PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9069426-B2
Application Number: US-201313750773-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Sensing capacitance changes of a housing of an electronic device

Abstract:
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed that allow measurement of a user&#39;s interaction with the housing of an electronic device. Some embodiments may measure the electrical characteristics of a housing of an electrical device, where the housing is capable of being temporarily deformed by the user&#39;s interaction. By measuring the electrical characteristics of the housing, such as the housing&#39;s capacitance, the user&#39;s interaction with the housing can be measured in a manner that is independent of the user&#39;s electrical characteristics and/or in a manner that may allow the pressure applied to the housing to be quantified.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a display coupled to the housing; 
 at least one sensor within the housing and configured to detect a motion of the display with respect to the sensor;
 a processing unit configured to receive a signal from the at least one sensor in response to the sensor detecting the motion of the display; and 
 
 one or more LEDs under the at least one sensor, the one or more LEDs configured to generate a display pattern on the display based on the motion of the display. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a capacitive sensor. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the capacitive sensor comprises one or more terminals adjacent to the display. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  1 , wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect the motion of the at least one portion of the housing above a threshold, wherein the threshold is configurable by user input. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device defined in  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a plastic or ceramic. 
     
     
       6. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having at least one portion configured to allow a user to bend the housing locally; 
 at least one sensor disposed adjacent to the at least one portion of the housing, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect a motion of the at least one portion of the housing; 
 a processing unit configured to receive a signal from the at least one sensor in response to the sensor detecting the motion of the at least one portion of the housing; and 
 one or more LEDs positioned under the at least one sensor, wherein micro-perforations formed through the at least one portion of the housing emit at least a portion of the light from the one or more LEDs to produce a pattern on a surface of the at least one portion of the housing. 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect the motion of the at least one portion of the housing above a threshold, wherein the motion represents a user input. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the threshold is configurable by programming the processing unit. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the threshold has at least first and second configurations, wherein the first configuration represents a light touch from a user and the second configuration represents a firm press from a user. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a capacitive sensor. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the capacitive sensor comprises one or more terminals adjacent to the at least one portion of the housing. 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the sensor comprises a cavity between the at least one portion of the housing and the at least one or more terminals, wherein the cavity is filled with foam. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one portion of the housing comprises a conductive material as one terminal of the capacitive sensor. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one portion of the housing comprises a plastic or ceramic. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the housing has a first thickness and the at least one portion configured to allow a user to bend the housing locally has a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one sensor is positioned in a cavity and a top surface of the cavity has a concave shape. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor adjacent the first sensor, and wherein the processing unit is configured to receive a signal from the first and second sensors in response to at least one sensor detecting the motion of the at least one portion of the housing and interpret a user&#39;s interaction when the user interacts with the housing in between the first and second sensors. 
     
     
       18. A method of operating an electronic device that includes an array of terminals adjacent a bendable portion of a housing of the electronic device, wherein the bendable portion of the housing and the array of terminals cooperatively form an array of capacitive sensors and a processing unit is operably connected to each capacitive sensor, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the bendable portion of the housing, a force at a location in between a first capacitive sensor and an adjacent second capacitive sensor in the array of capacitive sensors; 
 determining, by the processing unit, a change in a capacitance of the first capacitive sensor and a change in a capacitance of the second capacitive sensor based on the applied force; 
 determining, by the processing unit, if the change in the capacitance of the first capacitive sensor is greater than the change in the capacitance of the second capacitive sensor; 
 interpreting, by the processing unit, that the applied force is intended for the first capacitive sensor when the change in the capacitance of the first capacitive sensor is greater than the change in the capacitance of the second capacitance sensor; and 
 based on the interpretation, indicating user interaction with the first capacitive sensor. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 interpreting, by the processing unit, that the applied force is intended for the second capacitive sensor when the change in the capacitance of the second capacitive sensor is greater than the change in the capacitance of the first capacitance sensor; and 
 indicating user interaction with the second capacitive sensor. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 prior to determining if the change in the capacitance of the first capacitive sensor is greater than the change in the capacitance of the second capacitive sensor, determining, by the processing unit, if the changes in the capacitance of the first capacitive sensor and the second capacitive sensor are equal to or greater than a threshold; and 
 if the changes in the capacitance of the first and second capacitive sensors are not equal to or greater than the threshold, ignoring, by the processing unit, the applied force.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 12/542,354, filed Aug. 17, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This application is related to, and incorporates by reference, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/542,471, filed Aug. 17, 2009, entitled “Housing as I/O” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/542,386, filed Aug. 17, 2009, entitled “Electronic Device Housing as an Acoustic Input Device”. 
     BACKGROUND 
     I. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to utilizing a housing of an electronic device as an input device, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses that provide measurement of a user&#39;s interaction with the housing of the electronic device. 
     II. Background Discussion 
     Electronic devices are ubiquitous in society and can be found in everything from wristwatches to computers. Depending upon the particular implementation of the electronic device, each device may have a different mechanism for interfacing with a user. Some electronic devices, such as laptop computers and mobile telephones, have dedicated portions of the device that include a standard keyboard where the user enters data by pressing one or more separate physical keys on the keyboard. However, as electronic devices and consumers become more sophisticated, many consumers prefer electronic devices with more aesthetically pleasing interface mechanisms. These aesthetically pleasing interfaces include touch pads and/or touch screens that do not have keys, buttons or other input mechanisms that physically protrude from the keyboard. Due to the lack of a conventional keyboard or other input mechanism, the user generally depresses certain designated areas of the touch pads and/or touch screens to interface with the electronic device. For example, many mobile telephones have touch screen interfaces, so that the user can contact with an area on the screen with a finger to enter a desired telephone number. 
