HK1192344B - Input device assembly - Google Patents

Description

Input device assembly

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from the following U.S. provisional patent applications in accordance with 35 U.S. C. § 119(e), the entire disclosure of each of these applications being incorporated by reference in their entirety:

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,321, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336082.01 and entitled "Screen Edge";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,301, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336083.01 and entitled "Input device functionality";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,313, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336084.01 and entitled "Functional Hinge";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,333, filed 3, 2/2012, attorney docket No. 336086.01 and entitled "use and administration";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/613,745, filed 3/21/2012, attorney docket No. 336086.02 and entitled "use and administration";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,336, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336087.01 and entitled "Kickstand and Camera; and

U.S. Provisional patent application No. 61/607,451, filed 3/6/2012, attorney docket No. 336143.01 and entitled "Spanaway provision";

further, this application incorporates by reference in its entirety the following applications: U.S. patent application No. __________, filed on day 14, 5/2012, attorney docket No. 336554.01 and entitled "Flexible Hinge and Removable Attachment".

Background

Mobile computing devices have evolved to add functionality that makes them available to users in mobile settings. For example, a user may interact with a mobile phone, tablet computer, or other mobile computing device to check email, surf the web, compose text, interact with an application, and so forth. However, conventional mobile computing devices often employ a virtual keyboard that is accessed using the touch screen functionality of the device. This is typically employed to maximize the amount of display area of the computing device.

However, the use of a virtual keyboard may be frustrating to users who wish to provide a large amount of input (e.g., enter a large amount of text in order to compose long emails, documents, etc.). Thus, conventional mobile computing devices are often perceived as having limited usefulness for such tasks, especially as compared to the ease with which a user may enter text using, for example, a conventional keyboard of a conventional desktop computer. However, the use of a conventional keyboard by a mobile computing device may reduce the mobility of the mobile computing device and thus may make the mobile computing device less suitable for its intended use in a mobile setting.

Disclosure of Invention

Input device assembly techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an input device includes: a key assembly comprising a plurality of keys operable to initiate inputs for a computing device; a connection portion configured to physically removably connect to a computing device and to communicatively communicate signals generated by the plurality of keys to the computing device; a flexible hinge physically connecting the connection portion to the key assembly; and an outer layer configured to cover the plurality of keys of the key assembly, form an outer surface of the flexible hinge, and be secured to the attachment portion such that the outer layer surrounds at least two sides of the attachment portion.

In one or more implementations, a first outer layer and a key assembly are disposed on a first side of a carrier, and a second outer layer is disposed on a second side of the carrier. The connecting portions are attached to the first and second outer layers in the carrier. The carrier is folded such that at least one of the first or second outer layers is disposed over the other of the first or second outer layers, the folding such that the second outer layer surrounds at least a portion of the connecting portion.

In one or more implementations, a keyboard includes: a pressure-sensitive key assembly including a plurality of keys operable to initiate inputs for a computing device; a connection portion configured to physically removably connect to a computing device and to communicatively communicate signals generated by the plurality of keys to the computing device; a flexible hinge physically connecting the connection portion to the key assembly; and first and second outer layers configured to cover the pressure-sensitive key assembly, form an outer surface of the flexible hinge, and be secured to the connection portion, at least one of the first or second outer layers being secured to the pressure-sensitive key assembly using a heat transfer film.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Drawings

The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different instances in the description and the figures may indicate similar or identical items. The entities represented in the figures may indicate one or more entities and thus may refer interchangeably to a single or multiple forms of an entity in discussion.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example implementation that is operable to employ techniques described herein.

FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation of the input device of FIG. 1 as showing the flexible hinge in more detail.

Fig. 3 depicts an example implementation showing a perspective view of the connection portion of fig. 2 including a mechanical coupling protrusion and a plurality of communication contacts.

Fig. 4 depicts the layers of the input device of fig. 2 in a perspective exploded view.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a cross-sectional view of a pressure sensitive key of a keyboard of the input device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 as applying pressure at a first location of the flexible contact layer to cause contact with a corresponding first location of the sensor substrate.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 as applying pressure at a second location of the flexible contact layer to cause contact with a corresponding second location of the sensor substrate.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a flexible contact layer of a single pressure sensitive key configured to normalize the output produced at multiple positions of the switch.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 including multiple sensors that detect pressure at different locations.

FIG. 10 depicts an example of a conductor of a sensor substrate of a pressure sensitive key configured to normalize signals generated at different locations of the pressure sensitive key.

FIG. 11 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 as employing a force concentrator layer.

FIG. 12 depicts the example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 11 as applying pressure at a plurality of different locations of the force concentrator layer to contact the flexible contact layer with the sensor substrate.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a cross-sectional view of a keyboard including a plurality of pressure sensitive keys employing a force concentrator layer.

Fig. 14 depicts an example implementation showing a support layer configured to support operation of a flexible hinge and protect components of an input device during the operation.

FIG. 15 depicts a bottom view of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 as holding the flexible contact layer in multiple positions along the edge of the key.

FIG. 16 depicts another version of FIG. 15 in which the fixed portion is moved to a different position along the edge of the key.

Fig. 17A depicts an example of an adhesive layer applied as part of a keyboard having multiple keys, with different adhesive arrangements for different keys.

FIG. 17B depicts another example implementation of a layer incorporating a matrix that may be used to reduce air entrapment.

FIG. 18 depicts an example of surface mount hardware elements that may be used to support the functionality of the input device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example implementation in which the surface mount hardware elements of FIG. 18 are depicted nested in one or more layers of the input device.

FIG. 20 depicts an example implementation showing a top view of an exterior surface of the input device of FIG. 1 including a plurality of keys.

Fig. 21 depicts a cross-sectional view of the outer layer of fig. 4 and 20.

Fig. 22 depicts a cross-sectional view of the outer layer of fig. 4.

FIG. 23 depicts a cross-sectional view of the outer layer of FIG. 21, wherein the boundaries of the keys are formed within the outer skin.

Fig. 24 depicts an example implementation in which the first and second depressions of fig. 23 are formed within the outer skin of the outer layer.

FIG. 25 depicts an example implementation in which portions of the outer skin are removed to expose intermediate layers to form indications of key functions or other indications.

Fig. 26 depicts an example implementation in which removal of a portion of the outer skin causes the middle layer to expand through an opening formed in the outer skin.

Fig. 27 depicts an example implementation in which a cross-section is shown in which the outer layer of fig. 26 is secured to a key assembly.

FIG. 28 depicts an example implementation in which a cross-section is shown in which the outer layer of FIG. 22 is secured for assembly as part of an input device.

FIG. 29 depicts an example implementation in which outer layers are secured to one another so as to form an edge adjacent an input portion of an input device.

FIG. 30 depicts an example implementation in which a carrier is used to assemble an input device.

FIG. 31 depicts an example implementation showing a cross-sectional view of an outer layer of a ridge secured to a connection portion.

FIG. 32 depicts an example implementation in which a protrusion is secured to the ridge of FIG. 31 to form a connection portion.

FIG. 33 depicts an example implementation in which a top view of a connection portion is shown.

Fig. 34 depicts a cross-sectional view of the connection portion of fig. 33.

Fig. 35 depicts an example cross-sectional view of the first pin of fig. 34 as securing a metal ridge to the plastic of the connecting portion so as to form a laminate structure.

Fig. 36 depicts an example portion of an assembly process for an input device in which the carrier of fig. 30 is folded.

Fig. 37 depicts example results of folding of the vector of fig. 36.

FIG. 38 depicts an example implementation showing a cross-sectional view of the connection portion formed in FIG. 37.

FIG. 39 provides a cross-sectional view of an example implementation in which the connection portion is physically connected to the computing device.

FIG. 40 illustrates an example system including various components of an example device, which can be implemented as any type of computing device as described with reference to other figures to implement embodiments of the techniques described herein.

Detailed Description

SUMMARY

The input device may be configured to support a thin form factor, for example approximately 3.5 millimeters and less in the thickness of the device. However, due to this form factor, conventional techniques used to assemble such devices may result in defects due to the form factor, such as wrinkles, etc., caused during assembly of the layers of the device.

Input device assembly techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an outer layer of an input device (e.g., a fabric, microfiber, etc.) is secured to a key assembly (e.g., a pressure sensitive key assembly) using a heat activated film or other securing technique. The heat activated film may, for example, be configured to melt into the fabric of the outer layer, thereby forming a mechanical bond with the layer. This may be performed under tension and using pressure in order to reduce or even eliminate wrinkles and other defects that result when using conventional techniques to secure layers to one another. Further, the outer layers may be formed with each other at the edges of the input device using similar techniques, resulting in a robust joint at the edges. Further discussion of these techniques may be found in FIGS. 27-29.

In one or more additional implementations, techniques are described for attaching one or more of the outer layers to a connection portion that can be used to form a physical and communicative coupling with a computing device. These techniques may include, for example, utilizing one or more of the outer layers to surround at least a portion of the connecting portion. This may be utilized to provide a secure connection between the connecting portion and an input portion of the input device (e.g., a keyboard), as well as to provide a consistent look and feel between the material used to cover the input portion (e.g., keys), form the hinge, and attach to the connecting portion. Further, these techniques may be utilized to support book-like operation of the connection portions and the flexible hinges of the input device, thereby providing a familiar user experience to the user of the input device along with the computing device. Additional discussion of these and other techniques may be found in FIGS. 30-38.

In the following discussion, an example environment is first described that may employ the techniques described herein. Example processes are then described, which can be executed in the example environment as well as other environments. Thus, execution of the example process is not limited to the example environment, and the example environment is not limited to execution of the example process. Furthermore, although one input device is described, other devices that do not include input functionality, such as a cover, are also contemplated.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 100 in an example implementation that is operable to employ techniques described herein. The illustrated environment 100 includes an example of a computing device 102 physically and communicatively coupled to an input device 104 via a flexible hinge 106. The computing device 102 may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, the computing device 102 may be configured for mobile use, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer as shown, and so on. Thus, the computing device 102 may range from full resource devices with sufficient memory and processor resources to low resource devices with limited memory and/or processing resources. The computing device 102 may also involve software that causes the computing device 102 to perform one or more operations.

