Eleksen Limited

Electrotextiles Company Limited

Peratech Limited

Other

Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.

Soundtouch Limited

David Lee Sandbach

Christopher Chapman

Stuart Mark Walkington

Anthony Richard Hardie-Bick

John Burkitt

Patrick Monney

Denis Pavillard

Jean-Marc Flueckiger

Phillipe Georges Crispin

Timothy Charles Andrew Fitzgerald

Andrew Deakin

An apparatus is disclosed for supplying input signals to a computer. A sensor having the form of a sphere has a touch sensitive surface for generating position data for touch events. The sensor includes orientation sensors that determine rotation with respect to the earth's magnetic and gravitational fields. Orientation data may be combined with position data to interpret the orientation of touch events on the surface with respect to the computer's display. Cursor movement or text may be generated from touch events. Preferably the sphere has a roughened surface that generates sound when touched. Position data is generated by processing signals from microphones under the sphere's surface.

Processing signals to determine spatial positions

A linear sensor () comprising electrically conductive textile fibers () and electrically insulating textile fibers (). The sensor comprises at least two conductive elements () having electrically conductive textile fibers (). The sensor also has electrically insulating textile fibers () spaced to separate the two electrically conductive elements when no pressure is applied to said sensor, and to allow electrical conduction between the two conductive elements under the application of pressure.

Linear pressure sensor

A sensor having a three layer construction comprising a first knitted conductive textile plane, a second conductive textile plane and an intermediate separating plane penetrable by the first knitted conductive textile plane to allow the first conductive textile plane and the second conductive textile plane to make electrical contact under a mechanical interaction. The intermediate separating plane defines structural endpoints from which the first knitted conductive textile plane deforms towards the second conductive textile plane under a mechanical interaction. The first knitted conductive textile plane has conductive yarn knitted to form a repeating pattern of stitches each comprising a stitch looping portion SLP having a looping portion footprint LPF. Within the sensor, there is at least one of a plurality of described dimensional relationships between stitches of the first knitted conductive textile plane and structural endpoints of the intermediate separating plane.

Knitted sensor

A linear sensor () comprising electrically conductive textile fibers () and electrically insulating textile fibers (). The sensor comprises at least two conductive elements () having electricall conductive textile fibers (). The sensor also has electrically insulating textile fibers () spaced to sepa the two electrically conductive elements when no pressure is applied to said sensor, and to allow electrical conduction between the two conductive elements under the application of pressure.

A flexible foldable keyboard apparatus includes a flexible foldable keyboard () having a key defining plane (), an interface device and phone supporting device (). The phone supporting device () is arranged to unfold from a storage configuration, in which the phone supporting device () is folded onto the key defining plane () to allow the key defining plane () to be wrapped around the phone supporting device (), to present a telephone supporting configuration, in which the phone supporting device () is configured to receive a mobile telephone (). The phone supporting device () is configured to support a mobile telephone () in an orientation in which an electrical connection is provided between the interface device and the electrical connectors of the mobile telephone (), such that the mobile telephone () and the flexible foldable keyboard () are in electrical communication.

Flexible foldable keyboard

The present invention relates to a detector constructed from electrically conducting fabric and configured to present a varying electrical characteristic in response to a mechanical interaction. The detector comprises a first conducting layer () which is displaced from a second conducting layer () such that conduction between the layers results when the layers are mechanically forced together. In addition, the first of the layers has a plurality of lengths of conductive yarn and a plurality of lengths of non-conductive yarn machined therein, such that at least one length of conductive yarn is electrically isolated from another of the lengths of conductive yarn and the conducting yarns in the first of the layers are electrically grouped to define a plurality of identifiable rows. Each identifiable row has a respective electrical conductor; and define specific regions of the detector.

Detector constructed from electrically conducting fabric

The present invention relates to a manually operable input apparatus () for a portable electronic processing device (), such as a mobile phone or hand-held processor. The apparatus defines a plurality of regions () each representing a respective data item and comprises a plurality of sheets configured to produce a response to a mechanical interaction. Furthermore, the sheets are configured to be wrapped around the device to provide a protective cover.

