Back-side interface for hand-held devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electronic device that uses separate surfaces for input and output. One of the surfaces (e.g., the bottom) includes a force-sensitive touch-surface through which a user provides input (e.g., cursor manipulation and control element selection). On a second surface (e.g., the top), a display element is used to present information appropriate to the device's function(e.g., video information), one or more control elements and a cursor. The cursor is controlled through manipulation of the back-side touch-surface. The cursor identifies where on the back-side touch-surface the user's finger has made contact. When the cursor is positioned over the desired control element, the user selects or activates the function associated with the control element by applying pressure to the force-sensitive touch-surface with their finger. Accordingly, the electronic device may be operated with a single hand, wherein cursor movement and control element selection may be accomplished without lifting one's finger.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to user input for computer systems, and more particularly to touch and force sensitive backside interfaces for handheld electronic devices such as handheld electronic and computer platforms. Background technique [0002] An increasingly popular form of electronic equipment is the handheld multimedia device. Exemplary such devices include palm or handheld personal computers, tablet computer systems, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, portable video players, and portable audio players. A concrete example of such a device is the video from the Apple Computer (IPOD is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.). In such devices, the display screen, typically a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), is usually small enough to take advantage of finger-based touch input effectively. Although the touch screen interface can be embedded in or overlaid on the display, inputting with even one finger can obscure a s...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Although the touch screen interface can be embedded in or overlaid on the display, inputting with even one finger can obscure a substantial portion of the display or cover more than one operational control element

While this problem can be mitigated by restricting the touch area to a portion of the display (for example, horizontal or vertical movement can simulate the display edge of a slider control), a finger still covers a considerable amount of useful display area

Also, as with all finger-sensitive touchscreen interfaces, dirty displays are an issue

Although stylus-based touchscreens can be used to partially reduce the occlusion problem and eliminate smudging, they have a significant disadvantage compared to finger-based touchscreen systems in that they require storage and retrieval of a stylus

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