Illuminated Speaker Port Button for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-end mobile electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, face challenges with small, slim physical buttons on the side edges that are difficult to locate by feel or sight, especially in dimly lit environments, due to their minimal protrusion and small size, limiting user interaction.
Innovation Solution
An illuminated integrated speaker port insert and rocker button design that incorporates a Light Emitting Diode (LED) for illumination, a lossy light guide portion for scattering light, and a metal cap with acoustic energy pathways, allowing the button to be easily identified by sight or touch while maintaining minimal space usage on the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If physical buttons are placed on side edges to avoid limiting display space, then display area is improved, but button locateability by feel and sight deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The button incorporates an LED illumination system that emits light in different colors or intensity levels to indicate the button's state, function, or location. This visual enhancement allows users to easily locate and identify the button's purpose, especially in dimly lit environments, while maintaining the button's placement on the side edge to preserve display area.
2Shape
If buttons are made slim and low profile to maintain device aesthetics, then device appearance is improved, but button detectability by touch deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The illuminated button uses LED lighting to create visual contrast against the device housing, making the slim, low-profile button detectable by sight even though it protrudes minimally. The illumination compensates for the reduced tactile feedback by providing visual feedback that helps users locate and activate the button.
Solution Approach 2:
The LED light acts as an intermediary between the button's physical structure and the user's perception. Since the button itself is slim and provides minimal tactile feedback, the illumination serves as an additional signal that mediates the user's ability to detect and interact with the button effectively.
3Area of stationary object
If small physical buttons are used to minimize space consumption, then device compactness is improved, but user interaction effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The button is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a physical control for volume or other device functions while simultaneously serving as a visual indicator through illumination. This multi-functionality allows a single small button to provide both control and feedback, improving user interaction effectiveness without requiring additional space.
Solution Approach 2:
The illuminated button uses visual signaling through LED light to communicate its state, function, or availability to the user. This visual feedback mechanism enhances the effectiveness of the small button by providing clear information about its purpose and status, making it more usable despite its compact size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances user interaction by providing a visually and tactically identifiable button that serves both audio and control functions, improving usability in various lighting conditions without compromising the device's display space.
Implementation Method 1
incorporates a Light Emitting Diode (LED) for illumination
Implementation Method 2
a lossy light guide portion for scattering light
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic devices such as smartphones (100) or tablet computers are provided with an illuminated integrated speaker port insert and button (110) which allows audio energy to pass out of the speaker port (108), serves as control button for a function such as volume control or power, and is provided with single or multi-color illumination (212) so as to serve as a visual information indicator. The button (110) can serve in place of side mounted button while not requiring additional allocation of area on the devices front surface beyond what would be allocated for a speaker port and therefore not reduce the area available for a display screen (203). The button may be more readily located by touch due to its location and by sight due to the provision of illumination and owing to its use as a speaker port insert the purpose of the button may be intuitively grasped and later recalled by the user.