Apple Inc.

Ian M Bullock

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Alex Joseph Lehmann

Seung Wook Kim

Ray Ling Chang

Madeleine S Cordier

Michael J Rockwell

David H Bloom

Kyle J Nekimken

Michael Y Cheung

Scott G Johnston

Hongcheng Sun

A finger-mounted device may include finger-mounted units. The finger-mounted units may each have a body that serves as a support structure for components such as force sensors, accelerometers, and other sensors and for haptic output devices. The body may have sidewall portions coupled by a portion that rests adjacent to a user's fingernail. The body may be formed from deformable material such as metal or may be formed from adjustable structures such as sliding body portions that are coupled to each other using magnetic attraction, springs, or other structures. The body of each finger-mounted unit may have a U-shaped cross-sectional profile that leaves the finger pad of each finger exposed when the body is coupled to a fingertip of a user's finger. Control circuitry may gather finger press input, lateral finger movement input, and finger tap input using the sensors and may provide haptic output using the haptic output device.

Finger-mounted device with sensors and haptics

A touch-sensitive display of an electronic device is operated in conjunction with a notification system configured to provide haptic, acoustic, and/or visual output to cue a user to align and/or maintain the user's finger positioning relative to one or more virtual input regions, such as virtual keys of a virtual keyboard, presented on the touch-sensitive display.

Haptic realignment cues for touch-input displays

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Ian M Bullock