Keyboard with touch sensor illumination
US10514772B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 29, 2017 |
| Grant date | Dec 24, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 29, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K2217/9653
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A keyboard may be provided that has keys overlapped by a touch sensor. The keyboard may have key sensor circuitry for monitoring switching in the keys for key press input. The keyboard may also have touch sensor circuitry such as capacitive touch sensor circuitry that monitors capacitive electrodes in the touch sensor for touch sensor input such as multitouch gesture input. The keyboard may include an outer layer of fabric that overlaps the keys. The fabric may have openings that are arranged to form alphanumeric characters. Light sources may emit light that passes through the openings and illuminates the alphanumeric characters. The touch sensor may have signal lines that are not visible through the openings. The signal lines may be transparent, may be covered by a diffuser, or may circumvent the openings so that they do not overlap.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.