P1 365560
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`D STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`UNITE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`
`
`
`March 01, 2001
`
`
`
`ANNEXED HERETO IS A TRUE COPY FROM
`THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT
`TED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK
`THE RECORDS OF THE UNI
`F THE BELOW IDENTIFIED PATENT
`HOSE PAPERS 0
`OFFICE OF T
`MENTS TO BE GRANTED A
`HE REQUIRE
`APPLICATION THAT MET T
`FILING DATE UNDER 35 USC 111.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`APPLICATION NUMBER: 09/487, 73 7
`FILING DATE: January 19, 2000
`PCT APPLICATION NUMBER:
`
`PCT/USO]/01486
`
`
`
`
`OF PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS
`
`By Authority of the
`OMMISSIONER
`
`‘III;
`
`,,
`
`qu>\€/“T
`
`
`
`M. K. HAWKINS
`Certifying Officer
`
` ‘
`
`
`
`APPLE INC.
`
`I
`
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE
`
`SUBMITTED OR TRANSMITTED IN
`1 COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 17.1(a) OR (I3)
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 1
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 1
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`lnulluiigligliljfltu
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`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`0/~ 41’ W
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`‘
`QERTIFICATE OF EXPRESS MAILING
`'fy that this paper and the documents and/or fees referred to as attached therein are being deposited with the United States Postal
`anuary 19, 2000 in an envelope as “Express Mail Post Office to Addressec” service under 37 CFR §1.10, Mailing Label Number
`EE59Jl89744US, addressed t
`e Assistant Commissioner for Patents, Washington, DC 20231.
`
`Jam
`
`.Riegel
`
`57 ET
`“‘ _‘§
`7% it
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`PATENT APPLICATION TRANSMI'ITAL (37 C.F.R. § l.53(b)) §;?§:§
`-2. E
`
`Assistant Commissioner for Patents
`
`Box Patent Application
`Washington, DC 20231
`
`Sir:
`
`This is a request for filing a patent application under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53(b) in the name of inventors:
`
`Louis B. Rosenberg and James R. Riegel
`
`For: HAPTIC FEEDBACK FOR TOUCHPADS AND OTHER TOUCH CONTROLS
`
`VA 28 Pages of Specification and Claims,
`W 01 Page ofAbstract,
`
`ElD[]El[]D[I]>1i>
`
`05 Sheet(s) of informal Drawings,
`
`2 Pages Combined Declaration and Power of Attorney,
`
`Preliminary amendment.
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`Information Disclosure Statement.
`
`Verified Statement that this filing is by a small entity.
`
`Assignment of the invention to
`
`.
`
`Assignment Recordation Cover Sheet and Assignment recording fee of $40.00.
`Other:
`
`
`
`finesse“
`
`.
`
`PLEASE DO NOT CHARGE A FILING FEE AT THIS TIME
`
`Date:
`
`I A 2 5 0O
`
`P.O. Box 52037
`
`Palo Alto, CA 94303-0746
`Telephone: (408) 467-1900
`
`Attorney Docket No. IMMIPO99
`
`/
`
`Jam
`
`. Riegel
`Registration No. 36,651
`
`J
`
`/'
`
`(Revised2/98,Rule53 Trans.)
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`-
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`Page 1 of1
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 2
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 2
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`
`Q A Q ! gt; EEEDBAQK E; ;R TO! gg ;HPéQ§
`ABE OTEER T5111; :3 CQNTRQL§
`
`5
`
`BY INVENTORS
`
`Louis B. Rosenberg
`
`James R. Riegel
`
`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`10
`
`This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending patent application no.
`
`09/
`
`, entitled “Haptic Feedback for Directional Control Pads,” filed 12/17/99 by Martin
`
`et al., and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
`
`
`
`
`
`1*?.:u'21"".-"ll1!.‘l...l!$5.“?!
`
`15
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates generally to the interfacing with computer and mechanical
`
`devices by a user, and more particularly to devices used to interface with computer systems and
`
`electronic devices and which provide haptic feedback to the user.
