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Touch pad for handheld device

a handheld device and touch pad technology, applied in the field of touch pads, can solve problems such as limited control

Inactive Publication Date: 2008-01-24
APPLE INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Enables intuitive and efficient navigation through lists or menus by allowing users to scroll and control media players with continuous rotational or radial motions, enhancing user interaction and accessibility.

Problems solved by technology

Buttons and switches are generally mechanical in nature and provide limited control with regards to the movement of a cursor (or other selector) and making selections.

Method used

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  • Touch pad for handheld device
  • Touch pad for handheld device
  • Touch pad for handheld device

Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0030] The present invention relates to touch pads. According to one aspect of the invention, a touch pad is provided on a media player to facilitate user interaction therewith. In one embodiment, the media player is a handheld device. According to another aspect of the invention, a touch pad is provided that can sense and resolve angular and / or radial positions of a moving object (e.g., finger) as it is moved in a largely rotational and / or radial manner across the touch pad. In one embodiment, the touch pad that is based on polar coordinates rather than Cartesian coordinates. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent below. In any case, the aspects are not limiting and the various aspects of the invention can be used separately or in combination.

[0031] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth...

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PUM

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Abstract

A media device for storing and playing media such as audio, video or images, includes a memory device configured to store a plurality of media items in a digital format. The media device also includes a display configured to present a group of media items from the plurality of stored media items and to present a visual indicator that is capable of scrolling through the displayed group of media items in order to designate a specific media item from the group of media items. The media deice further includes a touch pad configured to receive input from a sliding motion or a tapping motion of a finger. The sliding motion of the finger controls the movement of the visual indicator through the group of media items. The tapping motion of the finger selects the specific media item that is designated by the visual indicator.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to a media player having a touch pad. More particularly, the present invention relates to touch pads having scrolling features. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] There exist today many styles of input devices for performing operations in a consumer electronic device. The operations generally correspond to moving a cursor and making selections on a display screen. By way of example, the input devices may include buttons, switches, keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch pads, joy sticks, touch screens and the like. Each of these devices has advantages and disadvantages that are taken into account when designing the consumer electronic device. In handheld computing devices, the input devices are generally selected from buttons and switches. Buttons and switches are generally mechanical in nature and provide limited control with regards to the movement of a cursor (or ot...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06F3/041
CPCG06F1/1626G06F1/169G06F3/0485G06F3/038G06F3/03547G06F3/044G06F3/04847G06F3/04883G06F3/04886G06F3/0393
Inventor ZADESKY, STEPHEN PAULTAN, TANG YEW
Owner APPLE INC
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