Patent Application
20150323992
Consumer devices now enable a plethora of user interactions that were not available prior to advent of smart devices and controllers. Many of these interactions may be accounted for by use of touch screen displays and their interfaces. Intuitive swiping and other gestures on these displays on tablets, smart phones and controllers have supplanted trackpad and mouse interfaces on laptops and older devices.
Haptic feedback is another useful interface technology that has found great utility in the gaming sector. Such haptic and audio feedback give a whole other sensory dimension to user interactions with smart devices/controllers.
The following presents a simplified summary of the innovation in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter nor delineate the scope of the subject innovation. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Systems and methods are disclosed of a touch screen display wherein the surface of the touch screen display comprises a sculpted and/or contoured portion. The sculpted/contoured portion gives a user a tactile sense of a portion of the touch screen where commands may be actuated and/or data may be selected. The touch screen display may further be in communication with a physical switch where additional pressure by the user may be used to actuated a command associated with a selected portion of the display. Such a switch may be a piezo structure or other type of physical switch that may also be incorporated into a smart device/controller.
In one embodiment, a touch screen display comprising: a display panel, said display panel comprising a plurality of touch screen sensors that are capable of detecting the presence of a human user; said display panel comprising a transparent surface such that light from said display panel is visible to a user of said touch screen display; wherein said transparent surface comprises a sculpted portion where said sculpted portion forms a tactile indication to a user of said touch screen display where actuation of a plurality of commands are capable; and wherein further said touch screen display is in communication with a smart device such that a user is capable of actuating one of said plurality of commands.
In another embodiment, a smart device comprising: a touch screen display, said touch screen display comprising a transparent surface, said transparent surface further comprises a sculpted portion providing a tactile clue to a user of the smart device; a switch, said switch in mechanical communication with said touch screen display such that said switch is capable of being actuated by the user applying additional pressure to the touch screen display; a controller, said controller comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage media, said computer-readable storage media capable of storing computer-readable instructions such that when read by said processor, causes the controller to execute the following: detecting the presence of a touch of a user within said sculpted portion; detecting the actuation of said switch when actuated by a user applying a suitable amount of pressure to the touch screen; and executing at least one command associated with the actuation of the actuation of said switch.
In yet another embodiment, a smart device is disclosed comprising: a touch screen display, said touch screen display comprising a transparent surface, said transparent surface further comprises a sculpted portion providing a tactile clue to a user of the smart device; a feedback structure, said feedback structure capable of providing feedback to the user, according to detection condition regarding the user's hand in relation to touch screen display; a controller, said controller comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage media, said computer-readable storage media capable of storing computer-readable instructions such that when read by said processor, causes the controller to execute the following: detecting the presence of a user's hand underneath a desired part of said touch screen device within said sculpted portion; and delivering a feedback sensation to said user upon the detection of the presence of the user's hand.
Other features and aspects of the present system are presented below in the Detailed Description when read in connection with the drawings presented within this application.
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
As utilized herein, terms “component,” “system,” “module,” “interface,” “processor,” and “controller” and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, any of these terms can be a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component and/or controller. One or more components/controllers can reside within a process and a component/controller can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.
Further, as used herein, the above-listed terms are intended to encompass computer-readable data storage that is configured with computer-executable instructions that cause certain functionality to be performed when executed by a processor. The computer-executable instructions may include a routine, a function, or the like. It is also to be understood that a component or system may be localized on a single device or distributed across several devices.
The claimed subject matter is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the subject innovation.
In many embodiments of the present systems and methods, a smart device and/or controller may comprise a sculpted and/or shaped touch screen display or transparent covering. This touch screen may be transparent and may support touch screen user interface interactions. In addition, many embodiments may form a mechanically actuator that allows a user to click or otherwise actuate a command—e.g., once a desired action is potentially presented to the user for selection.
Smart device/controller 100 may comprise a transparent touch screen display 102. Touch screen 102 may be any known and/or suitable touch screen display—e.g., one that comprises a number of touch sensors that are capable of detecting the presence and/or touch of a human user. Such touch screen displays are well-known and may comprise piezo sensors, capacitive, resistive or other types of touch sensor technologies. Touch screen display 102 comprises a contoured surface—as depicted by contour 104. As the user handles the smart device/controller 100, the user feels the contour with touch (e.g., thumb and/or fingers). This contour tends to give the user an intuitive sense of “home” for the initiation and/or actuation of command on the smart device/controller—and possibly without the need to visually regard the smart device/controller.
For merely one example,
In any embodiment, surface 200 comprises a first contouring/sculpting zone 204. This first zone may tend to give a user a tactile sense of “home” or some other suitable orientation familiar to the user. A second, optional, contour/sculpting zone 206 may be formed within the first zone. This second zone may be a zone of actuation—e.g., whereby the user may give additional pressure and/or force in order to actuate a command or otherwise make a selection. Interface 208 may mated with the touch screen and allow communications of data and commands to and from the touch screen and a controller.
Contouring 204 and 206 (and possibly other contouring on the surface) may comprise any number of suitable contouring arrangements. For example, surface 200 may have a substantially flat surface—and first contouring zone 204 may be either a concave or convex contour (e.g., when compared to the substantially flat surface). Second contouring zone 206 may be again be a concave or convex contour (e.g., when compared to the first contour zone). For merely one embodiment, a user's thumb—when swiping from any side—may feel a substantially flat surface, hit a first contour zone (e.g., as a concave surface), then hit a second contour zone (e.g., as a slight convex surface) that may feel like a “home button” or some other intuitive meaning for the user. Many contouring embodiments are of course possible and are encompassed by the scope of this present application.
In another embodiment, second contouring zone 206 (or other desired zones) may affect a plurality of feedback mechanisms to the user. For one example, zone 206 may provide the user a haptic feedback when the user's hand or portion thereof is detected underneath. Such a haptic feedback may be desirable to give the user a “no look” sense (that is, the user may “know” he/she is by virtue of the contour and/or other feedback, without need of looking at the smart device) of being at a “home” button or other desired zone—e.g., to provide navigation or actuate commands, as may be desired and/or allowed the smart device. In another embodiment, an audio feedback may be effected by the smart device when it detects that the user is at home button and/or any other desirable zone.
It will be appreciated that many embodiments comprising a clickable switch, haptic feedback and/or audio feedback are possible—together with the contoured surface. One embodiment might be the contoured/sculpted surface in combination with any one of those switches and/or feedback. Alternatively, another embodiment may comprise the contoured/sculpted surface with two or more—or all three—switches and/or feedback mechanisms.
Enclosure may comprise other components as well—such as, e.g., a controller 306 which may comprise a processor, computer-readable storage media that may store computer-readable instructions that enable smart device/controller to execute operating systems instructions, user application instructions and provide suitable I/O interfaces to communicate with touch screen display and/or speaker 310, wireless interface 312 (e.g., infrared, Bluetooth, etc.) Battery 308 may be provided to give power to the smart device. A final enclosure 314 (e.g. plastic, metal or other suitable other material) may be provided for a final form factor for the smart device.
What has been described above includes examples of the subject innovation. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subject innovation are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the claimed subject matter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the innovation includes a system as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of the claimed subject matter.
In addition, while a particular feature of the subject innovation may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” and “including” and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”