`
`Humans interface with electronic and mechanical devices in a variety of applications, and
`the need for a more natural, easy—to-use, and informative interface is a constant concern.
`In the
`
`context of the present invention, humans interface with computer devices for a variety of
`
`applications. One such application is interacting with computer-generated environments such as
`
`20
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` i
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`.
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`games, simulations, and application programs. Computer input devices such as mice and
`trackballs are often used to control a cursor within a graphical environment and provide input in
`these applications.
`
`25
`
`In some interface devices, force feedback or tactile feedback is also provided to the user,
`
`collectively known herein as “haptic feedback.” For example, haptic Versions ofjoysticks, mice,
`
`gamepads, steering wheels, or other types of devices can output forces to the user based on
`
`events or interactions occurring within the graphical environment, such as in a game or other
`
`30
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`application program.
`
`In portable computer or electronic devices, such as laptop computers, mice typically too
`
`large a workspace to be practical. As a result, more compact devices such as trackballs are often
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 3
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 3
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`

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`.used. A more popular device for portable computers are “touchpads,” which are small
`
`rectangular, planar pads provided near the keyboard of the computer. The touchpads senses the
`
`location of a pointing object by any of a variety of sensing technologies, such as capacitive
`
`sensors or pressure sensors that detect pressure applied to the touchpad. The user contacts the
`
`5
`
`touchpad most commonly with a fingertip and moves his or her finger on the pad to move a
`
`cursor displayed in the graphical environment.
`
`In other embodiments, the user can operate a
`
`stylus in conjunction with the touchpad by pressing the stylus tip on the touchpad and moving the
`
`stylus.
`
`One problem with existing touchpads is that there is no haptic feedback provided to the
`
`10
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`user. The user of a touchpad is therefore not able to experience haptic sensations that assist and
`
`inform the user of targeting and other control tasks within the graphical environment. The
`
`touchpads of the prior art also cannot take advantage of existing haptic-enabled software run on
`
`the portable computer.
`
`
`
`2
`
`Patent IMMI P099
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 4
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 4
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`

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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is directed to a haptic feedback planar touch control used to
`
`5
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`provide input to a computer system. The control can be a touchpad provided on a portable
`
`computer, or can be a touch screen found on a variety of devices. The haptic sensations output
`
`on the touch control enhance interactions and manipulations in a displayed graphical
`
`environment or when controlling an electronic device.
`
`More specifically, the present invention relates to a haptic feedback touch control for
`
`10
`
`inputting signals to a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the touch control. The
`
`control includes a touch input device including an approximately planar touch surface operative
`
`to input a position signal to a processor of said computer based on a location of user contact on
`
`the touch surfaces The computer positions a cursor in a graphical environment displayed on a
`
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` display device based at least in part on the position signal. At least one actuator is also coupled
` can be integrated in a housing of the computer or handheld device, or provided in a housing that
`
`:.- 15
`
`A
`
`'
`
`to the touch input device and outputs a force on the touch input device to provide a haptic
`sensation to the user contacting the touch surface. The actuator outputs the force based on force
`information output by the processor to the actuator.
`
`The touch input device can be a touchpad separate fiom a display screen ofthe computer,
`
`or can be included in a display screen of the computer as a touch screen. The touch input device
`
`is separate from the computer. The user contacts the touch surface with a finger, a stylus, or
`
`other object. The force is preferably a linear force output approximately perpendicularly to a
`
`.
`
`plane of the touch surface of the touch input device, and the actuator can include a piezo-electric
`actuator, a voice coil actuator, a pager motor, a solenoid, or other type of actuator.
`In one
`embodiment, the actuator is coupled between the touch input device and a grounded surface. In
`
`25
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`another embodiment, the actuator is coupled to an inertial mass, wherein said actuator outputs an
`
`inertial force on the touch input device approximately along an axis perpendicular to the planar
`
`touch surface. A touch device microprocessor separate from the main processor of the computer
`
`can receive force information from the host computer and provide control signals based on the
`force information to control the actuator.