Computing device 102 is illustrated, for example, as including input/output module 108. Input/output module 108 represents functionality related to processing input to computing device 102 and rendering output of computing device 102. A wide variety of different inputs may be processed by the input/output module 108, such as inputs relating to functions corresponding to keys of the input device 104, keys of a virtual keyboard displayed by the display device 110 to identify gestures and cause operations corresponding to gestures that may be recognized through touch screen functionality of the input device 104 and/or the display device 110, and so forth, to be performed. Thus, the input/output module 108 may support a wide variety of different input techniques by recognizing and utilizing divisions between input types including key presses, gestures, and the like.

In the example shown, the input device 104 is configured as a keyboard with a QWERTY key arrangement, although other key arrangements are also contemplated. In addition, other unconventional configurations are also contemplated, such as game controllers, configurations that mimic musical instruments, and so forth. Thus, the input device 104 and the keys of the input device 104 combination may take on a wide variety of different configurations to support a wide variety of different functions.

As previously described, the input device 104 is physically and communicatively coupled to the computing device 102 in this example through the use of a flexible hinge 106. The flexible hinge 106 is flexible in that the rotational movement supported by the hinge is achieved by flexing (e.g., bending) of the material forming the hinge, as opposed to mechanical rotation supported by a pin (although this embodiment is also contemplated). Further, the flexible rotation may be configured to support motion in one direction (e.g., vertically in the figure), but to limit motion in other directions, such as lateral motion of the input device 104 relative to the computing device 102. This may be used to support consistent alignment of the input device 104 with respect to the computing device 102, e.g., aligning sensors used to change power states, application states, etc.

The flexible hinge 106 may be formed, for example, using one or more fabric layers and include conductors formed as flexible traces to communicatively couple the input device 104 to the computing device 102 and vice versa. The communication may be used, for example, to communicate the results of a key press to the computing device 102, receive power from the computing device, perform authentication, provide supplemental power to the computing device 102, and so forth. The flexible hinge 106 may be configured in a variety of ways, further discussion of which may be found in the following figures.

Fig. 2 depicts an example implementation 200 of the input device 104 of fig. 1 as showing the flexible hinge 106 in more detail. In this example, a connection portion 202 of the input device is shown that is configured to provide communication and physical connection between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. In this example, the connection portion 202 has a height and cross-section configured to be received in a channel within a housing of the computing device 102, although this arrangement may be reversed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

The connecting portion 202 is flexibly connected to a portion of the input device 104 including the keys by using the flexible hinge 106. Thus, when the connection portion 202 is physically connected to the computing device, the combination of the connection portion 202 and the flexible hinge 106 supports movement of the input device 104 relative to the computing device 102, which is similar to a hinge of a book.

For example, the rotational movement may be supported by the flexible hinge 106 such that the input device 104 may be placed against the display device 110 of the computing device 102 and thereby act as a cover. The input device 104 may also be rotated to be positioned against the back of the computing device 102, such as against a rear housing of the computing device 102 that is positioned opposite the display device 110 on the computing device 102.

Naturally, a wide variety of other orientations are supported. For example, the computing device 102 and the input device 104 may take an arrangement such that both lie flat against a surface as shown in fig. 1. In another example, a typing arrangement may be supported in which the input device 104 lies flat against a surface and the computing device 102 is set at an angle to allow viewing of the display device 110, such as by using a stand (cockstand) disposed on a rear surface of the computing device 102, for example. Other examples are also conceivable, such as tripod arrangements, conference arrangements, presentation arrangements, etc.

In this example, the connection portion 202 is illustrated as including magnetic coupling devices 204, 206, mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210, and a plurality of communication contacts 212. The magnetic coupling devices 204, 206 are configured to magnetically couple to complementary magnetic coupling devices of the computing device 102 through the use of one or more magnets. In this manner, the input device 104 may be physically secured to the computing device 102 by using magnetic attraction forces.

The connection portion 202 also includes mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 to form a mechanical physical connection between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. The mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are shown in more detail in the following figures.

Fig. 3 depicts an example implementation 300 showing a perspective view of the connection portion 202 of fig. 2 including the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 and the plurality of communication contacts 212. As shown, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to extend away from the surface of the connecting portion 202, which in this case is perpendicular, although other angles are also contemplated.

The mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to be received within complementary cavities within the channels of the computing device 102. When so received, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 promote a mechanical binding between the devices when a force is applied that is not aligned with an axis defined to correspond to the height of the protrusions and the depth of the cavity.

For example, when a force is applied that does coincide with the previously described longitudinal axis that follows the height of the protrusion and the depth of the cavity, the user merely overcomes the force applied by the magnet to separate the input device 104 from the computing device 102. However, at other angles, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to mechanically bind within the cavity, thereby creating a force that resists removal of the input device 104 from the computing device 102 in addition to the magnetic force of the magnetic coupling devices 204, 206. In this manner, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 may bias the removal of the input device 104 from the computing device 102 so as to mimic tearing pages from a book and limit other attempts to detach the device.

The connection portion 202 is also illustrated as including a plurality of communication contacts 212. The plurality of communication contacts 212 are configured to contact respective communication contacts of the computing device 102 to form a communicative coupling between the devices. The communication contacts 212 may be configured in a variety of ways, such as by being formed using a plurality of spring-loaded pins that are configured to provide consistent communication contact between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. Thus, the communication contact may be configured to remain during a slight jostling movement of the device. A wide variety of other examples are also contemplated, including placing pins on the computing device 102 and contacts on the input device 104.

Fig. 4 depicts the layers of the input device 104 in a perspective exploded view 400. At the top, an outer layer 402 is shown, which may be configured using an embossing fabric (e.g., 0.6 mm polyurethane), where the embossing is used to provide an indication of the underlying keys as well as an indication of the individual functions of the keys.

A force concentrator 404 is disposed below the outer layer 402. The force concentrator 404 may be configured to provide a mechanical filter, force direction, and hide the witness line of the underlying components as further described in the "force concentrator" section below.

In this example, beneath the force concentrator 404 is a pressure sensitive key assembly 406. As further described in the "pressure-sensitive keys" section below, the pressure-sensitive key assembly 406 may include layers used to implement pressure-sensitive keys.

Support layer 408 is illustrated below the pressure sensitive key 406 assembly. The support layer 408 is configured to support the flexible hinge 106 and the conductors contained therein from damage. Further discussion of the handle layer 408 may be found in the "handle layer" section.

The adhesive layer 410 is illustrated as being disposed below the support layer 408 and above the support plate 412, which is configured to add mechanical rigidity to the input portion of the input device 104. The adhesive layer 410 may be configured in a variety of ways to secure the support plate 412 to the support layer 408. The adhesive layer 410 may be configured to include a dot matrix adhesive on both sides of the layer, for example. Thus, when the layers are rolled together, air is allowed to escape, reducing wrinkles and air bubbles between the layers. In the example shown, the adhesive layer 410 also includes nested channels configured to support flexible printed circuit wiring between, for example, controllers, sensors, or other modules and the pressure sensitive keys and/or the communicative contacts of the connection portion 202. Below the support plate 412 is a backing layer 414 having a PSA and an outer surface 416. The outer surface 416 may be formed of the same or different material as the other outer surface 402.

Pressure sensitive key assembly

Fig. 5 depicts an example of a cross-sectional view of a pressure-sensitive key 500 of the keyboard of the input device 104 of fig. 2 that forms the pressure-sensitive key assembly 406. In this example, pressure sensitive key 500 is illustrated as being formed using a flexible contact layer 502 (e.g., mylar) that is separated from sensor substrate 504 using spacer layers 508, 408, which may be formed as another mylar layer formed on sensor substrate 504, and so on. In this example, the flexible contact layer 502 does not contact the sensor substrate 504 without applying pressure to the flexible contact layer 502.

In this example, the flexible contact layer 502 includes a force sensitive ink 510 disposed on a surface of the flexible contact layer 502 that is configured to contact the sensor substrate 504. The force sensitive ink 510 is configured such that the amount of resistance of the ink varies directly in relation to the amount of pressure applied. The force sensitive ink 510 may be configured, for example, with a relatively rough surface that compresses against the sensor substrate 504 when pressure is applied to the flexible contact layer 502. The greater the amount of pressure, the more the force sensitive ink 510 compresses, thereby increasing the conductivity of the force sensitive ink 510 and decreasing the resistance of the force sensitive ink 510. Other conductors may also be disposed on the flexible contact layer 502 without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, including other types of pressure-sensitive and non-pressure-sensitive conductors.

The sensor substrate 504 includes one or more conductors 512 disposed thereon that are configured to be contacted by the force sensitive ink 510 of the flexible contact layer 502. When touched, an analog signal may be generated for processing by the input device 104 and/or the computing device 102, e.g., to identify whether the signal is likely intended by a user to provide input for the computing device 102. A wide variety of different types of conductors 512 may be disposed on sensor substrate 504, e.g., formed from a wide variety of conductive materials (e.g., silver, copper), disposed in a wide variety of different configurations as further described with respect to fig. 9, and so forth.

Fig. 6 depicts an example 600 of the pressure sensitive key 500 of fig. 5 as applying pressure at a first location of the flexible contact layer 502 to cause contact of the force sensitive ink 510 with a corresponding first location of the sensor substrate 504. Pressure is illustrated using the arrows in fig. 6 and may be applied in a variety of ways, such as by a finger of a user's hand, a stylus, a pen, and so forth. In this example, the first position at which pressure is applied as indicated by the arrows is generally near a central region of the flexible contact layer 502 that is disposed between the spacer layers 506, 508. Due to this position, the flexible contact layer 502 may generally be considered to be flexible and thus responsive to pressure.

This flexibility allows a relatively large area of the flexible contact layer 502, and thus the force sensitive ink 510, to contact the conductors 512 of the sensor substrate 504. Thus, a relatively strong signal can be generated. Furthermore, since the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 is relatively high at this location, a relatively large amount of the force may be transmitted through the flexible contact layer 502, thereby applying the pressure to the force sensitive ink 510. As previously described, this increase in pressure may result in a corresponding increase in the conductivity of the force sensitive ink and a decrease in the resistance of the ink. Thus, a relatively higher amount of flexibility of the flexible contact layer at the first location may result in a relatively stronger signal than other locations of the flexible contact layer 502 that are located closer to the edge of the key, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

FIG. 7 depicts an example 700 of the pressure sensitive key 500 of FIG. 5 as applying pressure at a second location of the flexible contact layer 502 to cause contact with a corresponding second location of the sensor substrate 504. In this example, the second position of FIG. 6, where pressure is applied, is located closer to the edge of the pressure-sensitive key (e.g., closer to the edge of the spacer layer 508) than the first position of FIG. 5. Due to this position, the flexible contact layer 502 has a reduced flexibility and thus less response to pressure when compared to the first position.