     Conventional electronic devices often implement these touch pads and/or touch screens by relying upon capacitive coupling between the designed area of the device and a user. For example, in some conventional electronic devices, the capacitance or inductance of the user&#39;s hand or finger is measured to determine whether the user has made contact with the touch pad and/or touch screen. Unfortunately, there are many cases where the electrical characteristics of the user may provide an inaccurate representation of user&#39;s contact with the electrical device. For example, if the user is already touching or resting his hand on the touch pad and/or touch screen, then conventional electronic devices may already have measured this capacitance or inductance and be incapable of noticing the additional touch from the user. Also, the accuracy of measuring the electrical characteristics of the user may be compromised if the user&#39;s hand is not free of contaminants, (e.g., if the user has dirt or grease on his hands or his hand is sweaty). Furthermore, because conventional electronic devices register a user touching the touch pad and/or touch screen by detecting for the user&#39;s capacitance or inductance, conventional electronic devices are often incapable of determining the amount of pressure applied to the electronic device because the user&#39;s capacitance or inductance is generally unrelated to the pressure applied. Accordingly, methods and apparatuses that provide measurement of a user&#39;s interaction with the housing of an electronic device may be useful. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments are disclosed that allow measurement of a user&#39;s interaction with the housing of an electronic device. Some embodiments may measure a change in the electrical characteristics of a housing of an electrical device when the housing is temporarily stressed, and thus at least slightly deformed, by the user&#39;s interaction with the housing. By measuring the electrical characteristics of the housing, such as the housing&#39;s capacitance, both before and during user interaction, the user&#39;s interaction can be sensed in a manner that is independent of the user&#39;s electrical characteristics and/or in a manner that may allow a pressure applied to the housing by the user to be quantified. 
     Some embodiments may include an input-output device that includes a metal surface and one or more sensors disposed adjacent the metal surface. The one or more sensors may be configured to detect a deflection of the metal surface and indicate an input to the input-output device. 
     Some embodiments may take the form of an electronic device having a housing with a first region having a first thickness and a second region having a second thickness. The electronic device may further include a printed circuit board (PCB) coupled to the housing. Generally, the PCB may include a terminal located thereon and substantially aligned with the second region of the housing. The housing may further include a processing unit coupled to the PCB and operative to measure an electrical characteristic of the terminal with respect to the housing (or a change thereof). 
     Other embodiments may take the form of an electronic device having a housing with a substantially flat exterior and an interior having first and second areas with differing thicknesses. A PCB may be coupled to the housing and further to an illumination source aligned with the second area. The electronic device may further include a processing unit coupled to the PCB, where the processing unit may illuminate the illumination source when a minimum external stress is applied to the exterior of the housing. 
     Still other embodiments may take the form of a housing for an electronic device having a user input mechanism integrated into the housing. The electronic device may include a processing unit coupled to the housing and operative to sense or react to a stress applied to at least a specific area of an exterior of the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an electronic device capable of detecting touch sensing through the housing. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates the housing shown in  FIG. 1A  being deflected. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates various electronic devices that may employ the disclosed housing input mechanisms. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a notebook that may employ the disclosed housing input mechanisms. 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a top down view of a cross section of the notebook from  FIG. 3  taken along the line AA′ shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a top down view of the notebook computer that may be located on top of the cross sectional view shown in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a cross section of a housing input mechanism taken along the line BB′ shown in  FIG. 4B . 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the housing input mechanism shown in  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross section of another housing input mechanism. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross section of yet another housing input mechanism. 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates a top down view of an arrangement of one or more sensors. 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates a top down view of another arrangement of one or more sensors. 
         FIG. 8C  illustrates a top down view of another arrangement of one or more sensors. 
         FIG. 8D  illustrates a top down view of yet another arrangement of one or more sensors. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a cross section of a housing input mechanism where a user may wave his hand to interface with the electronic device. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a cross section of housing input mechanism where the user may use a stylus to interface with the electronic device. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary method used to detect user interaction through one or more housing input mechanisms. 
     
    
    
     The use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally, electronic devices are implemented in a “housing” that structurally encloses the electronic device and protects it from being damaged. Embodiments of electronic devices are disclosed that allow a user to interact with an electronic device through their housings. More specifically, in some embodiments, the electronic devices may include one or more input-output (I/O) devices that are integrated into the surface of the housing rather than within the housing. That is, the housing may be part of the I/O system as well as the structural enclosure for the electronic device. 
     With regard to inputting data via the housing, the housing may include one or more sensors that are capable of detecting a variety of user actions as input to the electronic device. In other words, the housing itself may be used as an input device such that user actions like approaching, touching, tapping, holding, and/or squeezing the electronic device, may be used as input data by the electronic device. In some embodiments, the sensors in the housing also may be combined with one or more additional sensing devices to enhance the housing&#39;s ability to sense user actions. For example, the sensors in the housing may be used in conjunction with an accelerometer 
     While conventional housings for electronic devices may be manufactured using different types of plastics, an increasing number of housings are being implemented where the housing is manufactured, in whole or in part, using metal. Conventional approaches have had difficulty sensing user interaction through metal, especially when the sensors are implemented using capacitive sensing technologies. In some embodiments, the difficulties associated with capacitive sensing may be overcome by forming the capacitive sensor using the housing as a first terminal of the capacitor, using another terminal located within the housing as a second terminal of the capacitor, and separating the first and second terminals to create a cavity or gap to be filled with dielectrics. As is described in greater detail below, these dielectrics may vary between different embodiments. For example in some embodiments, the dielectric may be air while in other embodiments the dielectric may be implemented as a material that offers additional structural support to the housing, such as a sponge. 