`
`30
`
`The haptic sensations, such as a pulse, vibration, or spatial texture, are preferably output
`
`in accordance with an interaction of a controlled cursor with a graphical object in the graphical
`
`environment. For example, a pulse can be output when the cursor is moved between menu
`
`3
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`Patent 1l\/IMIPO99
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 5
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 5
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`elements in a menu, moved over said icon, or moved over a hyperlink. The touch input device
`
`can include multiple different regions, where at least one of the regions provides the position
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`signal and at least one other region provides a signal that is used by the computer to control a
`
`different function, such as rate control ftmction of a value or a button press. Different regions
`
`5
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`and borders between regions can be associated with different haptic sensations.
`
`The present invention advantageously provides haptic feedback to a planar touch control
`
`device of a computer, such as a touchpad or touch screen. The haptic feedback can assist and
`
`inform the user of interactions and events within a graphical user interface or other environment
`
`and ease cursor targeting tasks. Furthermore, the invention allows portable computer devices
`
`10
`
`having such touch controls to take advantage of existing haptic feedback enabled software. The
`
`haptic touch devices disclosed herein are also inexpensive, compact and consume low power,
`
`allowing them to be easily incorporated into a wide variety of portable and desktop computers
`and electronic devices.
`
`These and other advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent to those skilled
`in the art upon a reading ofthe following specification of the invention and a study of the several
`
`15
`
`figures of the drawing.
`
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`Patent IMMI PO99
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 6
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 6
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`

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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a haptic touchpad of the present invention;
`
`5
`
`FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a remote control device including the touchpad of the
`
`present invention;
`
`FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the touchpad of the present
`
`invention including one or more actuators coupled to the underside ofthe touchpad;
`
`FIGURE 4 is a side elevational View of a first embodiment of the present invention in
`
`r-A O
`
`which a piezo-electric actuator is directly coupled to the touchpad of the present invention;
`
`FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the touchpad of the
`
`present invention including a linear actuator;
`
`FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the touchpad of the present
`
`invention having an inertial mass;
`
`FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of an example of a touchpad ofthe present invention having
`
`dilferent control regions; and
`
`FIGURES 8a and 8b are top plan and side cross sectional views, respectively, of a touch
`
`screen embodiment of the present invention.
`
`5
`
`Patent IMMIPO99
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 7
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 7
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`

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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`
`FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portable computer 10 including a haptic touchpad
`
`of the present invention. Computer 10 is preferably a portable or “laptop” computer that can be
`
`carried or otherwise transported by the user and may be powered by batteries or other portable
`
`energy source in addition to other more stationary power sources. Computer 10 preferably runs
`
`one or more host application programs with which a user is interacting via peripherals.
`
`3-3F‘U:o
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`Computer 10 may include the various input and output devices as shown, including a
`
`display device 12 for outputting graphical images to the user, a keyboard 14 for providing
`
`character or toggle input from the user to the computer, and a touchpad 16 of the present
`
`invention. Display device 12 can be any of a variety of types of display devices; flat-panel
`
`displays are most common on portable computers. Display device 12 can display a graphical
`
`enviromnent 18 based on application programs and/or operating systems that are running, such as
`
`a graphical user interface (GUI), that can include a cursor 20 that can be moved by user input, as
`
`well as windows 22, icons 24, and other graphical objects well known in GUI environments.
`
`Other devices may also be incorporated or coupled to the computer 10, such as storage devices
`
`(hard disk drive, DVD~ROM drive, ete.), network server or clients, game controllers, etc.
`
`In
`
`alternate embodiments, the computer 10 can take a wide variety of forms, including computing
`
`devices that rest on a tabletop or other surface, stand-up arcade game machines, other portable
`
`devices or devices worn on the person, handheld or used with a single hand of the user, etc. For
`
`example, host computer 10 can be a video game console, personal computer, workstation, a
`
`television “set top box” or a “network computer”, or other computing or electronic device.
