Patent ID: 8446264

Claim:
A portable electronic device, comprising: a housing having a front face and defining an aperture in the front face, the aperture opening into an internal cavity defined by the housing; a processor received within the housing; a keypad assembly received in the aperture in the front face of the housing, the keypad assembly comprising: an embossed keypad having a top and a bottom surface, the embossed keypad having a plurality of embossed keys on the top surface; a capacitive sensor layer located below the bottom surface of the embossed keypad, wherein the capacitive sensor layer is connected to the processor, the capacitive sensor layer transmitting input signals to the processor when an object is detected near to or touching an embossed key in the plurality of embossed keys; a piezoelectric assembly comprising at least one piezoelectric element, wherein the piezoelectric assembly is located below the capacitive sensor layer, wherein the keypad assembly is moveable between a first position relative to the housing when the piezoelectric assembly is in an unactuated state and a second position relative to the housing when the piezoelectric assembly is in an actuated state, whereby movement of the keypad assembly provides tactile feedback, wherein the movement from the first position to the second position is caused by modulation of the charge of the piezoelectric element; and a gasket located around a perimeter of a keypad area of the embossed keypad and between the embossed keypad and an inner surface of the internal cavity of the housing, the gasket sealing the key assembly to the front face of the housing.