     Although one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may be described in detail with reference to a particular electronic device, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted or otherwise used as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these embodiments. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 1A , a housing  10  is shown that is capable of enclosing an electronic device. Although only a portion of the housing  10  is shown in  FIG. 1A , the housing  10  may be part of a larger enclosure of an electronic device. For example, the housing  10  may be part of one or more surfaces of an enclosure for an electronic device, such as one or more walls. In some embodiments, the housing  10  may be manufactured solely using metallic materials such as anodized aluminum, steel, titanium or other metals, while in other embodiments, the housing  10  may be formed using combinations of metallic and non-metallic materials, or combinations of different metallic materials. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the housing  10  may couple to one or more terminals  12 A and  12 B that are located within the housing  10  at a predetermined distance from the housing  10  (shown as d 1  in  FIG. 1B ). While different portions of the housing  10  may be manufactured, to varying degree using both metallic and non-metallic materials, the portions of the housing  10  that are adjacent to the terminals  12 A and  12 B may be made of metal so as to form a capacitor with the combination of the housing  10  and the terminals  12 A and  12 B. That is, the housing  10  may form a first terminal of the capacitor, the terminals  12 A and  12 B may form a second terminal of the capacitor, and the gap between the terminals  12 A and  12 B may form the dielectric for the capacitor. 
     In some embodiments, such as the one shown in  FIG. 1A , the housing  10  may be electrically grounded and the terminals  12 A and  12 B may couple to a controller  15  that is also grounded. In other embodiments, the polarity of the capacitor connections may be reversed such that the housing  10  may be ungrounded and the terminals  12 A and  12 B may be grounded. Regardless of the particular electrical connections of the capacitor structure formed by the combination of the housing  10  and the terminals  12 A and  12 B, as the housing is stressed or deflected, the controller  15  may measure this deflection as a change in the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the combination of the housing  10  and each of the terminals  12 A and  12 B. That is, the terminal  12 A may form a first capacitor structure with the housing  10  and the terminal  12 B may form a second capacitor that is electrically separate from the first capacitor. 
       FIG. 1B  illustrates a force F being imparted on the housing  10 . This force F may be the result of a user&#39;s actions with respect to the electronic device, such as by touching, tapping, holding, and/or squeezing the electronic device. The controller  15  may measure this force F by measuring the change in spacing between the housing  10  and the various terminals  12 A and  12 B. In other words, as the housing  10  is deflected, the initial distance d 1  between each of the terminals  12 A and  12 B may decrease to d 2A  and d 2B  respectively, thereby changing the capacitance of the capacitor structure formed between each of the terminals  12 A and  12 B and the housing  10 . The controller  15  also may determine the location of a majority of the force F by determining which of the terminals  12 A and  12 B experience the largest change in capacitance, indicating the largest deflection in the housing  10 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates some of the various electronic devices where the housing  10  may be implemented. These electronic devices may include a desktop computer  21 , a notebook computer  22 , a tablet computer  23 , a personal digital assistant (PDA)  25 , a media player  26 , and/or a mobile telephone  27 , to illustrate but a few. As shown, the notebook computer  22  may have a metallic solid continuous surface in place of a traditional keyboard. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the notebook computer  22  shown in  FIG. 2  where a keyboard  28  (shown in phantom) is formed in the metallic solid surface. The keyboard  28  may be formed by orienting one or more terminals (such as the terminals  12 A and  12 B shown and described above in the context of  FIG. 1 ), below each of the desired key locations of the keyboard  28 . For example,  FIG. 4A  illustrates a top down view of a cross section of the keyboard  28  taken through the housing of the notebook computer  22  along the line A′A′ shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4A , a first terminal  250  may be mounted on a printed circuit board  255  in a location that generally corresponds with the keys of the keyboard  28  (shown in phantom in  FIG. 2 ). In some embodiments, the first terminal  250  may be separated from other terminals, such as a second terminal  257 , by a dielectric grid  260  (which is shown in greater detail below with regard to  FIG. 5A ). Accordingly, the first terminal  250  may couple to one key of the keyboard  28  while the second terminal  257  may couple to another key of the keyboard  28 . In other embodiments, more than one terminal may be coupled to the same key. For example, the first terminal  250  may be coupled along with a third terminal  265  to the same key by being within the same portion of the dielectric grid  260  as shown. Also, some sections of the keyboard  28  may include more terminals per unit area than others, resulting in sections of the key board  28  with higher resolution than other sections of the keyboard  28 . 
     The printed circuit board  255  may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs)  270  located adjacent to the terminals  250 ,  257 , and/or  265 .  FIG. 4B  illustrates a top down view of the keyboard  28  that may be located on top of the view shown in  FIG. 4A . As will be described in greater detail below, the keys of the keyboard  28  may be integrated into the flat metallic surface of the housing with micro-perforations to define the edges of the keys and the letters associated with each key (both shown with dotted lines in  FIG. 4B ). In this manner, as the LEDs  270  are illuminated the locations of the keys and the letters they represent may become apparent to the user. Alternatively, the thickness and/or opacity of the housing  105  may be controlled by controlling the amount of metal sputtered on the surface of the housing  105 . 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates a cross section of a housing input mechanism  100  taken through two keys of the notebook computer  22  along the line BB′ shown in  FIG. 4B , however, it should be appreciated that the cross section shown in  FIG. 5A  may represent the user inputs of any of the electronic devices shown in  FIG. 2 , such as two of the buttons on the mobile telephone  27 . Additionally, the electronic devices that implement the housing input mechanism  100  may be combinations of these devices. For example, one embodiment may be a device that is a combination of a PDA, a media player and a mobile telephone. In fact, the housing input mechanism  100  may be integrated into any portion of the housing of a wide variety of consumer electronic devices, such as refrigerators, audio equipment, display devices, automobiles and other devices not specifically mentioned herein. Also, although the housing  105  is shown as a cross section, it should be appreciated that the housing  105  may be part of a larger enclosure of the electronic device, where the enclosure not only provides structural support and protection to the electronic device, but the housing  105  also forms part of a capacitive sensing device. 