`
`Touchpad device 16 of the present invention preferably appears externally to be similar
`
`to the touchpads of the prior art. Pad 16 includes a planar, rectangular smooth surface that can be
`
`positioned below the keyboard 14 on the housing of the computer 10, as shown, or may be
`
`positioned at other areas of the housing. When the user operates the computer 10, the user may
`
`conveniently place a fingertip or other object on the touchpad 16 and move the fingertip to
`
`correspondingly move cursor 20 in the graphical environment 18.
`
`In operation, the touchpad 16 inputs coordinate data to the main microprocessor(s) of
`
`the computer 10 based on the sensed location of an object on (or near) the touchpad. As with
`
`many touchpads of the prior art, touchpad 16 can be capacitive, resistive, or use a different type
`
`of sensing. Some existing touchpad embodiments are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos.
`
`6
`
`Patent IMMlP099
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 8
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 8
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`

`
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`5,521,336 and 5,943,044. Capacitive touchpads typically sense the location of an object on or
`
`near the surface of the touchpad based on capacitive coupling between capacitors in the touchpad
`
`and the object. Resistive touchpads are typically pressure-sensitive, detecting the pressure of a
`
`finger, stylus, or other object against the pad, where the pressure causes conductive layers, traces,
`
`switches, etc. in the pad to electrically connect. Some resistive or other types of touchpads can
`
`detect the amount of pressure applied by the user and can use the degree of pressure for
`
`proportional or variable input to the computer 10. Resistive touchpads typically are at least
`
`partially deformable, so that when a pressure is applied to a particular location, the conductors at
`
`that location are brought into electrical contact. Such deformability can be useful in the present
`
`invention since it can potentially amplify the magnitude of output forces such as pulses or
`
`vibrations on the touchpad as used in the present invention. Forces can be amplified if a tuned
`
`compliant suspension is provided between an actuator and the object that is moved, as described
`
`in provisional application no. 60/157,206,
`
`incorporated herein by reference. Capacitive
`
`touchpads and other types of touchpads that do not require significant contact pressure may be
`
`better suited for the present invention in many embodiments, since excessive pressure on the
`
`touchpad may in some cases interfere with the motion ofthe touchpad for haptic feedback. Other
`
`types of sensing technologies can also be used in the touchpad. Herein, the term “touchpad”
`
`preferably includes the surface of the touchpad 16 as well as any sensing apparatus included in
`
`the touchpad unit.
`
`Touchpad 16 preferably operates similarly to existing touchpads, where the speed of the
`
`fingertip on the touchpad correlates to the distance that the cursor is moved in the graphical
`
`environment. For example, if the user moves his or her finger quickly across the pad, the cursor
`
`is moved a greater distance than if the user moves the fingertip more slowly. Ifthe user’s finger
`
`reaches the edge of the touchpad before the cursor reaches a desired destination in that direction,
`
`then the user can simply move his or her finger off the touchpad, reposition the finger away from
`
`the edge, and continue moving the cursor. This is an “indexing” function similar to lifting a
`
`mouse off a surface to change the offset between mouse position and cursor. Furthermore, many
`
`touchpads can be provided with particular regions that are each assigned to particular functions
`
`that can be unrelated to cursor positioning. Such an embodiment is described in greater detail
`
`below with respect to Fig. 7.
`
`In some embodiments the touchpad 16 may also allow a user to
`
`“tap” the touchpad (rapidly touch and remove the object from the pad) in a particular location to
`
`provide a command. For example, the user can tap or “double tap” the pad with a finger while
`the controlled cursor is over an icon to select that icon.
`
`In the present invention, the touchpad 16 is provided with the ability to output haptic
`
`feedback such as tactile sensations to the user who is physically contacting the touchpad 16.
`
`Various embodiments detailing the structure of the haptic feedback touchpad are described in
`
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`toCD
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`25
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`30
`
`35
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`7
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`Patent IMMI P099
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 9
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 9
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`

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`greater detail below. Preferably, the forces output on the touchpad are linear (or approximately
`
`linear) and oriented along the z-axis, approximately perpendicular to the surface of the touchpad
`
`16 and the top surface of computer 10. In a different embodiment, forces can be applied to the
`
`touchpad 16 to cause side-to-side (e.g., x-y) motion of the pad in the plane of its surface in
`
`addition to or instead of z—axis motion, although such motion is not preferred.