This reduced flexibility may result in a reduction in the area of the flexible contact layer 502, and thus the conductor 512 of the force sensitive ink 510, that contacts the sensor substrate 504. Thus, the signal generated at the second location may be weaker than the signal generated at the first location of fig. 6.

Furthermore, because the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 is relatively low at this location, a relatively low amount of the force may be transmitted through the flexible contact layer 502, thereby reducing the amount of pressure transmitted to the force sensitive ink 510. As previously described, this reduction in pressure may result in a corresponding reduction in the conductivity of the force sensitive ink and an increase in the resistance of the ink as compared to the first position of fig. 5. Thus, the reduced flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 at the second location may result in a relatively weaker signal generation than at the first location. Furthermore, the situation may be exacerbated by partial hits, where a smaller portion of the user's finger is able to apply pressure at the second position of fig. 7 than at the first position of fig. 6.

However, as previously described, techniques may be employed to normalize the outputs produced by the switches at the first and second positions. As further described with respect to the following sections, this may be performed in a variety of ways, for example, by the configuration of the flexible contact layer 502 as described with respect to fig. 8, using a plurality of sensors as described with respect to fig. 9, the configuration of the sensor substrate 504 as described with respect to fig. 10, using the force concentrator layer as described with respect to fig. 11-13, using the securing as described with respect to fig. 14-16, and combinations thereof.

Flexible contact layer

FIG. 8 illustrates an example 800 of a flexible contact layer of a single pressure sensitive key configured to normalize the output produced at multiple positions of the switch. In this example, a view of the "bottom" or "underside" of the flexible contact layer 502 of FIG. 5 configured to contact the conductors 512 of the sensor substrate 504 is shown.

The flexible contact layer 502 is illustrated as having first and second sensing regions 802, 804. In this example, the first sensing region 802 generally corresponds to the first position in FIG. 6 where pressure is applied, and the second sensing region 804 generally corresponds to the second position in FIG. 7 where pressure is applied.

As previously described, flexing of the flexible contact layer 502 due to changes in distance from the edge of the switch may cause a relatively strong signal to be generated as the distance from the edge of the key increases. Thus, in this example, the first and second sensing regions 802, 804 are configured to normalize the signal 806 generated at different locations. This can be done in a variety of ways, for example by having a higher conductivity and a smaller resistance at the second sensing region 804 compared to the first sensing region 802.

Differences in conductivity and/or resistance can be achieved using a variety of techniques. For example, one or more initial layers of force sensitive ink may be applied to the flexible contact layer 502 covering the first and second sensing regions 804, 802, such as by using a screen, printing process, or other process by which ink may be disposed against a surface. One or more additional layers may then be applied to the second sensing region 804 instead of the first sensing region 802.

This results in the second sensing region 804 having a greater amount (e.g., thickness) of force sensitive ink than the first sensing region 802 for a given area, which results in a corresponding increase in conductivity and decrease in resistance. Thus, this technique may be used to at least partially offset the difference in flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 at different locations. In this example, the increased height of the force sensitive ink at the second sensing region 804 may also act to reduce the amount of deflection involved in making contact with the conductor 512 of the sensor substrate 504, which may also help normalize the signal.

Differences in conductivity and/or resistance at the first and second sensing regions 802, 804 can be achieved in a variety of other ways. For example, a first force sensitive ink may be applied at the first sensing region 802, and a second force sensitive ink having a higher conductivity and/or resistance may be applied at the second sensing region 804. Furthermore, although the arrangement of the first and second sensing regions 802, 804 is shown in fig. 8 as concentric squares, a variety of other arrangements may be employed, for example to further increase the sensitivity at the corners of the switch, to employ more than two sensing regions with different pressure sensitivities, to use a conductivity gradient, etc. Other examples are also contemplated, such as supporting the use of multiple sensors for a single key, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

FIG. 9 depicts an example 900 of the pressure sensitive key 500 of FIG. 5 including multiple sensors that detect pressure at different locations. As previously described, missed hits and compliance limitations may cause performance degradation at the edges of pressure sensitive keys.

Thus, in this example, the first sensor 902 and the second sensor 904 are employed to provide corresponding first and second sensor signals 906, 908, respectively. Further, the second sensor 904 is configured to have an increased sensitivity (e.g., higher conductivity and/or lower resistance) as compared to the first sensor 902. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, for example by different conductors and conductor configurations that act as sensors as part of the sensor substrate 504. Other configurations of the sensor substrate 504 can also be formed to normalize signals generated by pressure sensitive keys at different locations of the keys, an example of which is described with respect to the discussion of the following figures.

Sensor substrate

FIG. 10 depicts an example of a conductor 512 of a sensor substrate 504 configured to normalize signals generated at different locations of a pressure sensitive key. In this example, the conductors 512 of the sensor substrate 504 are configured in first and second portions 1002, 1004 of interdigitated tracking fingers. In this example, the surface area, the amount of conductors, and the gap between the conductors are used to adjust the sensitivity at different locations of the sensor substrate 504.

For example, pressure may be applied to the first location 1006, which may cause a relatively larger area of the force sensitive ink 510 of the flexible contact layer 502 to contact the conductor than the second location 1008 of the sensor substrate 504. As shown in the illustrated example, the amount of conductor contacted at the first location 1006 is normalized by the amount of conductor contacted at the second location 1006 using the gap spacing and conductor size. In this manner, by using smaller conductors (e.g., thinner fingers) and larger gaps at the center of the keys as opposed to the edges of the keys, the particular performance characteristics for the keys can be adjusted to suit typical user input scenarios. Furthermore, these techniques for configuring the sensor substrate 504 may be combined with the techniques described for configuring the flexible contact layer 502 to further facilitate normalization and desired user input context.

Returning again to FIG. 2, these techniques may also be utilized to normalize and support a desired configuration of different keys, such as normalizing a signal generated by a first key of a keyboard of the input device 104 with a signal generated by a second key of the keyboard. As shown in the QWERTY arrangement of fig. 2 (although the same applies to other arrangements), a user is more likely to apply greater typing pressure to a row of reference (home) keys located at the center of the device than to keys located closer to the edges of the input device 104. This may include an initiation to use the fingernails of the user's hand to reach the numbers, different strengths of different fingers (index and little), etc. for shift key rows and increased distances.

Thus, the techniques described above may also be applied to normalize signals between these keys, for example, to increase the sensitivity of numeric keys relative to reference row keys, to increase the sensitivity of "little finger" keys (e.g., the letter "a" and the semicolon keys) relative to index finger keys (e.g., the letters "f", "g", "h", and "j"), and so forth. A wide variety of other examples involving sensitivity changes are also contemplated, for example to make keys with smaller surface area (e.g., delete button in the figure), more sensitive than larger keys such as shift keys, space bars, etc.

Force concentrator

FIG. 11 depicts an example 1100 of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 4 as employing the force concentrator 404 of FIG. 4. The force concentrator 404 includes a force concentrator layer 1102 and a liner 1104. The force concentrator layer 1102 may be configured from a wide variety of materials, such as a flexible material (e.g., mylar) that is capable of flexing against the flexible contact layer 502. The force concentrator 404 may be employed to improve the consistency of the contact of the flexible contact layer 502 with the sensor substrate 504, as well as other features.

As described above, the force concentrator layer 1102 in this example includes a pad 1104 disposed thereon that is raised from a surface of the force concentrator layer 1102. Thus, the pad 1104 is configured to contact the protrusion of the flexible contact layer 502. The pad 1104 may be formed in a variety of ways, such as a layer (e.g., printed, deposited, formed, etc.) on a substrate that is formed as the force concentrator layer 1102 (e.g., mylar), as an integral part of the substrate itself, and so forth.

FIG. 12 depicts an example 1200 of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 11 as applying pressure at a plurality of different locations of the force concentrator layer 1102 to cause the flexible contact layer 502 to contact the sensor substrate 504. The pressure is again illustrated by using arrows, which in this example include first, second and third locations 1202, 1204, 1206 that are positioned at distances closer to the edges of the keys (e.g., the edges defined by the spacer layers 508, 508), respectively.

As shown, the spacers 1104 are sized to allow the flexible contact layer 502 to flex between the spacer layers 508, 508. The liner 1104 is configured to provide increased mechanical stiffness and thus improved resistance to bending and flexing, e.g., as compared to the substrate (e.g., mylar) of the force concentrator layer 1102. Thus, when the pad 1104 is pressed against the flexible contact layer 502, as illustrated by a comparison of fig. 12 with fig. 6 and 7, the flexible contact layer 502 has a reduced bend radius.

Thus, the bending of the flexible contact layer 502 around the pad 1104 may facilitate a relatively consistent contact area between the force sensitive ink 510 and the conductors 512 of the sensor substrate 504. This may facilitate normalization of the signals generated by the keys.

The pad 1104 may also act to spread the contact area of the pressure source. The user may squeeze the concentrator layer 1102 using, for example, a fingernail, the tip of a stylus, a pen, or other object having a relatively small contact area. As previously described, this may correspondingly result in a small contact area of the flexible contact layer 502 contacting the sensor substrate 504 and thus a corresponding reduction in signal strength.

However, due to the mechanical stiffness of pad 1104, this pressure may be spread across the area of pad 1104 that contacts flexible contact layer 502, which then is spread across the area of flexible contact layer 502 that correspondingly bends around pad 1104 so as to contact sensor substrate 504. In this manner, the pad 1104 may be used to normalize the contact area between the flexible contact layer 502 and the sensor substrate 504 used to generate signals through pressure sensitive keys.

The pad 1104 may also act to direct the pressure even if the pressure is applied "off-center". As previously described with respect to fig. 6 and 7, the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 may depend, at least in part, on the distance from the edges of the pressure sensitive keys, such as the edges defined by the spacer layers 508, 508 in this example.

