Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51295777/Analog-Controls-Housed-With-Electronic-Displays-For-Voice-Recorders---Patent-6404584
Timestamp: 2014-12-22 13:46:15
Document Index: 573016282

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 09', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 08', 'application No. 60', 'application No. 09', 'application No. 08', 'Application No. 09']

Analog Controls Housed With Electronic Displays For Voice Recorders - Patent 6404584
United States Patent: 6404584
A voice recorder including a housing having a general image display mounted
therein, and further including a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance
sensor for creating a varying analog value according to varying depression
applied by a finger of a human user to the analog sensor. Multiple analog
sensors are sometimes utilized. In one preferred embodiment the analog
sensor(s) include resilient dome cap(s) for providing tactile feedback to
the finger depressing the analog sensor. Circuitry within the housing is
connected to the analog sensor for reading the varying analog value from
the analog sensor and causing representative varying of the imagery shown
09/733,586
360/88  ; 345/159; 360/30
A63F 9/24&amp;nbsp(20060101); A63F 13/06&amp;nbsp(20060101); A63F 13/02&amp;nbsp(20060101); G06F 1/16&amp;nbsp(20060101); G06F 3/033&amp;nbsp(20060101); H01H 13/702&amp;nbsp(20060101); G03G 15/00&amp;nbsp(20060101); G04G 1/02&amp;nbsp(20060101); G04G 1/00&amp;nbsp(20060101); G06F 3/023&amp;nbsp(20060101); H01H 13/70&amp;nbsp(20060101); G11B 015/00&amp;nbsp()
463/36,37 273/143B 345/156,159 360/88,90 700/91,92,93 369/30,292
D381982
SF. Kambic, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 20 No. 5 Oct. 1977 Questel-Orbit QWEB pp. 1-24 (submitted herewith).
Application No. 09/568,662 filed May 10, 2000, and a Priority claim was
made to Provisional Patent Application No. 60/133,682 filed May 11, 1999
in and for the application Ser. No. 09/568,662.
1.  A voice recorder, comprising:
2.  A voice recorder according to claim 1 wherein variable depression of a surface of a rocker having at least two depressible surfaces causes the data to zoom at a variable rate on said display.
3.  A voice recorder according to claim 2 wherein said first depressible surface and said second depressible surface are surfaces of a rocker.
4.  A voice recorder according to claim 3 wherein the pressure-sensitive analog sensors are structured with resilient dome caps, said dome caps structured to provide tactile feedback.
5.  A voice recorder according to claim 1 wherein said first depressible surface and said second depressible surface are thumb depressible single individual buttons.
6.  A voice recorder according to claim 5 wherein the pressure-sensitive analog sensors are structured with resilient dome caps, said dome caps structured to provide tactile feedback.
7.  An improved voice recorder of the type having capability of recording voice, wherein the improvements comprise:
8.  An improved voice recorder according to claim 7 wherein variable depression of a first depressible surface of a rocker having at least two depressible areas causes the data to scroll at a variable rate in a first direction on said display,
and variable depression of a second depressible surface of said rocker causes the data to scroll at a variable rate in a second direction on said display.
9.  An improved voice recorder according to claim 7 wherein said first depressible surface and said second depressible surface are thumb depressible single individual buttons.
10.  An improved voice recorder according to claim 9 wherein the pressure-sensitive analog sensors are structured to provide tactile feedback.
11.  An improved voice recorder according to claim 7 wherein the pressure-sensitive analog sensors are structured with resilient dome caps, said dome caps structured to provide tactile feedback.
12.  A voice recorder, comprising:
13.  A voice recorder according to claim 12 wherein said at least one finger depressible surface is a first depressible surface, said voice recorder further includes a finger depressible surface which is a second depressible surface in part
exposed on said housing, said second depressible surface operatively connected to a second proportional sensor, said second proportional sensor for inputting a second signal to said circuitry, said second signal having a varying value representing
varying depression of said second depressible surface.
14.  A voice recorder according to claim 13 wherein the proportional sensors are pressure-sensitive and are structured with resilient dome caps, said dome caps structured to provide a break-over tactile feedback.
15.  A voice recorder according to claim 14 wherein said first depressible surface and said second depressible surface are surfaces of at least a two-way rocker.
16.  A voice recorder according to claim 15 wherein depression of said first depressible surface causes the data to scroll in a first direction on said display, and depression of said second depressible surface causes the data to scroll in a
second direction on said display.
17.  A voice recorder according to claim 14 wherein said first depressible surface and said second depressible surface are surfaces of a four-way rocker.
18.  A voice recorder according to claim 13 wherein depression of said first depressible surface causes the data to zoom in a first direction on said display, and depression of said second depressible surface causes the data to zoom in a second
direction on said display.  Description
the user to the analog sensor.  Some examples of functions which can be manipulated, controlled or changed, and at variable rates dependent upon user applied pressure, include menus or lists displayed on telephones, television program menus and the like,
Also herein incorporated by reference is my pending U.S.  Non-Provisional Application No. 08/942,450 filed Oct.  1, 1997, title GAME CONTROLLER WITH ANALOG PRESSURE SENSOR(S), now U.S.  Pat.  No. 6,102,802; this disclosure incorporated by
Also herein incorporated by reference is my pending U.S.  Non-Provisional Application 09/122,269 filed Jul.  24, 1998, titled VARIABLE-CONDUCTANCE SENSOR WITH ELASTOMERIC DOME-CAP, now U.S.  Pat.  No. 6,135,886; this disclosure incorporated by
reference primarily for the positive teachings therein of structuring and methods of use and the reading of analog sensors such as elastomeric dome-cap sensors positioned in end-use for depression directly or in-directly by a human digit with varying
degrees of force, and for data related to possible digital bit assigning to various states or levels of conductivity of the analog sensors wherein the differing bit assignment can be used indicative of differing pressures applied by the human user to the
analog or pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor(s).
sensitive material, the disclosure describing the benefits, which can be gained with an analog sensor providing bi-or uni-directional tactile feedback.