     Depending upon the particular electronic device, the manner in which the housing input mechanism  100  is incorporated into the housing may vary. For example, in a notebook computer  22  the housing input mechanism may exist in place of a keyboard  28 . In other embodiments, such as the PDA  25 , the personal media player  26 , and/or the mobile telephone  27 , the housing input mechanism  100  may be incorporated into the portions of the devices  25 - 27  that typically make contact with a user&#39;s hand, such as portions  29 ,  30 ,  31 ,  32 , and  33  respectively. As will be described in greater detail below, by incorporating the housing input mechanism  100  into the electronic devices in this manner, a user may be able to interact with the electronic device by exerting physical pressure on the housing of the device. For example, if the mobile telephone  27  is in the user&#39;s pocket and begins to ring, a user may simply squeeze or tap the mobile telephone (even through his pocket) to silence it. Alternatively, a user may be able to interact with the housing input mechanism  100  without actually making physical contact with the electronic device. For example, as will be described in greater detail below in the context of  FIG. 9 , if the housing input mechanism  100  is used in place of the traditional keyboard  28  of the notebook computer  22 , then pressure waves that may arise from a user waving his hand over the keyboard  28  may provide the user interaction, e.g., waking up the notebook computer  22  from a sleep state. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 5A , the housing input mechanism  100  may be part of a housing  105  used in any of the electronic devices shown in  FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, the housing  105  may be manufactured from a metal such as anodized aluminum, steel, titanium or other metals. In other embodiments, the housing  105  may be manufactured from a plastic, ceramic or other suitable material. Regardless of the material used for manufacturing the housing  105 , in some embodiments, the housing is of sufficient ductility or flexibility to allow a user  107  to temporarily stress or bend the housing  105  locally at an area of contact without permanently distorting the housing  105 . For example, in the embodiments where the housing  105  is manufactured using anodized aluminum, its thickness over the area of contact labeled as d 1  in  FIG. 5A , may be approximately 0.4 millimeters to allow this temporary bending. As will be described in detail below, since different processing circuitry may have varying sensitivity thresholds that should be exceeded to permit determining a change in capacitance or another electrical or physical feature of the housing, the amount of pressure necessary on the exterior of the housing  105  to effectuate user input may vary. 
     The housing  105  may couple to a printed circuit board (PCB)  110  through one or more insulator regions  115 . In some embodiments, the PCB  110  may be manufactured using a thin lightweight plastic layer that is coated with indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and therefore the insulator regions  115  may simply be areas where there is no deposition of ITO on the plastic. In other embodiments, the insulator regions  115  may be removed altogether and the housing  105  may be situated down in the recesses between the terminals  125 A and  125 B without making contact with the PCB  110 . In still other embodiments, the insulator regions  115  may be alternately removed so that every other terminal has an insulator between it and the next terminal. 
     In other embodiments, the PCB  110  may be manufactured using flexible printed circuit boards, such as a polyimide base with copper conductors, where there are no copper conductors present in the insulator regions  115 . In still other embodiments, the PCB  110  may be manufactured using conductive material and the insulator regions  115  are deposited thereon. 
     As shown, the housing  105  may include one or more cavities  120 A-B that are situated between the insulator regions  115 . In this manner, when the housing  105 , the insulator regions  115 , and the PCB  110  are assembled together, one or more voids  122 A-B are created between the housing  105  and the PCB  110 . One or more terminals  125 A-B may be placed on the PCB  110  in a position that aligns with the cavities  120 A-B. In the embodiments where the PCB  110  is manufactured with an insulating material, the one or more terminals  125 A-B may be formed by depositing conductive material on the PCB  110  inside the cavities  120 A-B when the housing  105 , the insulator regions  115 , and the PCB  110  are assembled together. 
     In the embodiments where the PCB is implemented using ITO, the terminals  125 A-B may be mounted on the bottom of the PCB  110  in order to allow electrical connections (shown in  FIG. 5A  as a dashed line) to be routed across the PCB  110  without electrically shorting the connections. 
     The assembled combination of the housing  105 , the voids  122 A-B, and the terminals  125 A-B may form one or more capacitor structures used to detect user interaction. In other words, the top of the cavity  120 A may form one terminal of a first capacitor, the terminal  125 A may form the other terminal of the first capacitor, and the void  122 A may form the dielectric material of the first capacitor. If the two terminals of the capacitor (e.g., the top of the cavity  120 A and the terminal  125 A) have a separation distance of d 2  as illustrated in  FIG. 5A , then the capacitance of the first capacitor could be calculated per Equation (1), where A is the surface area in common between the terminal  125 A and the top of the cavity  120 A, d 2  is their separation distance, and E is the dielectric constant of the void  122 A. 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
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                     ⁢ 
                     
                       A 
                       
                         d 
                         2 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   Eq 
                   . 