However, the pad 1104 may be used to direct pressure to the flexible contact layer 502 to promote relatively consistent contact. For example, pressure applied at a first location 1202 located at a generally central region of the force concentrator layer 1102 may cause a contact similar to that achieved when pressure is applied at a second location 1204 located at an edge of the pad 1104. Pressure applied outside the area of the force concentrator layer 1102 defined by the pad 1104 may also be directed by using the pad 1104, such as a third location 1206 located outside the area defined by the pad 1104 but within the edges of the keys. A location outside of the area of the force concentrator layer 1102 defined by the spacer layers 508, 508 can also be directed such that the flexible contact layer 502 contacts the sensor substrate 504, an example of which is defined with respect to the following figures.

Fig. 13 illustrates an example of a cross-sectional view of a keyboard 1300 including a plurality of pressure sensitive keys employing force concentrators. In this example, the keyboard 1300 includes first and second pressure-sensitive keys 1302, 1304. The pressure sensitive keys 1302, 1304 share the force concentrator layer 1102, the flexible contact layer 502, the sensor substrate 504, and the spacer layer 508 as before. In this example, each of the pressure sensitive keys 1302, 1304 has a corresponding pad 1306, 1308 configured to direct pressure to cause contact between the flexible contact layer 502 and a corresponding portion of the sensor substrate 504.

As previously described, the limited flexibility at the edges of conventional pressure sensitive keys may result in the keys being unable to recognize the pressure applied at the edges of the keys. This may cause a "dead zone" in which the input device 104 cannot recognize the applied pressure. However, by using the force concentrator layer 1102 and directing the pressure supported by the gaskets 1306, 1308, the presence of dead zones may be reduced or even eliminated.

For example, location 1310 is illustrated using an arrow disposed between the first and second pressure-sensitive keys 1302, 1304. In this example, the location 1310 is disposed above the spacer layer 508 and closer to the first pressure-sensitive key 1302 than the second pressure-sensitive key 1304.

Thus, the pad 1306 of the first pressure-sensitive key 1302 may direct a greater amount of pressure than the pad 1308 of the second pressure-sensitive key 1304. This may result in a stronger signal generated by the first pressure-sensitive key 1302 than the second pressure-sensitive key 1304, a signal generated at the first pressure-sensitive key 1302 right instead of the second pressure-sensitive key 1304, and so on. Regardless, the input device 104 and/or a module of the computing device 102 may then determine the user's likely intent with respect to which key to be employed by processing the signals generated by the keys. In this manner, the force concentrator layer 1102 may mitigate dead zones located between keys by increasing the area that may be used to activate keys by steering.

The force concentrator layer 1102 may also be used to perform mechanical filtering of the pressure applied against the keys. For example, a user may choose to rest one or more fingers of a hand on the surface of a key while typing a document but not wish to activate the key. Thus, without the force concentrator layer 1102, the processing of input from pressure sensitive keys may be complicated by determining whether the amount and/or duration of pressure applied to a key is likely intended to activate the key.

However, in this example, the force concentrator layer 1102 may be configured for use with a flexible contact layer to mechanically filter input that is unlikely to be intended by a user to activate a key. The force concentrator layer 1102 may, for example, be configured to employ a threshold value that, in combination with the flexible contact layer 502, defines the amount of pressure to be employed to actuate a key. This may include an amount of pressure sufficient to cause the flexible contact layer 502 and the force sensitive ink 510 disposed thereon to contact the conductors 512 of the sensor substrate in order to generate a signal that may be recognized as an input to the input device 104 and/or the computing device 102.

In one implementation, the threshold is set such that a pressure of approximately fifty grams or less is insufficient to cause the force concentrator layer 1102 and the flexible contact layer 502 to initiate the signal, and a pressure above the threshold may be identified as an input. A wide variety of other implementations and thresholds are also contemplated, which may be configured to differentiate between a landing pressure and a key stroke.

The force concentrator layer 1102 may also be configured to provide a wide variety of other functions. For example, the input device 104 may include an outer layer 402 (e.g., fabric) that, as previously described with respect to FIG. 4, may include indications of operation of keys (e.g., letters, numbers) and other operations (e.g., "shift," "return," navigation, etc.). A force concentrator layer 1102 may be disposed below the layer. Further, the side of the force concentrator layer 1102 exposed toward the outer layer 402 may be configured to be substantially smooth, thereby reducing or even eliminating witness lines that may be caused by underlying components of the input device 104.

In this way, the surface of the outer layer 402 may be made to have increased uniformity and it may thus provide a better typing experience with increased accuracy, for example by promoting a smooth tactile feel without interference from underlying components. The force concentrator layer 1102 may also be configured to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) to underlying components of the input device 104. For example, the input device 104 may include a tracking pad as shown in fig. 1 and 2, and thus movement across the tracking pad may generate static electricity. However, the force concentrator layer 1102 may protect the components of the input device 104 exposed below the layer from this potential ESD. Various other examples of such protection are also contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Supporting layer

Fig. 14 depicts an example implementation 1400 showing a support layer 408 configured to support the operation of the flexible hinge 106 and protect components of the input device 104 during the operation. As previously described, the flexible hinges 106 may be configured to support various degrees of bending to assume different configurations. However, the material selected to form the flexible hinge 106 (e.g., to form the outer layers 402, 416 of the flexible hinge 106) may be selected to support a desired "look and feel" and thus may not provide the desired elasticity against tearing and stretching.

Thus, in such examples, this may have an impact on the operability of the conductors 1402 used to communicatively couple the keys and other components of the input device 104 with the computing device 102. For example, the user may grasp the input device 104 with one hand to pull it away from the computing device 102 by disengaging the protrusion 208 and the magnetic attraction supported by the magnet. This, therefore, may result in an amount of force being applied to the conductors sufficient to break them in the absence of sufficient support from the first or second outer layers 402, 416 or other structures.

Accordingly, the input device 104 may include a support layer 408 that may be configured to protect the flexible hinge 106 as well as other components of the input device 104. For example, the support layer 408 may be formed from a material having a higher tear and stretch resistance than the material used to form the outer layers 402, 416, such as biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BoPET), also known as mylar.

The support provided by the support layer 408 may thus help protect the material used to form the outer layers 402, 416 of the flexible hinge 106. Support layer 408 may also help protect components disposed through the hinge, such as conductors 1402 used to communicatively couple connection portion 202 with the keys.

In the illustrated example, the support layer 408 includes a portion 1404 configured to be provided as part of an input portion 914 of the input device 104, which as shown in fig. 1 includes keys, tracking pads, and the like. Support layer 408 also includes first and second tabs (tab) 1406, 1408 configured to extend from portion 1404 through flexible hinge 106 for securing to connecting portion 202. These tabs may be secured in a variety of ways, such as to include one or more holes as shown through which protrusions (e.g., screws, pins, etc.) may be inserted to secure the tabs to the connecting portion 202.

In this example, the first and second ears 1406, 1408 are illustrated as being configured to be connected at approximately opposite ends of the connection portion 202. In this way, undesired rotational movement may be limited, for example, perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by the connecting portion 202. Thus, the conductors 1402 disposed at the opposing midpoints of the connection portion 202 and the flexible hinge 106 may also be protected from tearing, stretching, and other forces.

In this illustrated example, the support layer 408 also includes a mid-spine portion 1410 configured to form part of the mid-spine to increase the mechanical stiffness of the mid-spine and support a minimum bend radius. Although first and second tabs 1406, 1408 are illustrated, it should be readily apparent that more or fewer tabs may also be employed by support layer 408 to support the described functionality.

Adhesive agent

FIG. 15 depicts a bottom view 1500 of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 5 as securing the flexible contact layer 502 at multiple locations along the edge of the key. In this example, the first, second, third, and fourth edges 1502, 1504, 1506, 1508 are illustrated as defining an opening 1510 of the spacing layer 508 of the pressure sensitive key. The opening 1510 as described with respect to fig. 5-7 allows the flexible contact layer 502 to flex (e.g., bend and/or stretch) through the opening 1510 in order to contact the one or more conductors 512 of the sensor substrate 504.

In the illustrated example, the first securing portion 1512 is illustrated as being disposed adjacent a first edge 1512 of the opening 1510. Likewise, second, third, and fourth securing portions 1514, 1516, 1518 are illustrated as being disposed adjacent corresponding second, third, and fourth edges 1504, 1506, 1508 of the opening 1510. The securing portion may be configured in a variety of ways, such as by using an adhesive, a mechanical securing device (e.g., a pin), and so forth. For example, the adhesive may be applied to the spacer layer 508 as a series of dots or other shapes, which then contact (e.g., press) to the flexible contact layer 502.

Regardless of the technique used to secure the flexible contact layer 502 to the spacer layer 508, flexibility may be configured as desired by allowing portions of the flexible contact layer 502 along the edges of the opening to remain unsecured. For example, the first and second securing portions 1514, 1516 may define only areas where the flexible contact layer 502 is secured to the spacer layer 508 along the respective first and second edges 1502, 1504. Thus, similar to the edge discussion of fig. 6 and 7, the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 502 may decrease as the distance between the contact point of pressure and the fixed portion decreases, e.g., due to the flexible contact layer sliding over the edge, allowing for increased stretching, etc.

However, the opposite is true, since the flexibility increases the further the pressure is applied from the fixation part. Thus, flexibility along the edges of the opening 1510 can be increased by including portions along the edges where the flexible contact layer 502 is not (adjacently) secured to the spacer layer 508. Thus, different arrangements of how the flexible contact layer 502 is secured to the spacer layer 404 may be used to support different amounts of flexibility at different locations of the flexible contact layer 502.

For example, as shown, the first and second fixation portions 1512, 1514 are positioned closer together than the first and third fixation portions 1512, 1516. Accordingly, a point (e.g., a midpoint) between the first and third stationary portions 1512, 1516 may be more flexible than a corresponding point (e.g., a midpoint) between the first and second stationary portions 1512, 1514. In this manner, the designer may configure the flexible contact layer 502 to increase or decrease flexibility at particular locations as desired.

