display 19 and the specific electronic components 17.
For size-constrained devices, it may be necessary to reduce the thickness of the complete solution. It may then be needed to use a thinner force sensor then the piezo resistive sensor used in the previous figures.
An alternative implementation is illustrated in
Software is provided either in the electronic components 17 within the assembly 1, or in the computing device CPU that segregates specific areas on the lens 11 into discrete virtual programmable buttons for operating the computing device. Other areas of the lens 11 are reserved for traditional mouse pointing functions. This software comprises a memory-resident executable program to interpret the pressure data derived from four (4) corner mounted sensors 12, to calculate an exact (x,y) coordinate representing where the touch point was registered, and to analyze the (x,y) coordinate to determine whether it falls within any of the pre-designated areas assigned to discrete virtual programmable buttons. This way, the combined touch force of all the sensors 12 may yield a coordinate corresponding to a discrete virtual programmable button. The Display Pad 1 still performs the pointing and selection functions of existing laptop or other touchpads, but additionally provides for fixed or programmable pressure sensitive application functions using the virtual buttons, which can launch utility applications associated with specific buttons, either on the computer screen or on the Display Pad display or both. The software also allows programming of the parameters of applied force necessary to interpret the type of key press. These parameters may include a minimum pressure needed for interpretation as an actual key-press, or an incremental interpretation dependent on the pressure (such as the volume button, where a higher force may be construed as louder volume and vice versa, or a fast forward key where more pressure indicates faster forwarding through a song file.
If desired, the pressure sensors 12 may be equipped with optional feedback tactile and/or audible and/or visual upon accepted selection of a command. The virtual programmable buttons may be fixed in location and/or functionality, or may be fully programmable for application assignment flexibility or non-mechanical customization. Moreover, since the display 19 is fully visible to the user the virtual programmable buttons may be indicated on the display 19 and may be dynamic, providing aesthetics such as a screen saver or slideshow, entertainment with a game or video clip, or productivity with applications like a calculator, currency converter, or daily event calendar while at the same time operating as a mouse for pointer navigation and selection on the computing device. This effectively eliminated the need to leave the main computer application displayed on the laptop display, since the applications initiated from the virtual programmable buttons on the Display Pad 1 can be run on the primary computer display, the Display Pad display 19, or both.
Another advantage by using the pressure sensitive lens assembly 1 is that since it has to allow for a small movement and therefore will not be a fixed part of the mechanical housing, it can be made to vibrate independent of the mechanical housing, and therefore provide a very effective and accurate tactile feedback to the end-user.
Multiple use cases can be supported with this dynamic touch pad construct, for example, when a virtual button or “soft” button evoking an application is selected, the application takes over the touch sensitive area in the case of a virtual button implementation and the entire area in the case of no or soft buttons implementation. The application runs until it is complete and then the touch sensitive functionality state returns to the display pad device. An array of sample utility applications are shown at right including Clock, Day Schedule, World Times, Calculator, Weather, Currency Converter, and Picture Gallery. These sample utility applications can be viewed in the touch sensitive display, Laptop display, or both.
It should now be apparent that the above-described Display Pad with Virtual Programmable Applications Buttons reduces or eliminates the need for mechanical buttons, while providing instant access to productivity applications such as a calculator, currency converter, daily event calendar, etc., and improves computing aesthetics with screen savers or slideshows, entertainment, etc. Still the device affords full navigation functionality such as operating as a mouse for pointer navigation and selection on the computing device.
It should also be apparent that since the touch pad described here is based on pressure sensing, the applications may also use the level of applied force for controlling input. For example, if the user presses the volume key 53 harder the volume will increase, and if the user presses it again, but with a lower force, the volume will decrease.
Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims.
The present application derives priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/922,046 filed 5 Apr. 2007.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60922046 | Apr 2007 | US |