                   
                       
                   
                   ⁢ 
                   
                     ( 
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     In some embodiments, the voids  122 A-B may be filled with air, and therefore, the value of E may be one. In other embodiments, the voids  122 A-B may be filled with a foam material. As one example, this foam material may have a dielectric constant between one and two. In still other embodiments, the voids  122 A-B may be filled with materials that offer additional structural support to the top of the cavity  120 A. For example, the voids  122 A-B may be filled with a sponge material that offers additional structural support to the top of the cavity  120 A and that aids the top of the cavity  120 A in returning to its normal state after being depressed. In still other embodiments, the thickness of the insulator regions  115  may be used to control the separation distance d 2 . 
     As can be appreciated from inspection of Equation (1) in conjunction with  FIG. 5A , as the housing  105  deforms (e.g. by a user depressing the housing  105 ), the separation distance d 2  decreases and the capacitance of the first capacitor increases. This change in capacitance may be detected by a microprocessor  130  coupled to the first capacitor and translates the change in capacitance into user interaction (detail of the microprocessor  130  operation is given in greater detail below). 
     Similarly, a second capacitor may be formed by the combination of the top of the cavity  120 B, the terminal  125 B, and the void  122 B. In such an embodiment, the capacitance of the second capacitor could be calculated by Equation (1) where the area A, separation distance d 2 , and dielectric constant for the second capacitor may be the same as the first capacitor in some embodiments or different than the first capacitor in other embodiments. 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates operation of the housing input mechanism  100  as the housing  105  is depressed by the user  107 . (It should be noted that the deformation of the housing  105  may be exaggerated in  FIG. 5A  for ease of viewing.) The force imparted by the user&#39;s  107  finger temporarily bends the top of the cavity  120 B with respect to the terminal  125 B, pressing the top of the cavity closer to the terminal. Since the top of the cavity  120 B represents the top electrode of the second capacitor, the distance d 2  may change as the user  107  depresses the housing  105 . As the distance d 2  changes, the capacitance given by Equation (1) changes, thereby indicating that the housing has been depressed by the user  107 . 
     In some embodiments, the distance d 2  may be smaller than the overall thickness of the housing  105  (see  FIG. 5B ). For example, in the embodiments where the housing  105  is manufactured using anodized aluminum that is approximately 0.4 millimeters thick, then the distance d 2  may be approximately 0.2 millimeters. In these embodiments, if the housing  105 , which has a thickness of 0.4 millimeters, were to flex by 25%, or 0.1 millimeters, this would result in a change of approximately 50% of d and the capacitance value, per Equation (1), would increase by 50%. As will be described in greater detail below, the microprocessor  130  may detect this change in capacitance and process it accordingly. 
     While  FIG. 5A  illustrates one embodiment of the housing input mechanism  100 , it should be appreciated that numerous alternate embodiments are possible. For example,  FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate housing input mechanism  300  (with the user  107  omitted for the sake of clarity), where the tops of the cavities  120 A and  120 B are concave.  FIG. 6  also illustrates that the housing input mechanism  300  may include one or more illumination devices  301 A-B, which in some embodiments, may be located beneath the terminals  125 A-B. The housing input mechanism  300  may be configured such that the PCB  305  is coated with a layer of ITO that allows it to be transparent to light. In this manner, light from the illumination devices  301 A-B may shine through the housing  105  at a location above the terminals  125 A-B as shown in  FIG. 6 . Note that although the alternate housing input mechanism  300  is shown with the illumination devices  301 A-B and alternate shaped cavities  120 A and  120 B, these embodiments may be implemented independent of one another. 
     In some embodiments, each of the illumination devices  301 A-B may be one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) of differing colors. For example, in some embodiments, a single LED capable of emitting red, green, and blue (RGB) light separately or simultaneously may be positioned underneath each of the terminals  125 A-B. In other embodiments, the single LED may be based on other light combinations such as cyan, yellow, and magenta (CYM), or amber-green, to name but a few. Alternatively, three separate LEDs may be used to provide a mixture of primary colors for emitted light. By mixing these three primary colors, either via a multicolor LED or separate LEDs, a wide variety of resulting colors may be generated individually for each of the terminals  125 A-B. In other embodiments, the illumination devices  301 A-B may be organic LEDs (OLEDs), and may generate a wide variety of display patterns and colors on each of the surfaces of the housing  105  at a location above the terminals  125 A-B. 
     Because the housing input mechanisms  100  and  300  may be located anywhere on the housing  105  of an electronic device, the ability for the housing input mechanism  300  to illuminate the locations of the terminals  125 A-B may be useful. For example, if the housing input mechanism  300  were implemented as the keyboard  28  of the notebook computer  22  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), then the keyboard  28  may appear as a continuous sheet of metal with no indication as to the location of the keys. By illuminating the locations of the terminals  125 A-B, however, the key locations may be made know to the user  107 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates yet another alternative housing input mechanism  400  that may offer enhanced structural stability and reduce the cross contamination between the terminals  125 A-B when compared to the housing input mechanism  100  shown in  FIG. 5A . As can be appreciated from comparison of  FIGS. 5A and 7 , the PCB  110  may be thicker in the contact area so that the thickness of the housing  105  over the area of contact (labeled as d,) may remain the same, yet the overall thickness of the housing  105  (labeled as d 3  in  FIG. 7 ) may be substantially larger. As one example, the housing thickness may be one to two millimeters. Since the separation distance d, and the contact area A may be substantially the same between  FIGS. 1 and 7 , then the measured capacitance may remain substantially the same despite the overall thickness of the housing  105  increasing, thereby adding structural stability. Furthermore, when compared to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5A , this embodiment may reduce the amount of pressure that is intended for the terminal  125 A but is transferred to the terminal  125 B because the housing  105  may be flexing globally and affecting terminals other than terminal  125 A. 