In the example 1600 of fig. 16, for example, the second stationary portion 1514 moves from one end of the second edge 1504 to an opposite end of the second edge 1504. Thus, in this example, the flexibility increases in the upper left portion of the key and decreases in the upper right portion of the key. A wide variety of other examples are also contemplated, examples of which are shown in the following examples with respect to a keyboard.

Fig. 17A depicts an example of an adhesive layer 1700 applied as part of a keyboard having a plurality of keys, where different adhesive arrangements are used for different keys. In this example, the securing portions are illustrated with black lines and dots of adhesive that are used to secure the flexible contact layer 502 to the spacer layer 506. As shown, different arrangements of the fixed part may be used to account for differences in how the corresponding key may be pressed.

For example, as shown, the adhesive arrangement for each key in a reference row (e.g., keys 43-55) is different than the adhesive arrangement for the row of keys in the next lower row (e.g., keys 56-67). This may be performed to account for the likely "where" pressing of a key, e.g., at the center of the key or a particular side of its four sides. This may also be performed to address how "the key may be pressed, e.g., using pads of fingers against the user's fingernails, which fingers of the user are likely to press the key, etc. Thus, as shown in the example adhesive layer 1700 of fig. 17, different arrangements may be used for different rows of keys and for different columns of keys.

In this example, adhesive layer 1700 is also illustrated as forming first and second pressure equalization devices 1702, 1704. In this example, the adhesive is arranged to leave channels formed between the adhesive. Thus, the adhesive defines a channel forming the device. These channels are configured to connect an opening 1510 formed as part of a pressure sensitive key between the flexible contact layer 502 and the sensor substrate 504 to the environment outside of the input device 104.

In this way, air may move between the external environment and the opening through the channel to substantially equalize air pressure, which may help prevent damage to the input device 104, for example, in the face of a reduction in air pressure in an aircraft. In one or more implementations, the channel may be formed as a labyrinth having a plurality of curved portions to prevent external contaminants from passing through the pressure equalization devices 1702, 1704 to the opening 1510. In the illustrated example, the pressure equalization devices 1702, 1704 are provided as part of the palm rest of the spacer layer to take advantage of the available space to form longer channels and thus further prevent contamination. Naturally, numerous and varied other examples and positions can be envisaged without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Fig. 17B depicts another example implementation of a layer 1750 incorporating a matrix that may or may not correspond to the adhesive layer 410 of fig. 4 that may be used to reduce air entrapment. In this example, strategic adhesive placement (or other securing techniques) is used to reduce air entrapment between successive layers. In the previous example, a vent labyrinth seal in the sensor substrate/flexible contact layer interface is described.

In this example, the layer (e.g., below the sensor substrate 202) is not configured as a "full bleed" adhesive sheet, but rather is a square matrix of adhesive patches that bind successive layers together. This allows for easier assembly and eliminates air entrapment between the layers. In this manner, the multiple layers may be joined together by adhesive constructions to achieve a thin profile, rigidity, and allow internal electronic nesting of the components.

Nesting

FIG. 18 depicts an example 1800 of a surface mount hardware element 1802 that may be used to support the functionality of the input device 104. The input device 104 may be configured in a variety of ways to support a variety of functions. For example, the input device 104 may be configured to include pressure sensitive keys as described with respect to fig. 5-7, a tracking pad as shown in fig. 1, or other functionality, such as keys of a mechanical switch, a biometric reader (e.g., a fingerprint reader), and so forth.

Thus, the input device 104 may include a variety of different types of surface mount hardware elements 1802 that support this functionality. For example, the input device 104 may include a processor 1804 that may be utilized to perform a variety of different operations. One example of such an operation may include processing a signal generated by the pressure sensitive key 500 of fig. 5 or other keys (e.g., keys of a non-pressure sensitive mechanical switch) into a Human Interface Device (HID) compatible input, for example, to identify a particular keystroke. Thus, in this example, the input device 104 may perform processing of the signals and provide the results of the processing as input to the computing device 102. In this manner, the computing device 102 and its software may easily, without modification, identify the input, for example, through the operating system of the computing device 102.

In another example, the input device 104 may include one or more sensors 1806. The sensors 1806 may be utilized to detect motion and/or orientation of the input device 104, for example. Examples of such sensors 1806 include accelerometers, magnetometers, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and the like.

In another example, input device 104 can include touch controller 1808, which can be used to process touch input detected using one or more keys in a keyboard, a trackpad, and so forth. In yet another example, the input device 104 may include one or more linear regulators 1810 to maintain a relatively stable voltage for the electrical components of the input device 104.

The input device 104 may also include an authentication integrated circuit 1812. The authentication integrated circuit 1812 may be configured to authenticate the input device 104 for operation with the computing device 102. This may be performed in a variety of ways, such as sharing a secret between the devices that is processed by the input device 104 and/or the computing device 102 in order to perform authentication. A wide variety of other 1814 surface mount hardware elements 1802 are also contemplated to support a wide variety of different functions.

However, as previously described, including surface mount hardware elements 1802 using conventional techniques may have an adverse effect on the overall thickness of the input device 104. However, in one or more implementations described herein, the layers of the input device 104 may include nesting techniques to mitigate this effect, further discussion of which may be found in the following figures.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example implementation 1900 in which the surface mounted hardware elements 1802 of FIG. 18 are depicted nested in one or more layers of the input device 104. As previously described, the input device may include top and bottom outer layers 402, 416 that may be formed to have a desired tactile feel to the user, such as by using microfibers or the like. The outer layer 402 may be configured, for example, using an embossed fabric (e.g., 0.6 mm polyurethane), where the embossing is used to provide an indication of the underlying keys as well as an indication of the individual functions of the keys.

Disposed below the outer layer 402 is a force concentrator 404, which includes a force concentrator layer 1102 and a plurality of pads 1306, 1308 for supporting corresponding first and second pressure-sensitive keys 1302, 1304. The force concentrator 404 may be configured to provide a mechanical filter, force direction, and hide the witness line of the underlying component.

In this example, the pressure sensitive key assembly 406 is disposed below the pads 1306, 1308 of the force concentrator layer 1102, although other examples are also contemplated in which the force concentrator 404 is not utilized. The pressure sensitive key assembly 406 includes layers used to implement pressure sensitive keys. As depicted in fig. 5, for example, the flexible contact layer 502 may include a force sensitive ink that, by flexing the flexible contact layer 502, may contact one or more conductors of the sensor substrate 504 in order to generate a signal that may be used to initiate an input.

Sensor substrate 504 can be configured in a variety of ways. In the illustrated example, the sensor substrate 504 includes a first side on which the one or more conductors are configured, such as by being implemented as traces on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). A surface mount hardware element 1802 is mounted to a second side of the sensor substrate 504 opposite the first side.

The surface mount hardware element 1802 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more conductors of the first side of the sensor substrate 504, for example, through the sensor substrate 504. The surface mount hardware element 1802 may then process the generated signal to convert the signal into an HID-compatible input recognizable by the computing device 102.

This may include processing the analog signals to determine the user's likely intent, such as processing missed hits, signals from multiple keys simultaneously, implementing a palm rejection threshold, determining whether a threshold indicative of a likely key press is exceeded, and so forth. As previously described with respect to fig. 18, a wide variety of other functional examples are contemplated that may be implemented using surface mounted hardware elements of the input device 104 without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

To reduce the effect of the height of the surface mount hardware elements 1802 on the overall thickness of the input device 104, the surface mount hardware elements 1802 may be disposed through one or more apertures of other layers of the input device 104. In this example, the surface mount hardware component 1802 is provided through holes made through the support layer 408 and the adhesive layer 410 and at least partially through the support plate 412. Another example is also illustrated in fig. 4, where the holes are formed entirely through each of the support layer 408, the adhesive layer 410, and the support plate 412.

Thus, in this example, the total thickness of the layers of the input device 104, and the layers disposed therebetween, of the force concentrator layer 1102 through the backing layer 414 can be configured to have a thickness of approximately 2.2 millimeters or less. Further, depending on the thickness of the material selected for the outer layers 402, 416, the overall thickness of the input device 104 at the pressure sensitive keys may be configured to be approximately 3.5 millimeters or less. Naturally, other thicknesses are also contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Key formation

FIG. 20 depicts an example implementation 2000 showing a top view of an outer surface 402 of the input device 104 of FIG. 1 including a plurality of keys. In this example, the outer surface 402 of the input device is configured to cover a plurality of keys of a keyboard, examples of which are illustrated as letters "j", "k", "l" and "m", but naturally other keys and corresponding functions are also contemplated, such as letters, punctuation, different languages and layouts, functions (e.g., piano keyboard, game controller), and so forth.

As previously described, conventional techniques utilized to configure an input device to support a thin form factor may result in an inefficient and undesirable user experience when interacting with the device (such as typing, for example) due to difficulties in locating and identifying particular keys of the device. However, techniques that may be employed to facilitate a user experience with the input device 104 are described in this section and elsewhere.

In this example, the keys are illustrated as indicating the boundaries of the keys as rectangles with rounded corners, which may correspond to the edges of the spacing layer 506 of the key 400 previously described. Naturally, the boundary may be indicated in a variety of other ways, such as a line along one or more edges of the key, a series of points, and so forth.

Regardless of the shape and the pattern of how the boundaries are indicated, these indications may be configured to provide tactile feedback so that the user may position the keys using one or more fingers of the user's hand. For example, the boundary may be indicated by a series of protrusions that "protrude" from the surface of the outer layer 402. In another example, embossing techniques may be used to form depressions in outer layer 402 to indicate boundaries, further discussion of which may be found beginning with respect to fig. 23.

The keys may also include an indication of the respective function of the key so that the user can easily identify the function at a glance, examples of which include the letters "j", "k", "l", and "m", although other examples are also contemplated as previously described. Conventional techniques that rely on them to provide such an indication may lack durability, particularly when applied to flexible surfaces such as outer layer 402 of fig. 20. Thus, a technique is described herein in which an indication of functionality is formed within the outer layer 402 itself, and thus provides resilience against damage, further discussion of which may be found to begin with respect to fig. 25.

Fig. 21 depicts a cross-sectional view 2100 of the outer layer 402 of fig. 4 and 20. In this example, the outer layer 402 is shown as being formed from multiple layers. These layers include outer skin 2102, intermediate layer 2104, base layer 2106 and backing 2108. These layers form an outer layer 402 that acts as an outer cover for the input device 104, including the input and the indication of the boundary as described with respect to fig. 20.