`
`Using one or more actuators coupled to the touchpad 16, a variety of haptic sensations
`
`can be output to the user who is contacting the pad. For example, jolts, vibrations (varying or
`
`constant amplitude), and textures can be output. Forces output on the pad can be at least in part
`
`based on the location of the finger on the pad or the state of a controlled object in the graphical
`
`environment of the host computer 10, and/or independent of finger position or object state. Such
`
`forces output on the touchpad 16 are considered “computer-controlled” since a microprocessor or
`
`other electronic controller is controlling the magnitude and/or direction of the force output of the
`
`actuator(s) using electronic signals.
`
`Preferably, the entire pad 16 is provided with haptic
`
`sensations as a single unitary member; in other embodiments, individually-moving portions of
`
`the pad can each be provided with its own haptic feedback actuator and related transmissions so
`
`that haptic sensations can be provided for only a particular portion. For example, some
`
`embodiments may include a touchpad having different portions that may be flexed or otherwise
`
`moved with respect to other portions of the pad.
`
`In other embodiments, the touchpad 16 can be provided in a separate housing that is
`
`connected to a port of the computer 10 via a cable or via wireless transmission and which
`
`receives force information from and sends position information to the computer 10. For
`
`example, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Firewire, or a standard serial bus can connect such a
`
`touchpad to the computer 10.
`
`In such an embodiment, the computer 10 can be any desktop or
`
`stationary computer or device and need not be a portable device.
`
`One or more buttons 26 can also be provided on the housing of the computer 10 to be
`
`used in conjunction with the touchpad 16. The user’s hands have easy access to the buttons, each
`
`of which may be pressed by the user to provide a distinct input signal to the host computer 12.
`
`Typically, each button 26 corresponds to a similar button found on a mouse input device, so that
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`a lefi button can be used to select a graphical object (click or double click), a right button can
`bring up a context menu, etc.
`In some embodiments, one or more of the buttons 26 can be
`
`30
`
`provided with tactile feedback as described in copending patent applications 09/156,802 and
`
`09/
`
`entitled, “Haptic Feedback for Directional Control Pads,” filed 12/17/99, and both
`
`incorporated herein by reference. Other features of these disclosures may also be used with the
`
`present invention.
`
`8
`
`Patent IMMlP099
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 10
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 10
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`

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`Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more moveable portions 28 of the housing
`
`of the computer device 10 can be included which is contacted by the user when the user operates
`
`the touchpad 16 and which can provide haptic feedback. Having a moveable portion of a
`
`housing for haptic feedback is described in copending patent application serial no. 09/156,802
`
`5
`
`and application no. 09/103,281, both incorporated herein by reference. Thus, both the housing
`
`can provide haptic feedback (e.g., through the use of an eccentric rotating mass on a motor
`
`coupled to the housing) and the touchpad 16 can provide separate haptic feedback. This allows
`
`the host to control two different tactile sensations simultaneously to the user; for example, a
`
`vibration of a low frequency can be conveyed through the housing to the user and a higher
`
`10
`
`frequency vibration can be conveyed to the user through the touchpad 16. Each other button or
`
`other control provided with haptic feedback can also provide tactile feedback independently from
`the other controls.
`
`p—| U:
`
`The host application program(s) and/or operating system preferably displays graphical
`
`images of the environment on display device 12. The software and environment running on the
`
`host computer 12 may be of a wide variety. For example, the host application program can be a
`
`word processor, spreadsheet, video or computer game, drawing program, operating system,
`
`graphical user interface, simulation, Web page or browser that implements HTML or VRML
`
`instructions, scientific analysis program, virtual reality training program or application, or other
`
`application program that utilizes input from the touchpad 16 and outputs force feedback
`
`commands to the touchpad 16. For example, many games and other application programs
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`include force feedback functionality and may communicate with the touchpad 16 using a
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`standard protocol/drivers
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`such as I-Force®, FEELit®, or TouchsenseTM available from
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`Immersion Corporation of San Jose, California.
