Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Xuezhong Wu

Timothy Carlyle Shaw

Bradley R Martin

Kurt Jenkins

Flavio Protasio Ribeiro

James Charles Marshall

Scott Mail

Richard Dean Harley, Jr

Christian Carl Gadke

Glennis E Covington

Francie Judith Zant

Input device configurations are described. In implementations, an input device includes a sensor substrate having a capacitive sensor to detect proximity of an object that contacts the input device. The input device also includes a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate, where the flexible contact layer is implemented to flex and contact the sensor substrate responsive to pressure applied by the object to initiate an input to a computing device. The flexible contact layer can include a force concentrator pad that is designed to cause pressure to be channeled through the force concentrator pad to cause the flexible contact layer to contact the sensor substrate to initiate the input.

Input device sensor configuration

Input device backlighting techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an input device includes a light guide configured to transmit light, a sensor assembly having a plurality of sensors that are configured to detect proximity of an object as a corresponding one or more inputs, a connection portion configured to form a communicative coupling to a computing device to communicate the one or more inputs received by the sensor assembly to the computing device, and an outer layer. The outer layer has a plurality of indications of inputs formed using openings in the outer layer such that light from the light guide is configured to pass through the openings to function as a backlight. The outer layer also has a plurality of sub-layers arranged to have increasing levels of resistance to transmission of the light from the light guide, one to another.

Input device backlighting

Input device configurations are described. In one or more implementations, an input device includes a sensor substrate having one or more conductors and a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate. The flexible contact layer is configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input of a computing device. The flexible contact layer includes a force concentrator pad that is configured to cause pressure to be channeled through the force concentrator pad to cause the flexible contact layer to contact the sensor substrate to initiate the input.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Xuezhong Wu