In this example, the outer skin 2102 and the intermediate layer 2104 are "dry" in that the layers are formed together so as to form the outer layer 402 without involving solidification (e.g., solidification, drying, formation from molten material, etc.). In this example, the foundation layer 2106 is a "wet" layer in that it is formed to be joined as part of the backing 2108. For example, backing 2108 may be formed as a fabric (e.g., a nylon warp knit fabric) such that base layer 2106 melts into the fabric to bond backing 2108 to intermediate layer 2104.

As previously described, a thin form factor may be desirable for the input device 104 (e.g., to support functioning as a cover), and thus the thinness of the outer layer 402 and the components of that layer may be used to support the form factor. In one implementation, the outer skin 2102 is formed of polyurethane having a thickness of approximately 0.065 millimeters, although other materials and thicknesses are also contemplated. The intermediate layer 2104 is formed of an apertured material, which may be colored as described further with respect to fig. 25, to have a thickness of approximately 0.05 millimeters.

The base layer 2106 as described above may be formed as a wet layer that melts into the backing 2108 and thus may be considered to have minimal impact on the thickness of the outer layer 402. The backing 2108 is formed from a fabric material (e.g., nylon warp knit) having a thickness of approximately 0.3 millimeters. Thus, the outer layer 402 as a whole may be configured to support a thin form factor of the input device 104. However, with such a configuration, conventional formation of the boundaries of the keys and indication of the keys may not be applicable to such form factors. Accordingly, techniques are described herein that can be used for such thicknesses, as further described in the beginning with respect to fig. 23 and 25, respectively.

Fig. 22 depicts a cross-sectional view 2200 of the outer layer 416 of fig. 4. In this example, the outer layer 416 is configured to cover the bottom of the input device 104. Thus, the intermediate layer 2104 of the outer layer 402 may be omitted to further facilitate thinness of the input device 104. For example, the outer layer 416 may include the outer skin 2102, the base layer 2106, and the backing 2108 as described above, but does not include the intermediate layer 2104.

However, other implementations are also contemplated, such as including an intermediate layer 2104 to support the instructions and other text as further described with respect to fig. 25. It should be readily apparent that the outer layer 416 may also be configured in a wide variety of other ways to include a wide variety of other sub-layers that differ from the outer layer 402 of fig. 21 without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

FIG. 23 depicts a cross-sectional view 2300 of outer layer 402 of FIG. 21, wherein the boundaries of the key are formed within outer skin 2102. In this example, the first and second recesses 2302, 2304 are formed to indicate the boundaries of a key as described with respect to fig. 20. As previously described, the overall thinness of the input device 104 may be supported by using thinner layers to form the device.

However, conventional techniques for forming these layers may not be sufficient for the desired purpose. For example, conventional techniques involving embossing typically use a material having a thickness well in excess of one millimeter to make the depressions. Such a recess can thus be made with a depth sufficient to be tactilely felt by the user. Conversely, embossing of materials having a thickness of less than 1 millimeter may result in depressions that are not easily identified by a user using conventional techniques. One example of this includes a thickness of approximately 0.065 millimeters of the outer skin 2102 in the current example, which correspondingly supports a depression depth of even less.

Techniques are described in which embossing may be used to form depressions 2302, 2304 that may be tactilely felt by a user, the depressions having a depth less than that of conventional depressions. For example, the first and second depressions 2302, 2304 may be configured to have a depth of approximately one third of the thickness of the outer skin 2102, such as approximately 0.02 millimeters. Such depth is not readily tactilely perceptible to the user using conventional techniques.

However, using the techniques described herein, the first and second recesses may be formed to have sharp edges (having at least one edge, e.g., substantially a right angle) that may be tactilely felt by a user. In this way, the user may easily feel the key edges for an improved typing experience, however the outer skin 2102 and thus the overall thickness of the outer layer 402 and the input device itself may be configured to support a thin form factor. The outer skin 2102, for example, can be configured to have a minimum amount of thickness such that the intermediate drying layer 2104 is not viewable through the outer skin 2102. As further described initially with respect to fig. 25, this may be used to support the formation of the indication by different coloring of the layers. The first and second recesses 2302, 2304 can be formed in a variety of ways, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

Fig. 24 depicts an example implementation 2400 in which the first and second depressions 2302, 2304 of fig. 23 are formed within the outer skin 2102 of the outer layer 402. In this example, the heating plate 2402 (e.g., a copper heating plate) includes first and second protrusions 2404, 2406 configured to form first and second depressions 2302, 2304 in the outer skin 2102.

The heating plate 2402 may, for example, be heated to a temperature sufficient to emboss, but not burn, the outer skin 2102, for example less than 130 degrees celsius, such as in the range of 110-120 degrees celsius. The heating plate 2402 may then be pressed against the outer skin 2102 of the outer layer 402 using a pressure sufficient to form the first and second depressions 2302, 2304, which again may be selected based on the characteristics of the material used to form the outer skin 2102.

In the illustrated example of fig. 24, the heating plate 2402 is pressed against the outer skin 2102 to form first and second depressions 2302, 2304. As shown, the height of the first and second protrusions 2404, 2406 is greater than the depth of the first and second depressions 2302, 2304 formed in the outer skin 2102. In this manner, the portions of the outer skin 2102 that are not embossed (e.g., the areas between the first and second protrusions 2404, 2406 in this example) are not contacted by the heating plate 2402. This may help to maintain the original look and feel of the original manufactured outer skin 2402. Other implementations are also contemplated where the heating plate 2402 does contact the outer skin 2101 along this portion.

In one or more implementations, the heating plate 2402 is configured to provide a different look and feel (e.g., appearance and texture) to the embossed outer skin 2102 portion as compared to the unembossed outer skin 2102 portion. In this way, the user can easily determine the boundaries of the keys by looking. In another implementation, the heating plate 2402 is configured to form the first and second depressions 2302, 2304 so as to have a similar look and feel as the surface of the outer skin 2102. This can be performed in a variety of ways, such as by grit blasting of the heating plate 2402. A wide variety of other implementations are also contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Fig. 25 depicts an example implementation 2500 in which a portion of the outer skin 2102 is removed to expose the intermediate layer 2104 to form an indication of key functionality. In this example, the outer layer 402 is shown with embossed first and second depressions 2302, 2304, but this technique may also be applied to the outer layer 402 prior to embossing, such as the outer layer of fig. 21.

The laser 2502 is shown emitting a laser beam depicted as an arrow in order to remove a portion of the outer skin 2102. By removing this portion, a corresponding portion 2504 of the intermediate layer 2104 is exposed to be viewable by a user of the outer layer 402. Thus, by using an intermediate layer 2104 having a color different from the color of the outer skin 2102, indications of the function of the keys and other indicia (e.g., warnings, logos, etc.) may be formed within the outer surface 402. A wide variety of different colors may be utilized, such as white for the intermediate layer 2104 and dark gray for the outer layer 2102.

In one or more implementations, the intermediate layer 2104 is formed to have a sufficient thickness such that it does not discolor or undesirably melt during removal of the portion. Furthermore, the thickness of the outer skin 2102 may be selected such that the intermediate layer 2104 is not viewable through the portion of the outer skin 2102 from which material has not been removed, i.e., such that the intermediate layer 2104 is not viewable through the material of the outer skin 2102.

In addition, laser 2502 may also be selected based on the color of the material used to form outer skin 2102. For example, different wavelengths may support the removal of different colored materials. In this manner, a wide variety of different types of indications may be formed as part of outer surface 402, which may then serve as a cover for a key assembly of input device 104.

Fig. 26 depicts an example implementation 2600 in which removal of portions of the outer skin 2102 causes the intermediate layer 2104 to expand through an opening formed in the outer skin 2102. The opening 2602 can be formed within the outer skin 2102 as previously described with respect to fig. 25. However, in this example, the intermediate layer 2104 is configured to expand in response to the removal.

Heat from laser 2502 of fig. 25, for example, may cause the open cell structure of intermediate layer 2104 to expand. This expansion may cause the intermediate layer 2104 to pass through the opening 2602 formed in the intermediate layer 2102. In addition, the heat may also cause the exposed surface 2604 of the intermediate layer 2104 to form a generally smooth surface. In the illustrated example, the expansion is configured such that the exposed surface 2604 of the intermediate layer 2104 forms a substantially continuous surface with the outer skin 2102, e.g., the surfaces are generally contiguous. A variety of other examples are also contemplated, including different amounts of expansion of the intermediate layer 2104 (e.g., extending past the surface of the outer skin 2102), having the intermediate layer 2104 remain below the surface of the outer skin 2102, having the intermediate layer 2104 remain as shown in fig. 25, and so forth.

Input device assembly

Fig. 27 depicts an example implementation 2700 in which a cross-section is shown in which outer layer 402 of fig. 26 is secured to key assembly 2702. In this example, the key assembly 2702 can be the same as or different from the previously described key assembly (e.g., the pressure sensitive key assembly 406 of fig. 4). For example, the key assembly may include one or more of a force concentrator, a support layer 408, an adhesive layer 410, a support plate 412, a backing layer 414, and the like.

In this example, outer layer 402, which has first and second recesses 2302, 2304 and has material removed to expose surface 2504 of the intermediate layer to form functional indicia, is secured to key assembly 2702. The fixation may be performed in various ways, e.g. by adhesive, mechanical fastening, etc.

In the illustrated example, heat activated film 2704 is used to mechanically bond backing 2108 of outer layer 402 to key assembly 2702. The outer layer 402 and the heat activated film 2704 may be, for example, laterally tensioned, such as by applying forces in opposite directions along a surface of the outer layer 402. Outer layer 402 and key assembly 2702 can then be forced together under a sufficient amount of pressure and heat to achieve heat activated film 2704.

Heat and pressure can cause the heat activated film 2704 to melt between the fabric materials used to form the backing 2108. In this manner, heat activated film 2704 may form a mechanical engagement with backing 2108 of outer layer 402 and also secure outer layer 402 to key assembly 2702. The use of pressure and tension may be used to minimize imperfections such as wrinkles, air pockets, etc. between outer layer 402 and key assembly 2702. Similar techniques may be used to form the outer surface 416 of the bottom surface of the input device 104 as described further below.

