Method and apparatus for controlling a skin texture surface on a device
US8761846B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 4, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jun 24, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 27, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/23
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A portable electronic device (100) includes a controllable skin texture surface (104) and control logic (200) that is operative to change a tactile configuration of at least a portion of the controllable skin texture surface (104) in response to at least any one (i.e., one or more) of: a received wireless signal, a battery level change condition, an incoming call, information from a proximity sensor, sound sensor, light sensor, data representing a user of the device, or data representing completion of a user authentication sequence. The controllable skin texture surface (104) may form part of a non-user interface portion or a user interface portion, such as a function key, keypad or other operational element of the device. In one example, a portable electronic device employs a controllable skin texture surface that includes a mechanical skin texture surface actuation structure and a flexible skin structure that moves in response to mechanical movement caused by the mechanical skin texture surface actuation structure to change a tactile configuration of at least a portion of the controllable skin texture surface of the device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.