Manual input apparatus for a handheld device

Data processing apparatus (and) configured to receive signals from an input sensor () arranged to duplicate or replace operations of a keyboard, in which the signals correspond to positions of mechanical interactions with the sensor (). The apparatus comprises processing means () configured to process data derived from the input sensor including positional data corresponding to the position of a mechanical interaction with said input sensor () and a second data type corresponding to the absence of a mechanical interaction with said input sensor. The processing means () is configured to generate data representing a first character in response to processing an item of data of said second type followed by positional data corresponding to a first position, and to generate data representing a different second character in response to processing positional data corresponding to a different second position followed by an item of data of said second type.

Data processing apparatus with replacement keyboard

The present invention relates to a foldable alpha numeric keyboard device () configured to input data items into a computer or similar processing device (). The keyboard device comprises a first electrically conductive fabric sheet, a second electrically conductive fabric sheet and an interface circuit configured to supply voltages to and receive outputs from said keyboard. In addition; the keyboard is configured to produce an output in response to a mechanical interaction and the interface circuit is arranged to respond to the mechanical interaction and to provide a data item to a computer or similar processing device.

Foldable alpha numeric keyboard

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a computer keyboard having a key sensing device that provides two levels of sensing by generating electrical signals depending on the force applied on the keys. The different levels of key sensing can be used to provide different functions, for instance, in a software application. This key sensing functionality can be provided on all or only some of the keys of the keyboard. For example, the different pressure levels applied on the key can be used to control cursor movement or scrolling and to produce pressure-based shifting between lower case and upper case. A method of providing pressure sensitive key functionalities for a keyboard comprises producing a signal by applying a pressure to a key which is configured to produce different signals in response to different pressure levels applied to the key. A user interface response is generated based on the signal produced by the pressure applied to the key. The different signals are adapted to generate different user interface responses for the key.

Pressure sensitive functionality for keyboard keys

A position sensor is arranged to detect the position of a mechanical interaction, such as the application of manual pressure. A first fabric layer has electrically conductive fibers machined therein to provide a first conductive outer layer allowing conduction in all directions along the layer. A second fabric layer has electrically conductive fibers machined therein to provide a second conductive outer layer allowing conduction in all directions along the layer. A central layer is disposed between the first outer layer and the second outer layer. The central layer includes conductive elements. A first insulating separating element is disposed between the first conductive outer layer and the conducting elements. A second insulating separating element is disposed between the second conductive outer layer and the conducting elements. The conducting elements provide a conductive path between the first conducting outer layer and the second conducting outer layer at the position of a mechanical interaction.

Detector constructed from fabric

A tactile feedback simulating fabrication for use with an input device provides flexible mouldings ( ) locatable above detection positions. Flexible mouldings ( ) provide tactile feedback simulating a key-press. Each of the mouldings ( ) defines a top portion ( ) and a flexible side wall ( ). A flexible fabric layer ( ) is attached to the flexible mouldings thereby significantly enhancing the durability of these mouldings.

Input device

The present invention relates to a data input device suitable for inputting data to electronic processing means. The data input device is configured to produce an output in response to a mechanical interaction and may be reconfigured into two operational configurations. In a first flexible configuration the device may be bent or flexed about a first axis, and in a second rigid configuration the data input device is substantially rigid such that bending or flexing of the device about the first axis is inhibited.

Flexible data input device

A fabric-made position detector has a first fabric electrically conducting layer and a second fabric electrically conducting layer. The first electrically conducting layer has a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact and a second electrically conducting layer has a third electrically conducting contact and a fourth electrically conducting contact. Potential is applied across the first contact and the third contact to produce a first current and a potential is then applied across the second contact and the fourth contact to produce a second current. The first current is measured to produce a first current value and the second current is measured to produce a second current value. The first value and the second value are processed in combination to produce a property value indicating a property of the mechanical interaction.

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London, United Kingdom

David Lee Sandbach