Agere Systems Inc.

Bradley M Feick

Charles William Berthoud

James Skorko

A technique and apparatus for integrating a speaker with button (or keyboard) components such as a tactile membrane and/or PCB. The tactile membrane conventionally used between buttons and switch mechanisms to provide tactile feedback to a user upon depression of the button is extended to form a vibrating portion of a speaker. The vibrating portion is doped with or otherwise includes an activating material (e.g., copper) which will be physically affected by a magnetic field. The activating material may be adhered to the upper and/or lower side of the vibrating portion, or doped therein. A coil for the speaker is formed with a coil tracing pattern formed on one or more layers of a PCB. One or more amplifier circuits may be included to drive one or more coil patterns, to cause a fluctuating magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the vibrating portion of the tactile membrane. The vibrating portion of the tactile membrane responds to the fluctuations in the magnetic field, causing audible sounds to be output.

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Stony Creek, PA, United States of America

Bradley M Feick