FIG. 28 depicts an example implementation 2800 in which a cross-section is shown in which the outer layer 416 of FIG. 22 is secured for assembly as part of the input device 104. Like fig. 22, the outer layer 416 includes an outer skin 2102 secured to the backing 2108 using a base layer 2106, which may be implemented as a wet layer that forms a mechanical engagement with the outer skin 2102 and also secures the outer skin 2102 to the backing 2108.

In this example, the outer layer 416 is also secured to the support plate 414 using a heat activated film 2802. As previously described, the outer layer 416 may be secured to the key assembly 2702 or other layers assembled to form the input device 104 as shown in fig. 4, for example, in a variety of different configurations.

As also previously described, the outer surface 416, in this example, may include an outer skin 2102 secured to a backing 2108 using a base layer 2106. The base layer 2106 may be formed as a wet layer that is mechanically joined to the backing 2108 and also secured to the outer skin 2102 as before. The combination forms an outer layer 416 that is configured to form an outer surface of the back side of the input device 104 in this example.

The outer layer 416 may then be secured to the support plate 414 by activating the heat activated film using pressure and heat as described above. Further, the outer layer 416 and/or the heat activated layer 2802 may be placed under tension in order to reduce defects that may otherwise form during assembly. Once the heat activated film 2802 melts, a mechanical bond may be formed between the heat activated film 2802 and the backing 2108 of the outer skin 416. In addition, the heat activated film 2802 may be adhered to the support plate 414. A wide variety of other securing examples are also contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

FIG. 29 depicts an example implementation 2900 in which the outer layers 402, 404 are secured to one another so as to form an edge adjacent to an input portion of the input device 104. In this example, outer layer 402, which is secured to key assembly 2702 using heat activated film 2704 as described in fig. 27, is disposed adjacent to support plate 414, which is secured to outer layer 316 using heat activated film 2802 as described with respect to fig. 28. Support plate 414 can also be secured to key assembly 2702 using one or more intermediate layers, such as an adhesive layer having a dot matrix configuration as shown in fig. 17B or other examples.

In this example, the outer layers 402, 416 surround the edges of the key assembly 2702 and the support plate 414, such as at the outer edges of the input device shown in fig. 2. The heat activated films of the respective outer layers 402, 416 are then secured to one another to form the outer edges of the input device 104. For example, an amount of heat and pressure may be applied such that one or more of the heat activated films 2704, 2802 melts to form a mechanical bond with both of the outer layers 402, 416.

In this way, a robust bond may be formed between the outer layers 402, 416 to reduce the chance of separation at these potentially high stress regions of the input device 104. This technique may be used along the outer edges of key assembly 2702 and other portions of the input portion of input device 104 as well as along the edges of flexible hinge 106. A variety of other techniques for forming the edges of the input device 104 are also contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Fig. 30 depicts an example implementation 3000 in which a carrier 3002 is used to assemble the input device 104. In this case, carrier 3002 includes first and second sides 3004, 3006 attached to each other using hinges 3008. The hinge 3008 is configured to allow rotational movement of the first and second sides 3004, 3006 relative to each other as further shown in fig. 35.

An outer layer 416 corresponding to the bottom of the input device 104 is disposed within the first side 3004. The outer layer 402 corresponds to the top of the input device 104 (e.g., includes an indication of the function of the keys) and is disposed within the second side 3006. The carrier 3002 may then be used to assemble the connection portion 202 as further described below.

Fig. 31 depicts an example implementation 3100 showing a cross-sectional view of the outer layers 416, 402 of the ridges 3102 secured to the connecting portion 202. In this example, the carrier 3002 of fig. 30 is disposed within a laminator to apply heat and pressure to the outer layers 416, 410. Heat and pressure are illustrated in the figures by using arrows to secure the layers at the respective portions of the ridges 3102. The ridges 3102 may be formed from a variety of materials and take a variety of shapes, such as being formed from a metal (e.g., aluminum) and configured to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of the connection portion 202 of fig. 2.

To align the outer layers 402, 416 with the ridges 3102, a series of posts and rings may be employed. For example, posts may be disposed on the ridges 3102 that are configured to be disposed through corresponding rings formed in the outer layers 402, 416. This pairing between the materials can thus be used to hold the outer layers 402, 416 and the ridge 3102 together and to secure the materials together during lamination.

Fig. 32 depicts an example implementation 3200 in which protrusions 3202 are secured to ridges 3102 of fig. 31 to form connecting portion 202. The protrusions 3202 are configured to be disposed within channels of the computing device 102 as described with respect to fig. 2 and 3, and thus may be used to provide communication and physical coupling between devices. In this example, the protrusion 3202 is mounted "upside down" by positioning the carrier 3002 of fig. 30.

Protrusion 3202 may be secured in a variety of ways. For example, adhesives 3204, 3206 may be applied to secure protrusions 3202 to outer layers 416, 402, respectively. Adhesive 3208 may also be applied to secure the protrusions 3202 to the ridge 3102. In one or more implementations, the adhesive may involve an approximate amount of time to "cure" or "set up". Thus, additional techniques may be employed to secure protrusions 3202 to ridges 3208 while this process occurs, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

Fig. 33 depicts an example implementation 3300 in which a top view of the connecting portion 202 of fig. 31 of the protrusion 3102 is shown. The connection portion 202 may be configured in a variety of ways and from a variety of materials (e.g., metal, plastic, etc.) as previously described. These different materials may be selected based on the desired function.

For example, a designer may wish to easily insert and remove connection portion 202 from a cavity of computing device 102 and, thus, select a material that is smooth and has relatively high abrasion resistance. However, such materials may not provide the desired resistance to flexing, which would result in inconsistent contact between portions of the connection portion 202 and the computing device 102. Thus, the designer may choose to utilize multiple pins at the first, second, third, and fourth locations 3302, 3304, 3306, and 3308 along the longitudinal axis of the connecting portion 202 in order to provide the desired stiffness.

FIG. 34 depicts a cross-sectional view 3400 of the connection portion 202 of FIG. 33. As shown, first, second, third, and fourth pins 3402, 3404, 3406, 3408 are utilized to secure the ridges 3102 to the protrusions 3202 used to form the top surface of the connection portion 202. In this way, the pins in combination with the ridges 3102 and protrusions 3202 may form a laminate structure that resists bending, e.g., along an axis perpendicular to the surface of the ridges 3102 and the height of the pins. It should be readily apparent that a wide range in the number and location of the pins is contemplated, and the preceding discussion is merely an example thereof.

The use of pins may also support a variety of other functions. The laminate structure may also be supported, for example, by the use of an adhesive between the ridges 3102 and the protrusions 3202 as described with respect to fig. 32. As previously described, the adhesive may have a certain amount of cure time before it is effective. However, by using pins, adhesive may be applied and then pins inserted during curing to secure ridges 3102 to protrusions 3202, thereby increasing manufacturing speed and efficiency. The pins may be configured in a variety of ways, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

Fig. 35 depicts an example cross-sectional view of first pin 3402 of fig. 34 as securing ridge 3102 to protrusion 3202 of connection portion 202. In this example, the first pin 3402 is configured to include a self-clamping function so that the pin may be secured within a relatively thin material (e.g., a sheet metal piece). In this manner, the ridge 3102 may be caused to exert pressure against the head 3502 of the first pin 3402 to secure the first pin 3402 to the ridge 3102.

First pin 3402 may also include a barrel 3504 secured within the plastic of protrusion 3202. Thus, the first pin 3402 may be pressed through an appropriately sized hole in the ridge 3102 to make the ridge 3102 self-gripping and to make the barrel 3504 secure within the plastic of the protrusion 3202. A wide variety of other types and configurations of pins may be utilized, such as screws, rivets, and the like.

Fig. 36 depicts an example implementation 3600 of a portion of the assembly process of the input device 104, where the carrier 3002 is folded. Continuing from the previous example, at this point the outer layers 402, 416 are secured to the connection portion 202 formed by the ridge 3102 and the protrusion 3202. In this example, connection portion 202 points "down" and key assembly 2702 is disposed above outer surface 402.

One or both of the first and second sides 3004, 3006 are then rotated about the hinge 3008 to fold the carrier 3002. The result of this folding is shown in the example implementation 3700 of fig. 37. The fold places outer layer 416, which forms the back of input device 104, over key assembly 2702 and outer layer 402, which forms the top of the device (e.g., including key function indicia).

Thus, key assembly 2702 of fig. 27 is now disposed between outer surfaces 402, 416. In one or more implementations, outer surface 416 may then be secured to key assembly 2702 (e.g., support plate 414 of the key assembly) and form an edge of input device 104 as described with respect to fig. 29 using one or more lamination tools as described with respect to fig. 28. A die cut operation may then be performed by placing the folded carrier 3002 of fig. 36 in a die cutter to produce the final finished input device 104 as shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 38 depicts an example implementation 3800 that illustrates a cross-sectional view of the connection portion 202 formed in fig. 37. As before, the connecting portion 3202 includes a ridge 3102 and a protrusion 3202, which in this example is illustrated as pointing downward as placed in the carrier 3002 of fig. 37. The outer layer 402 forming the top surface of the input device 104 is illustrated as being secured to the ridge 3102 and the protrusion 3202 as previously described with respect to fig. 31 and 32.

The outer layer 416 forming the bottom surface of the input device 104 is also secured to the ridge 3102 and the protrusions 3202 as previously described. In addition, the carrier 3002 is folded such that the outer surface 416 surrounds the ridge 3102 as shown in fig. 35. Thus, in this example, the outer surface 416 covers at least two sides of the connection portion 202 (e.g., the ridges 3102 of the connection portion 202) and hides the ridges 3102 from view.

This wrap-around, along with flexible hinge 106, may enable input portion 3702 of input device 104, including key assembly 2702, to move similar to the cover of the book, with the wrap-around portion of ridge 3102 providing a look and feel similar to the spine of the book. The input portion 3802 may be rotated, for example, to cover the display device 110 of the computing device 102 and also rotated to at least partially cover a rear portion of a housing of the computing device 102.