3.5&quot; floppy which although specifically directed to my Mouse With Analog Buttons of application Ser.  No. 09/167,314 now U.S.  Pat.  No. 6,198,473 filed Oct.  6, 2000, it can clearly be readily modified to operate with the present invention, although
those skilled in the art will agree numerous suitable software codes can be readily applied with little modification to interface between the hardware of a keyboard in accordance with the invention and software, ROM, hardware, etc. of a computer to be
manipulated by the present keyboard.  The modified code is one which includes a bit assignment for each scroll direction and associated with each button associated with that direction, and which is arranged along with electronics to repeat the
direction-identifying code at a variable rate of repeat when the user is depressing the associated button, the rate of repeat (scrolling) indicative of the read value of the analog sensor, i.e., pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material and the
amount of depressive force the human user is applying thereto.  Greater details of this Variable-Rate On/Off Messaging System are provided in my pending U.S.  Provisional application filed May 10, 1999, application Ser.  No. 60/133,319 and herein
incorporated by reference, and this for the teaching of the varied &quot;ON&quot; or &quot;OFF&quot; signal rate of sending, the rate of the simple message being dependent or resultant of the amount of pressure applied or the varied value single of a pressure-sensitive
analog element.  Certainly other suitable codes and the like can be utilized within the scope of the invention.  For more data regarding software or firmware codes, go to cypress.com on the World Wide Web.  Also incorporated herein is my pending U.S.
Non-Provisional application version of the Provisional application No. 60/135,085 filed May 20, 1999 titled KEYBOARD WITH DEPRESSIBLE ANALOG SCROLL CONTROL, the Non-Provisional application No. 09/563,109 (to be filled in later) filed May 2, 2000 also
titled KEYBOARD WITH DEPRESSIBLE ANALOG SCROLL CONTROL.
Also herein incorporated by reference is my pending U.S.  Non-Provisional application No. 08/677,378 now U.S.  Pat.  No. 6,222,525, filed Jul.  5, 1996 titled IMAGE CONTROLLERS AND SENSORS (as amended) particularly, but not exclusively, for the
pressure-sensitive membrane analog sensors with tactile feedback described therein.
Also herein incorporated by reference is my pending U.S.  Non-Provisional Application No. 09/148,806 now U.S.  Pat.  No. 6,208,271, filed Sep. 4, 1998, title REMOTE CONTROLLER WITH ANALOG BUTTON(S).  This disclosure incorporated by reference
primarily for the positive teachings therein of structuring and methods for dual-purpose sensors capable of both analog and On/Off modes.
FIGS. 3-5 show various diagrams of general image displays that may be utilized with a variety of consumer electronic devices, such as a telephone, and having a housing 11, a display 22 associated with housing 11, i.e. mounted on or in the housing
11, and at least one analog sensor 26 having a depressible surface area associated with the display.  Analog sensors 26 can be ganged in 2-way and 4-way units such as rockers 14, 16 and 18, or can be in single button or surface form such as shown at 19
in some of the drawings.  The analog sensor 26 in a preferred structure has a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material for providing a variable signal varying with differing amounts of user finger applied pressure, however, the associated
FIG. 6 shows a voice recorder in accordance with the present invention.  U.S.  Class 345 contains many prior art patents describing Non-CRT displays for those wishing more information thereon.  U.S.  Class 346 contains many prior art patents
describing recorders for those wishing more information thereon.  Shown in FIG. 6 is a housing 11 and a display 22 mounted within the housing.  At the center of the front of housing 11 just below the electronic display is shown two 2-way analog rockers,
14 and 16.  Shown just to the right of the center of the housing is a 2-way analog rocker 16, which can serve as an X-axis, horizontal control or scroller.  Shown just to the left of the center of the housing is a 2-way analog rocker 14, which can serve
as a Y-axis, vertical control or scroller.  For example the 2-way analog rocker 16 may be utilized to scroll at variable speed through the voice recording to desired locations in the recording for review.  This may be performed in conjunction with a
digital counter provided with or on the voice recorder or via a digital display counter appearing on the electronic display.  Correspondingly, the 2-way analog rocker 14 may be utilized to scroll through at variable speed the control commands that may
appear on the electronic display.
voltages or currents (example only), and are varied dependent upon depressive pressure applied to a finger depressible button associated with each analog sensor.  Button may be herein treated as the finger depressible area of a rocker member such as a
control dependent upon the degree of depressive pressure he or she applies to the button associated with the analog sensor(s) which is indicated or made visually detectable on the display at least at the time the analog sensor is being depressed, and
Analog controls housed with electronic displays for voice recorders, Armstrong, Brad A. Armstrong, Application number 09 733-586, Dynamic Magnetic Information Storage Or Retrieval, Computer Graphics Processing And Selective Visual Display Systems, tactile feedback, Analog controls, electronic displays, analog sensors, the user, one sheet, rotary potentiometers, voice recorder, Work File, graphics controller
ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROLS Model SAILTEC