Granted Patent B2

US 9,367,150 · App. 12/784,349 · Granted Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. An apparatus for a user interface of an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a textured surface attached along a viewable side on a display screen of the electronic device, the textured surface having a predetermined roughness and the textured surface is transparent, wherein the textured surface comprises a structural configuration of fingerprint swirls and includes a coating having one or more of the following properties; hydrophobic or oleophobic, the textured surface includes a plurality of actuating elements, each actuating element configured such that the height of the actuating element can be varied independently of the other actuating elements to enable the roughness of the textured surface to be modified, the textured surface is configurable to produce a first predefined vibration in the skin of a first user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the first user contacts the textured surface and a second predefined vibration in the skin of a second user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the second user contacts the textured surface, wherein the roughness of the textured surface is configurable to a first user configuration such that the first predefined vibration produced by the physical interaction has a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a specific mechanical receptor in the skin of the first user wherein the frequency and/or amplitude corresponds to the following type of mechanical receptor: Merkel discs, wherein the roughness of the textured surface is configurable to a second user configuration such that the second predefined vibration produced by the physical interaction has a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a different specific mechanical receptor in the skin of the second user, where the apparatus is adapted to be reconfigurably switched between the first user configuration and the second user configuration; and

a capacitive element configured to allow establishment of an electric field of varying strength between the capacitive element and a user of the apparatus, variations in electric field strength configured to interact with the skin of the user to produce another predefined vibration in the skin of the user independently of the textured surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the height of the actuating elements are variable independently of the other actuating elements to allow generation of transverse waves in the textured surface, interaction of the transverse waves with the skin of the user configured to produce the first predefined vibration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface comprises two or more regions, the textured surface configured such that the roughness at one region is different from the roughness at another region.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured such that the predetermined roughness of the textured surface provides a predetermined modification to the frequency and/or amplitude of the another predefined vibration produced by the variations in electric field strength to produce a third predefined vibration in the skin of the user when the capacitive element is activated which has a frequency and/or amplitude that is detectable by a specific mechanical receptor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the capacitive element comprises an electrical conductor, an electrical insulator and a power supply, the power supply configured to charge the electrical conductor, the electrical insulator configured to prevent a flow of current from the charged electrical conductor to the skin of the user when the user is proximate to the capacitive element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the power supply is configured to vary the magnitude of charge on the electrical conductor to cause the variations in electric field strength.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the capacitive element comprises a plurality of segments, each segment configured to allow establishment of an electric field of varying strength between the segment and the user independently of the other segments, variations in electric field strength configured to interact with the skin of the user to independently produce second predefined vibrations in the skin of the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display screen comprises a touch sensitive component configured to allow a user of the display to interact directly with content shown on the display screen by touching the display screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the textured surface does not visually block any portion of the display screen.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the textured surface comprises a substantially planar surface covering the display screen.

11. An apparatus for a user interface of an electronic device, the apparatus comprising a capacitive element and a textured surface, both the capacitive element and the textured surface configured to independently produce predefined vibrations in the skin of a user of the apparatus,

the textured surface having a predefined roughness, wherein the textured surface comprises a structural configuration of fingerprint swirls and includes a coating having one or more of the following properties; hydrophobic or oleophobic, to produce a first predefined vibration on independent physical interaction when the skin of the user is in contact with and moves across the textured surface,

the capacitive element configured to allow establishment of an electric field of varying strength between the capacitive element and the user, variations in electric field strength configured to independently interact with the skin of the user to produce a second predefined vibration,

and wherein the apparatus is configured such that the predetermined roughness of the textured surface provides a predetermined modification to the second predefined vibration produced by the variations in electric field strength to produce a third predefined vibration when the capacitive element is activated,

where the textured surface is adapted to be reconfigured between a first user configuration and a second user configuration, where the first user configuration comprises the textured surface being shaped to provide a first predetermined roughness with a first user's skin which is detectable by a Merkel discs mechanical receptor of the first user's skin, and where the second user configuration comprises the textured surface being shaped to provide a second predetermined roughness with a second user's skin which is detectable by a different mechanical receptor of the second user's skin, where the apparatus is configured to switch between the first and second user configurations.

12. A method comprising:

providing for production of a predefined vibration in the skin of a user of an apparatus comprising an electronic device, based on physical contact between a textured surface and the skin of the user to produce a predefined vibration which is detectable by a specific mechanical receptor in the skin of the user by using the apparatus, the apparatus comprising the textured surface having a predetermined roughness wherein the textured surface comprises a structural configuration of fingerprint swirls and includes a coating having one or more of the following properties; hydrophobic or oleophobic, the textured surface being transparent and attached along a viewable side on a display screen of the electronic device, to produce the predefined vibration in the skin of the user of the apparatus on physical contact with the skin of the user, wherein the roughness of the textured surface is configurable such that the predefined vibration produced by the physical contact has a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a specific mechanical receptor in the skin of the user,

providing the apparatus with a first user configuration, where the first user configuration comprises the textured surface being configured to produce a first predefined vibration in the skin of a first user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the first user contacts the textured surface, where the first user configuration is configured to provide a first roughness of the textured surface such that the first predefined vibration produced by the physical contact has a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a Merkel discs mechanical receptor in the skin of the first user,

providing the apparatus with a second user configuration, where the second user configuration comprises the textured surface being configured to produce a second predefined vibration in the skin of a second user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the second user contacts the textured surface, where the second user configuration is configured to provide a second roughness of the textured surface such that the second predefined vibration produced by the physical contact has a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a different mechanical receptor in the skin of the second user, and

providing for switching between the first user configuration and the second user configuration.

13. A method comprising:

providing for production of a predefined vibration in the skin of a user of an apparatus comprising an electronic device, based on physical contact between a textured surface and the skin of the user when a capacitive element is activated to produce a third predefined vibration in the skin of the user by using the apparatus, the apparatus comprising the capacitive element and the textured surface, both the capacitive element and the textured surface configured to independently produce predefined vibrations in the skin of the user of the apparatus,

the textured surface having a predefined roughness, wherein the textured surface comprises a structural configuration of fingerprint swirls and includes a coating having one or more of the following properties; hydrophobic or oleophobic, to produce a first predefined vibration on independent physical contact with the skin of the user,

the capacitive element configured to allow establishment of an electric field of varying strength between the capacitive element and the user, variations in electric field strength configured to independently interact with the skin of the user to produce a second predefined vibration,

and wherein the apparatus is configured such that the predetermined roughness of the textured surface provides a predetermined modification to the second predefined vibration produced by the variations in electric field strength to produce the third predefined vibration when the capacitive element is activated,

wherein the apparatus is configurable to a first user configuration, where the first user configuration comprises the textured surface being configured to produce a first predefined roughness in the skin of a first user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the first user contacts the textured surface, where the first predetermined roughness of the textured surface provides the first predefined vibration with a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a Merkel discs mechanical receptor in the skin of the first user,

wherein the apparatus is configurable to a second user configuration, where the second user configuration comprises the textured surface being configured to produce the first predefined vibration in the skin of a second user of the apparatus on physical interaction when the skin of the second user contacts the textured surface, where the second predetermined roughness of the textured surface provides the first predefined vibration with a frequency and/or amplitude which is detectable by a different mechanical receptor in the skin of the second user, and

providing for reconfigurably switching between the first user configuration and the second user configuration.

Assignments (12)