       FIGS. 8A-D  illustrate top down views of various possible arrangements for the terminals  125 A-B located in the housing  105 .  FIG. 8A  includes an array of terminals  500 A-E, where each of the terminals  500 A-E may be one or more of the terminals  125 A-B shown in  FIG. 5A  and coupled to the microprocessor  130 . For example, a line CC′ is shown in  FIG. 8A  to indicate the potential relationship where the terminals  500 A-B (top down shown in  FIG. 8A ) match the terminals  125 A-B (cross section shown in  FIG. 5A ). Similarly, each of  FIGS. 8B-D  include the line CC′ to indicate the possible relationship between the terminals in  FIG. 5A  and their top down views shown in  FIGS. 8B-D . Depending upon the embodiment, the microprocessor  130  may take on a variety of forms. In some embodiments, the microprocessor  130  may be part of, or may be, a general purpose microprocessor located within a computer. In other embodiments, the microprocessor  130  may be a discrete integrated circuit dedicated to monitoring the capacitance changes as the housing  105  is depressed, such as the AD7147 manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc of Norwood, Mass. 
     As was alluded to above, the microprocessor  130  may be programmed to vary its sensitivity in response to input from the capacitors and/or vary the patterns that are necessary from a user in order for the electronic device to recognize them as user input. For example, in some embodiments, the microprocessor  130  may be configured such that a light tap on the surface of the electronic device may be received as user input. However, in other embodiments, the microprocessor  130  may be configured with a much higher threshold so that the user would have to press much more firmly on the surface of the housing  105  in order for the electronic device to recognize this stress as the same input from the user. In still other embodiments (disclosed more fully below), the microprocessor  130  may be configured to ignore user input unless certain conditions are met, such as the user being located around the electronic device. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 8A , during operation, as the user  107  moves his hand across the surface of the housing  105 , the housing  105  may be stressed or deflected over top of the terminals  500 A-E in succession, and the microprocessor  130  may detect this as movement in a particular direction. That is, if the user&#39;s  107  hand first stresses the housing  105  above the terminal  500 A, and then stresses the housing  105  above the terminal  500 B, and so on in succession along the housing above the terminals  500 C-E, then the microprocessor  130  may determine that the user  107  is moving his hand to the right in  FIG. 8A . Similarly, if the user&#39;s  107  hand begins stressing the housing above the terminal  500 E and continues in succession from the terminal  500 D and ultimately to the terminal  500 A, then the microprocessor may determine that the user&#39;s  107  hand is moving to the left in  FIG. 5A . Depending upon the embodiment, the terminals  500 A-E may be used to control variable settings of the electronic device. For example, if the electronic device is a personal media player  26 , then the terminals  500 A-E may be a volume “slider” used to raise or lower the volume levels of the media player  26 . 
       FIG. 8B  shows an alternative arrangement with an array of terminals  505 A-E in a differing geometric configuration. As shown, the terminals  505 A-E may each have a zigzag shape. This may increase the amount of spatial resolution of the capacitance measurements—i.e., a larger signal response between adjacent terminals. 
       FIG. 8C  shows yet another alternative embodiment with the terminals  510 A-G in a spiral arrangement. While  FIG. 5C  illustrates seven terminals  510 A-G in a spiral arrangement, any number of terminals may be implemented in the spiral arrangement. In this embodiment, as the user  107  moves his hand across the housing  105  in various directions, the housing  105  above each of the terminals  510 A-G may be depressed in a certain successive pattern, and the microprocessor  130  may process the detected patterns to determine a direction of the overall user&#39;s  107  movement across the housing  105 . For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5C , as the user  107  moves his hand in a diagonal direction from the bottom left of the housing  105  to the top right of the housing  105 , then the terminals  510 D,  510 A.  510 B, and  510 F may be sensed by the microprocessor  130  in a sequential manner. Similarly, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5C , as the user  107  moves his hand in a diagonal direction from the bottom right of the housing  105  to the top left of the housing  105 , then depression of the terminals  510 G,  510 C,  510 A, and  510 E may be sensed by the microprocessor  130  in a sequential manner. 
       FIG. 8D  illustrates a top down view of an N×N array of capacitive terminals disposed beneath the housing  105 . Arrays of terminals may be used in place of keyboard interfaces in a variety of electronic devices, such as the keyboard  28  of the notebook computer  22  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). In this manner, each of the sensors in the array may be oriented at a distance from each other that generally mimics the layout of a keyboard, thereby allowing the user  107  to type on the housing  105  above the sensors. The embodiment may detect this typing activity in the manner discussed above, namely by sensing a change in the distance between the housing  105  and any sensor underlying the typing, or by sensing a change in the capacitance coupling the housing  105  to an underlying sensor. Some embodiments may disguise the locations of the sensors of the array in the housing  105 . In such an embodiment, the electronic device may include one or more illumination devices  301 A-B that illuminate when the user makes contact with the housing  105  or positions his fingers or other body part nearby. Each illumination device may correspond, for example, to a separate sensor which may detect impact on or deformation of the housing  105  above it. Thus, given a sufficient number of sensors laid out like the keys of a keyboard, the device housing may be used to input or mimic keystrokes on a keyboard and the N×N array may be used as a keyboard through the housing  105 . Furthermore, the housing  105  may include micro-perforations above each of the terminals in the N×N array. Micro-perforations are miniature holes in the housing  105  that are visually imperceptible to the user  107  because of their size yet large enough that, when light is placed behind them, light is visible through the micro-perforations. For example, these micro-perforations may permit light from the illumination devices  301 A-B to pass through them to indicate the location of the terminals in the N×N array. In this manner, these micro-perforations may be formed into various shapes, such as letters, numbers, symbols or other features found on the keys of a keyboard so that a keyboard may be formed by the housing  105  by illuminating the illumination devices under each of the terminals in the N×N array. Also, in some embodiments, these micro-perforations may be filled with epoxy. 
