Patent ID: 9323373
Filing Date: 2016-04-26
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A touch screen display device comprising: a plurality of display pixels arranged upon a back plane of the touch screen display device, a transparent body having a front surface and a back surface, wherein the display pixels are disposed to transmit electromagnetic radiation through the transparent body from the back surface to the front surface, a plurality of emitters interspersed upon the back plane among the display pixels and emitting electromagnetic radiation so as to reach the front surface through the transparent body, and a plurality of detectors, interspersed upon the back plane among the display pixels, for detecting electromagnetic radiation, wherein the electromagnetic radiation emitted by an emitter at an angle smaller than the critical angle to the normal to said front surface of the transparent body is transmitted through said front surface and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter at an angle greater than the critical angle to the normal to said front surface is totally internally reflected, the touch screen display device further comprising processing apparatus coupled to the emitters and detectors operable to identify the electromagnetic radiation reaching each detector from different specific emitters and to discriminate between electromagnetic radiation that may be received by each detector by reflection from a near field object adjacent but not touching said front surface which is identified as an increase in the measured intensity of the light received by a respective detector, and electromagnetic radiation the total internal reflection of which may be frustrated by an object touching said front surface which is identified as a reduction in the measured intensity of the light received by a respective detector.