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`
`
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`The touchpad 16 can include circuitry necessary to report control signals to the
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`25 microprocessor of the host computer 10 and to process command signals from the host’s
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`‘
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`microprocessor. For example, appropriate sensors (and related circuitry) are used to report the
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`position of the user’s finger on the touchpad 16. The touchpad device also includes circuitry that
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`receives signals from the host and outputs tactile sensations in accordance with the host signals
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`using one or more actuators.
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`In some embodiments, a separate, local microprocessor can be
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`30
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`provided for the touchpad 16 to both report touchpad sensor data to the host and/or to carry out
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`force commands received from the host, such commands including, for example, the type of
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`haptic sensation and parameters describing the commanded haptic sensation. Alternatively, the
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`touchpad microprocessor can simply pass streamed data from the main processor to the actuators.
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`The term “force information” can include both commands/parameters and streamed data. The
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`35
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`touchpad microprocessor can implement haptic sensations independently after receiving a host
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`command by controlling the touchpad actuators; or, the host processor can maintain a greater
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`9
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`Patent IMMl P099
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 11
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 11
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`Qegree ofcontrol over the haptic sensations by controlling the actuators more directly.
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`In other
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`embodiments, logic circuitry such as state machines provided for the touchpad 16 can handle
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`haptic sensations as directed by the host main processor. Architectures and control methods that
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`can be used for reading sensor signals and providing haptic feedback for a device are described in
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`5
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`greater detail in Patent No. 5,734,373 and copending application nos. 60/156,354, 60,133,208,
`
`09/376,649, and 60/160,401, all incorporated herein by reference.
`
`FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a device which can include
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`the active touchpad 16 of the present invention. The device can be a handheld remote control
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`device 30, which the user grasps in one hand and manipulates controls to access the functions of
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`10
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`an electronic device or appliance remotely by a user (such as a television, video cassette recorder
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`or DVD player, audio/video receiver, Internet or network computer connected to a television,
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`etc.). For example, several buttons 32 can be included on the remote control device 30 to
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`manipulate functions of the controlled apparatus. A touchpad 16 can also be provided to allow
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`the user to provide more sophisticated directional input. For example, a controlled apparatus
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`may have a selection screen in which a cursor may be moved, and the touchpad 16 can be
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`manipulated to control the cursor in two dimensions. The touchpad 16 includes the ability to
`output haptic sensations to the user as described herein, based on a controlled value or event. For
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`example, a volume level passing a mid-point or reaching a maximum level can cause a pulse to
`be output to the touchpad and to the user.
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`20
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`In one application, the controlled apparatus can be a computer system such as Web-TV
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`from Microsoft Corp. or other computing device which displays a graphical user interface and/or
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`web pages accessed over a network such as the Internet. The user can control the direction of the
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`cursor by moving a finger (or other object) on the touchpad 16. The cursor can be used to select
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`and/or manipulate icons, windows, menu items, graphical buttons, slider bars, scroll bars, or
`
`25
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`other graphical objects in a graphical user interface or desktop interface. The cursor can also be
`
`I
`used to select and/or manipulate graphical objects on a web page, such as links, images, buttons,
`‘ ‘ etc. Other force sensations associated with graphical objects are described below with reference
`
`to Fig. 7.
`
`FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of a first embodiment 40 of a touchpad 16 of the
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`30
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`present invention for providing haptic feedback to the user.
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`In this embodiment, one or more
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`piezoelectric actuators 42 are coupled to the underside of the touchpad 16. The piezoelectric
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`actuator 42 is driven by suitable electronics, as is well known to those skilled in the art.
`
`In one
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`embodiment, a single piezoelectric actuator 42 is positioned at or near the center of the touchpad
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`16, or off to one side if space constraints of the housing require such a position.