     Other embodiments may compensate for different users operating user interface. For example, in the event that the user interface shown in  FIG. 5A  is used in place of the traditional keyboard  28 , then the electronic device may recognize different users (such as by different login credentials), and customize the stress thresholds of the keyboard  28  accordingly. In this manner, if a first user generally touches the housing more lightly than a second user, then the keyboard  28  may be programmed to have lower stress thresholds when the first user is logged into the electronic device and higher stress thresholds when the second user is logged into the device. 
     The geometric configurations and the potential user  107  input schemes disclosed herein are merely illustrative, and in fact, numerous geometric configurations are possible. Furthermore, while the embodiments disclosed herein may illustrate the user  107  making physical contact with the housing  105  in order to stress or deflect the housing  105  so as to cause a capacitive change measurable by the microprocessor  130 , such physical contact may not be necessary in certain embodiments. For example,  FIG. 9  illustrates a cross section of a housing input mechanism  600  akin to that shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  6 , and  7 , except instead of the user  107  making physical contact to stress the housing  105 , the user  107  may wave his hand above the housing  105  and air pressure waves from the motion of the hand may cause stress of the housing  105  sufficient enough to cause the microprocessor  130  to register a capacitance change. In these embodiments, in order to selectively increase the sensitivity of the housing input mechanism, the microprocessor  130  may be further coupled to a proximity detector  605 , such as an ultrasonic detector located on the housing  105  of the electronic device that emits ultrasonic signals and listens for their reflections when the user  107  is present. By monitoring for presence of the user  107  with a proximity detector  605 , the microprocessor  130  may dynamically adjust its sensitivity threshold to air pressure waves such that the microprocessor may register the air pressure waves only when the user  107  is in close proximity to the electronic device and increase its sensitivity threshold otherwise. For example, when the user  107  is holding the electronic device, the proximity detector  605  may reduce the sensitivity threshold to allow the user  107  waving his hand over the housing  105  to cause the microprocessor  130  to perform an action. This ability may allow the housing input mechanism  600  to be implemented as a hidden keyboard, where the illumination devices  301 A and/or  301 B are illuminated when the user  107  waves his hand over the housing to cause the keys to appear. 
     Other embodiments, such as the housing input mechanism  700  shown in  FIG. 10 , may include the user  107  making contact with the housing  105  using a stylus  705 . For example, when the housing  105  is implemented in the tablet computer  23  or the PDA  25 , then the user  107  may depress the housing  105  using the stylus  705  by writing on the tablet computer  23  or the PDA  25  by making contact with the portions  32 . 
     In yet another embodiment, the housing input mechanism  700  may be a mouse, so that the user  107  may move his finger across the surface of the housing  105  in a fashion similar to devices that operate off of the capacitance of a user&#39;s body. However, because the housing input mechanism  700  is not based on the capacitance of the user&#39;s body, it may be possible to have multiple portions of the user&#39;s body (e.g., both left and right forefingers) activating the mouse simultaneously. 
     In still other embodiments, the housing input mechanism  700  may be implemented as a touch pad, buttons, and/or switches located at various points on the housing  105 . For example, the user may turn the PDA  25  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) on by squeezing the portion  29  on the housing. 
     The housing input mechanisms discussed above may offer several advantages over conventional touch sensing technologies. First, because some conventional touch sensing technologies utilize electrical characteristics of the user  107  (such as the user&#39;s  107  capacitance or inductance), conventional touch sensing technologies are often incapable of determining the difference between inadvertent contact by the user  107  and intentional contact by the user  107 . For example, if the keyboard  28  described above in the context of  FIG. 2  were implemented with conventional touch sensing technologies, then the notebook computer  22  may be unable to detect a subsequent touch by the user  107 , such as an intentional keystroke, because the notebook computer  22  may already be detecting the capacitance of the user  107  resting his hands on the keyboard  28 . By implementing the housing input mechanism  100  in place of the keyboard  28 , the user  107  would be free to rest his hands on the keyboard  28  while typing. Furthermore, in conventional sensing technologies, the user&#39;s  107  electrical characteristics (e.g., capacitance or inductance) may be skewed if the user&#39;s  107  hands are not clean. That is, if the user  107  has grease, dirt, or sweaty hands, then conventional touch sensing technologies may be unable to accurately estimate contact from the user  107 . Because the housing input mechanism  100  is independent of the electrical characteristics of the user  107 , it may overcome at least some of the problems associated with conventional touch technologies. 
     In some embodiments, the sensing through the housing  105  may be combined with capacitive sensing based upon the capacitance of the user&#39;s body to ensure that the physical contact with the housing  105  was intentional. For example, referring back to the example discussed above wherein the electronic device is a mobile telephone inside a user&#39;s pocket, the housing  105  may be touched unintentionally while in the user&#39;s pocket, and the electronic device may inadvertently register this touching as user interaction. To compensate for this possible inadvertent interaction with the housing  105 , some embodiments may utilize conventional capacitive sensing (i.e., the capacitance of the user&#39;s body), in conjunction with measuring the capacitance changes that result from the user interacting with the housing  105 . For example, if the electronic device is a media player  26 , then the portion  30  may be a conventional capacitive sensor that detects whether the user is holding the media player  26  while other portions of the media player&#39;s  26  housing may be one or more of the housing input mechanisms capable of detecting a user&#39;s interaction through the housing as described above. 
