Apple reveals Touch Pad Technology based

Tag : Liquid Mouse Pad

On June 19, 2008, the US Patent & Trademark Office publishedApple’s patent application titled Pet-based touch pad which relates to a sensor panel substrate called polyethyleneterephthalate (PET). The substrate which is now used inApple’s iPhone and iPod touch may be eventually coming to theiPod Classic according to one of the patent illustrations.Apple’s detailed patent drills down into all aspects of PETbased touch sensor panels, and more particularly, to substantiallytransparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panels having rows andcolumns formed on separate plastic substrates.
Exemplary Computing System
Apple’s patent FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary computing system100 operable with space-efficient mutual capacitance touch sensorpanel 124 according to embodiments of this invention. The sensorpanel can be connected to other components in computing system 100through connectors integrally formed on the sensor panel, or usingflex circuits. Computing system 100 can include one or more panelprocessors 102, peripherals 104, and panel subsystem 106. The oneor more processors 102 can include, for example, ARM968 processorsor other processors with similar functionality and capabilities.However, in other embodiments, the panel processor functionalitycan be implemented instead by dedicated logic such as a statemachine. Peripherals 104 can include, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM) or other types of memory or storage, watchdog timers and the like.
Computing system 100 can also include host processor 128 forreceiving outputs from panel processor 102 and performing actionsbased on the outputs that can include, but are not limited to,moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or panning,adjusting control settings, opening a file or document, viewing amenu, making a selection, executing instructions, operating aperipheral device connected to the host device, answering atelephone call, placing a telephone call, terminating a telephonecall, changing the volume or audio settings, storing informationrelated to telephone communications such as addresses, frequentlydialed numbers, received calls, missed calls, logging onto acomputer or a computer network, permitting authorized individualsaccess to restricted areas of the computer or computer network,loading a user profile associated with a user’s preferredarrangement of the computer desktop, permitting access to webcontent, launching a particular program, encrypting or decoding amessage, and/or the like. Host processor 128 can also performadditional functions that may not be related to panel processing,and can be coupled to program storage 132 and display device 130such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) for providing a UI to a userof the device.
Devices: iPhone iPod Classic
Apple’s patent FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate an exemplary mobiletelephone (336) and an exemplary digital audio player (338). Theaudio player figure is clearly illustrating a smaller windowed iPodlike Apple’s iPod Classic. The mobile telephone and digitalaudio player of FIGS. 3a and 3b can advantageously benefit from thesubstantially transparent mutual capacitive sensor panel ofembodiments of the invention because such a sensor panel can beused to form a touch screen with a display behind the sensor panel,and can be made thinner and narrower. Both devices could includethe computing system of FIG. 1 (noted above) and a substantiallytransparent mutual capacitive touch sensor panel (324) according toembodiments of this invention.
Exemplary Mutual Capacitance Touch Sensor Panel
Apple’s patent FIG. 2e below is an exploded perspective viewof the layers of another exemplary mutual capacitance touch sensorpanel 200 according to embodiments of this invention.
Sensor panel 200 can be assembled using a top layer of opticallyclear release liner 202, optically clear pressure sensitiveadhesive (PSA) 204, top PET layer 206 upon which transparent columntraces of ITO 208 have been etched, another layer of PSA 210,middle PET layer 230, yet another layer of PSA 232, and bottom PETlayer 212 upon which wide row traces of ITO 214 have been etched.Middle PET layer 230 along with PSA 210 and 232 can act as adielectric between the row and column traces. It should beunderstood that the materials in FIG. 2 are onlyexemplary–for example, row and column traces 208 and 214 canbe made of material other than ITO, including, but not limited toATO and copper, and layers 206 and 212 can be made of materialsother that PET, including, but not limited to glass andpolycarbonate.
Apple lists Steve Porter Hotelling (San Jose, CA) as the soleinventor of the Pet-based touch pad patent. For more details ofthis patent, click here.