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`In other
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`35
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`embodiments, multiple piezoelectric actuators 42 can be positioned at different areas of the
`
`10
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`Patent IMMIPO99
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 12
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 12
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`

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`touchpad; the dashed lines show one configuration, Where an actuator 42 is placed at each corner
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`ofthe pad 16 and at the center ofthe pad.
`
`The piezoelectric actuators 42 can each output a small pulse, vibration, or texture
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`sensation on the touchpad 16 and to the user if the user is contacting the touchpad. The entire
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`5
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`touchpad 16 is preferably moved with the forces output by actuator(s) 42. Preferably, the forces
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`output on the touchpad are linear (or approximately linear) and along the z-axis, approximately
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`perpendicular to the surface of the touchpad 16 and the top surface of computer 10. In a different
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`embodiment, as mentioned above, forces can be applied to the touchpad 16 to cause side-to-side
`
`(e.g., X-y) motion of the pad in the plane of its surface in addition to or instead of z-axis motion.
`
`10
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`For example, one linear actuator can provide motion for the x-axis, and a second linear actuator
`
`can provide motion for the y-axis and/or the x—axis.
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`The frequency of a vibration output by an actuator 42 can be varied by providing
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`different control signals to an actuator 42. Furthermore, the magnitude of a pulse or vibration
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`can be controlled based on the applied control signal. If multiple actuators 42 are provided, a
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`15
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`stronger vibration can be imparted on the touchpad by activating two or more actuators
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`simultaneously. Furthermore, if an actuator is positioned at an extreme end of the touchpad and
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`is the only actuator that is activated, the user may experience a stronger vibration on the side of
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`the touchpad having the actuator than on the opposite side ofthe touchpad. Difierent magnitudes
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`and localized effects can be obtained by activating some but not all of the actuators. Since the tip
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`20
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`of a user’s finger that is touching the pad is fairly sensitive, the output forces do not have to be of
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` a high magnitude for the haptic sensation to be effective and compelling.
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`Besides using a finger to contact the touchpad, the user may also hold other objects that
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`directly contact the touchpad. Any haptic sensations output on the pad can be transmitted
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`_
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`I
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`25
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`.‘
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`through the held object to the user’s hand. For example, the user can hold a stylus having a point
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`that contacts the touchpad 16 more precisely than a finger. Other objects may also be used.
`In
`some embodiments, specialized objects can be used to enhance the haptic sensations. For
`example, a stylus or other object having a flexible portion or compliance may be able to magnify
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`at least some of the touchpad haptic sensations as experienced by the user.
`
`The piezo-electric actuators 42 have several advantages for the touchpad 16. These
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`30
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`actuators can be made very thin and small, allowing their use in compact housings that are typical
`
`for portable electronic devices. They also require very low power, and are thus suitable for
`
`devices with limited power (e.g., powered by batteries). In some embodiments described herein,
`
`power for the actuators can be drawn off a bus connecting the computer to the touchpad (or touch
`
`screen). For example, if the touchpad 16 is provided in a separate housing, a Universal Serial
`
`1 1
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`Patent IMMIPO99
`
`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 13
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`APPLE INC.
`EXHIBIT 1007 - PAGE 13
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`

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`Bus can connect the pad to the computer and provide power from the computer to the pad as Well
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`as data (e.g. streaming force data, force commands, etc.).
`
`FIGURE 4 is a side elevational View of the embodiment 40 of the touchpad 16 of the
`
`present invention as shown in Fig. 3. Touchpad 16 is directly coupled to a grounded piezo-
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`5
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`electric actuator 42 which operates to produce a force on the touchpad 16 when an electrical
`
`signal is input to the actuator. Typically, a piezo-electric actuator includes two layers which can
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`move relative to each other when a current is applied to the actuator; here, the grounded portion
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`of the actuator remains stationary with. respect to the surrounding housing 41 while the moving
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`portion of the actuator and the touchpad move with respect to the housing 41. The operation of
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`IO
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`piezo-electric actuators to output force based on an input electrical signal is