     While some of the embodiments may have been discussed in the context of the user  107  interacting with a portion of the housing  105  that is located substantially over the terminals  125 A-B (e.g.,  FIG. 5A ), it should be appreciated that the electronic device may be capable of correctly interpreting the user&#39;s  107  interaction that is not located substantially over the terminals  125 A-B (e.g.,  FIGS. 9 and 10 ). For example, in some embodiments, when the user  107  interacts with the housing  105  in between the terminals  125 A-B, the microprocessor  130  may be configured to detect the capacitance of the nearby cells to determine the terminal that the user intended to interact with. To accomplish this, the microprocessor  130  may measure the distance d 2  of each of the terminals. In the event that the housing input mechanism  100  is implemented as shown in  FIG. 8D  and the user  107  depresses the housing  105  at a location in between terminals  0 . 0  and  0 . 1 , then the microprocessor  130  may be programmed to interpret this depression as a false positive. Similarly, if the user  107  depresses the housing  105  in between all of the terminals  0 . 0 ,  0 . 1 ,  1 . 0 , and  1 . 1 , yet the depression is closest to the  1 . 1  terminal, then the microprocessor  130  may sample each of the terminals  0 . 0 ,  0 . 1 ,  1 . 0 , and  1 . 1  and determine that the capacitance of the terminal at  1 . 1  is higher than the rest of the terminals—i.e., its distance d 2  is smaller than the others because the depression is closest to the  1 . 1  terminal. Based upon this higher capacitance, the microprocessor  130  may determine that the user  107  intended to depress the terminal at  1 . 1  to the exclusion of the other terminals. 
       FIG. 11  shows a flow chart illustrating operations  800  of the housing input mechanisms of at least one of the embodiments disclosed above. In some embodiments, the operations  800  may be executed on the microprocessor  130 . During operation  805  the microprocessor  130  may sample a value associated with a first terminal, such as the capacitance of the terminal  125 A as the housing  105  is depressed in the area over the terminal  125 A. The sampled capacitance value may be associated with a change in the thickness of the housing d 2  according to Equation (1). This is shown in operation  810 . 
     Next in operation  815 , the microprocessor  130  may determine if the change in the thickness of the housing d 2  is greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, as was discussed above if the thickness of the housing d 2  is 0.2 millimeters, the threshold for operation  815  may be 0.1 millimeters, which may represent a 50% change of thickness because of user interaction. 
     In operation  820 , the microprocessor  1130  may sample a terminal adjacent to the first terminal and begin operations to discern which of the terminals the user  107  intended to depress. For example, if the first terminal is terminal  125 A shown in  FIG. 5A , then the adjacent terminal may be  125 B. 
     Akin to operations  810  and  815 , in operations  825  and  830 , the microprocessor  130  may determine a change in the thickness of the housing d 2  for the adjacent terminal and determine whether this change is greater than a second threshold amount. If the change in the thickness of the housing d 2  is not greater than a second predetermined threshold, then the microprocessor  130  may repeat operations  825  and  830  for additional adjacent terminals if they are present per operation  835 . Otherwise, if the microprocessor  130  determines in operation  835  that no additional adjacent terminals are available, then the microprocessor  130  may indicate that the user  107  intended to interact with the first terminal per operation  837 . Once the microprocessor  130  has determined that the user intended to interact with the first terminal, then per control flowing from operation  837  back to operation  805 , the microprocessor  130  may begin to look for a new first terminal in block  805 . 
     Referring back to operation  830 , if the change in the thickness of the housing d 2  is greater than a second predetermined threshold, then in operation  840 , the microprocessor  130  may determine if the change in the thickness of the housing d 2  for the adjacent terminal is greater than the change in thickness of the housing d 2  for the first terminal. In other words, if the first terminal is the terminal  125 A shown in  FIG. 5A , and the adjacent terminal is the terminal  125 B, then during operation  840 , their respective changes in the thicknesses d 2  may be compared. 
     In some embodiments, if the change of thickness d 2  for the adjacent terminal is greater than the change in thickness d 2  for the first terminal, then the microprocessor  130  may indicate user interaction was intended with the adjacent terminal rather than the first terminal. Alternatively, in the event that the change in thickness d 2  for the first terminal is greater than the change in thickness d 2  for the adjacent terminal, then the microprocessor  130  may indicate user interaction was intended with the first terminal rather than the adjacent terminal. Once operations  845  and/or  850  have completed, control flows to operation  835  where the microprocessor  130  may determine if additional adjacent terminals are present. 
     Note that although operations  800  illustrate comparing thresholds of adjacent terminals to determine which terminal the user intended to make contact with, alternative operations are possible. For example, the microprocessor  130  may average the changes in thickness d, for several adjacent terminals and compare the first terminal&#39;s change in thickness with this average instead of directly comparing with the change in thickness d 2  for a single adjacent terminal.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20130125
Publication Date: 20150630
Grant Date: 20150630
Priority Date: 20090817
Inventors: PANCE ALEKSANDAR
KING NICHOLAS VINCENT
KERR DUNCAN
BILBREY BRETT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1616", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1636", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960755", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1601", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960785", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/94052", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/9622", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1636", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1616", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960785", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1601", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/94052", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960785", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1636", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/94052", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960755", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1601", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/9622", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/9622", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1616", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/960755", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 43588276