The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 31, 2012
Filed:
Mar. 25, 2010
Tiffany Yun, Fremont, CA (US);
David Kryze, Campbell, CA (US);
Lucas Divine, San Jose, CA (US);
Alex Wood, Mountain View, CA (US);
Daniel Santos, San Francisco, CA (US);
Tiffany Yun, Fremont, CA (US);
David Kryze, Campbell, CA (US);
Lucas Divine, San Jose, CA (US);
Alex Wood, Mountain View, CA (US);
Daniel Santos, San Francisco, CA (US);
Panasonic Corporation of North America, Secaucus, NJ (US);
Abstract
Systems and methods for altering the shape of a reconfigurable surface area are presented. The present systems and methods facilitate efficient and effective interaction with a device or system. In one embodiment, a surface reconfiguration system includes a flexible surface; an elevation unit that creates alterations in the contours of the surface; and an elevation control component that controls adjustments to the elevation unit. Thus, the surface of the device is reconfigurable based on system, application, mode, and/or user needs. Accordingly, the surface can be used to provide input and output functionality. The surface can include touch detection functionality for added input functionality.