FIG. 39 provides a cross-sectional view of an example implementation in which the connection portion is physically connected to the computing device 102. In this cross-section, flexible hinge 106 includes a conductor 3902 configured to communicatively couple connecting portion 202 of fig. 2 with a key assembly 2702 (e.g., one or more keys, a tracking pad, etc.) of input device 104. Conductor 3902 may be formed in a variety of ways, such as with copper traces that allow for operational flexibility as part of the flexible hinge, for example, to support repeated flexing of flexible hinge 106. However, the flexibility of conductor 3902 may be limited, e.g., may remain operational to conduct signals for deflections performed above a minimum bend radius.

Thus, flexible hinge 106 may be configured to support a minimum bend radius based on the operational flexibility of conductor 3902 such that flexible hinge 106 resists flexing below that radius. A wide variety of different techniques may be employed. The flexible hinge 106 may be configured to include the outer layers 402, 416 as previously described, for example. The flexibility of the material used to form outer layers 402, 416 may be configured to support the flexibility such that conductor 3902 does not break or otherwise render it inoperable during movement of input portion 3802 relative to connecting portion 202.

In another example, the flexible hinge 106 may include an intermediate ridge 3904 between the connecting portion 202 and the input portion 3802. Flexible hinge 106 includes, for example, a first flexible portion 3906 flexibly connecting input portion 3802 to intermediate spine 3904 and a second flexible portion 3908 flexibly connecting intermediate spine 3904 to connecting portion 202.

In the illustrated example, outer layers 402, 416 extend from (and serve as a cover for) input portion 3802 through first and second flexible portions 3906, 3908 of flexible hinge 106 and are secured to connecting portion 202 as previously described. Conductor 3902 is disposed between outer layers 402, 416. Intermediate ridge 3904 may be configured to provide mechanical rigidity to a particular location of flexible hinge 106 in order to support a desired minimum bend radius.

As shown in fig. 39, the input device 104 is positioned to act as a cover for the display device 110 of the computing device 102. As shown, this orientation causes the flexible hinge 106 to bend. However, by including intervening ridges 3904 and sizing first and second flexible portions 3906, 3908, the bend does not exceed the operational bend radius of conductor 3902. In this way, the mechanical stiffness provided by intermediary ridges 3904 (which is greater than the mechanical stiffness of the other portions of flexible hinge 106) may protect conductor 3902.

Intermediary ridge 3904 may also be used to support a wide variety of other functions. For example, intermediate spine 3904 may support motion along a longitudinal axis as shown in fig. 1, but help limit motion along a transverse axis that might otherwise be encountered due to the flexibility of flexible hinge 106.

To form and assemble intermediary ridge 3904, outer layers 402, 416 may be sized to correspond to intermediary ridge 3904, such as by including additional material to surround intermediary ridge 3904. In this manner, medial spine 3904 may be covered without undesirable stretching of one or more of outer layers 402, 416, but in one or more implementations a set amount of stretching is desired.

Example systems and devices

Fig. 40 illustrates generally at 4000 an example system including an example computing device 4002, representative of one or more computing systems and/or devices that may implement the various techniques described herein. The computing device 4002 may, for example, be configured to assume a mobile configuration using a housing formed and sized to be grasped and carried by one or more hands of a user, the illustrated examples of which include mobile phones, mobile gaming and music devices, and tablet computers, although other examples are also contemplated.

The example computing device 4002 as shown includes a processing system 4004, one or more computer-readable media 4006, and one or more I/O interfaces 4008, communicatively coupled to each other. Although not shown, the computing device 4002 may further include a system bus or other data and command transfer system that couples the various components to one another. The system bus may include any one or combination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures. A wide variety of other examples, such as control and data lines, are also contemplated.

Processing system 4004 represents functionality to perform one or more operations using hardware. Thus, the processing system 4004 is illustrated as including hardware elements 4010 that may be configured as processors, functional blocks, and so forth. This may include implementation in hardware as an application specific integrated circuit or other logic device formed using one or more semiconductors. Hardware elements 4010 are not limited by the materials from which they are formed or in which processing mechanisms are employed. For example, a processor may include semiconductors and/or transistors (e.g., electronic Integrated Circuits (ICs)). In such a scenario, the processor-executable instructions may be electronically-executable instructions.

The computer-readable storage medium 4006 is illustrated as including a memory/storage 4012. Memory/storage 4012 represents memory/storage capacity associated with one or more computer-readable media. The memory/storage component 4012 can include volatile media (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile media (e.g., Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so forth). The memory/storage component 4012 can include fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, a fixed hard drive, etc.) as well as removable media (e.g., flash memory, a removable hard drive, an optical disk, and so forth). The computer-readable medium 4006 may be configured in a variety of other ways as described further below.

Input/output interface 4008 represents functionality to allow a user to enter commands and information to computing device 4002 using a variety of different input/output devices, and to also allow information to be presented to the user and/or other components or devices. Examples of input devices include a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a microphone, a scanner, touch functionality (e.g., capacitive or other sensors configured to detect physical touches), a camera (e.g., which may employ visible wavelengths or non-visible wavelengths such as infrared frequencies to recognize motion as a gesture that does not involve touch), and so forth. Examples of output devices include a display device (e.g., a monitor or projector), speakers, a printer, a network card, a haptic response device, and so forth. Thus, the computing device 4002 may be configured in a variety of ways to support user interaction.

The computing device 4002 is further illustrated as being communicatively and physically coupled to an input device 4014 that is physically and communicatively removable from the computing device 4002. In this way, a wide variety of different input devices can be coupled to the computing device 4002 having a wide variety of configurations that support a wide variety of functions. In this example, the input device 4014 includes one or more keys 4016 that can be configured as pressure sensitive keys, mechanical switch keys, or the like.

The input device 4014 is further illustrated as including one or more modules 4018 that can be configured to support a wide variety of functionality. The one or more modules 4018 can, for example, be configured to process analog and/or digital signals received from the keys 4016 to determine whether a keystroke is expected, determine whether an input indicates landing pressure, support authentication of the input device 4014 for operation with the computing device 4002, and so forth.

Various techniques may be described herein in the general context of software, hardware elements, or program modules. Generally, such modules include routines, programs, objects, elements, components, data structures, and so forth, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. As used herein, the terms "module," "functionality," and "component" generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. The features of the techniques described herein are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors.

An implementation of the described modules and techniques may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readable media. Computer-readable media can include a variety of media that can be accessed by computing device 4002. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise "computer-readable storage media" and "computer-readable signal media".

A "computer-readable storage medium" may refer to media and/or devices that allow for the permanent and/or non-transitory storage of information, in contrast to mere signal transmission, carrier waves, or signals per se. Accordingly, computer-readable storage media refers to non-signal bearing media. Computer-readable storage media include hardware such as volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media and/or storage devices implemented in a method or technology suitable for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, logic elements/circuits, or other data. Examples of computer readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical storage, hard disks, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other storage devices, tangible media, or articles of manufacture suitable for storing the desired information and accessible by a computer.

"computer-readable signal medium" may refer to a signal-bearing medium configured to communicate instructions to hardware of computing device 4002, e.g., via a network. Signal media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, data signal or other transport mechanism. Signal media also include any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

As previously described, hardware elements 4010 and computer-readable medium 4006 represent modules, programmable device logic, and/or fixed device logic implemented in hardware that, in some embodiments, may be employed to implement at least some aspects of the techniques described herein, such as to execute one or more instructions. The hardware may include integrated circuits or components of systems on a chip, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and other implementations of silicon or other hardware. In this context, the hardware may operate as a processing device that performs program tasks defined by instructions and/or logic contained by the hardware, as well as hardware utilized to store instructions for execution (e.g., the computer-readable storage media previously described).

Combinations of the above may also be employed to implement the various techniques described herein. Thus, software, hardware, or executable modules may be implemented as one or more instructions and/or logic embodied on some form of computer-readable storage medium and/or by one or more hardware elements 4010. The computing device 4002 may be configured to implement particular instructions and/or functions corresponding to software and/or hardware modules. Accordingly, a module implementation as software executable by the computing device 4002 may be implemented at least in part in hardware, for example, using computer-readable storage media and/or the hardware elements 4010 of the processing system 4004. The instructions and/or functions may be executable/operable by one or more articles of manufacture (e.g., one or more computing devices 4002 and/or processing systems 4004) to implement the techniques, modules, and examples described herein.

Conclusion

Although example implementations have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the implementations defined in the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claimed features.

Claims (10)

1. An input device (104) comprising:

a key assembly comprising a plurality of keys operable to initiate inputs for a computing device;

a connection portion (202) configured to physically removably connect to a computing device and to communicatively communicate signals generated by the plurality of keys to the computing device;

a flexible hinge (106) physically connecting the connection portion to the key assembly; and

a first outer layer (402) and a second outer layer (416), the first outer layer (402) and the second outer layer (416) configured to cover the plurality of keys of the key assembly, form an outer surface of the flexible hinge, and be secured to the attachment portion such that the second outer layer surrounds at least two sides of the attachment portion,

wherein the first outer layer and the key assembly are disposed on a first side of a carrier and the second outer layer is disposed on a second side of the carrier, at least one of the first outer layer or the second outer layer being disposed over the other of the first outer layer or the second outer layer when the carrier is folded such that the second outer layer surrounds at least a portion of the connection portion.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the key assembly includes a plurality of pressure sensitive keys.

3. The input device as recited in claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge and the connection enable movement of the key assembly similar to movement of a cover of a book.

4. The input device as recited in claim 1 wherein the outer surface is secured to the attachment portion using lamination.

5. The input device of claim 1, wherein the outer surface:

a ridge made of metal fixed to the connection portion; and is

Surrounding both surfaces as part of the ridge so as to cover the ridge from the user.

6. The input device of claim 5, wherein the protrusion of the connection portion is secured to the ridge, the protrusion configured to be received within the channel of the computing device to form the communicative and physical coupling.

7. The input device as recited in claim 6 wherein the protrusions are formed of plastic and are secured to the ridges using a plurality of pins to form a laminate structure.

8. The input device of claim 6, wherein the physical coupling is configured to be performed by the connection portion using one or more magnets.

9. A method for assembling an input device, comprising:

placing a first outer layer (402) and key assembly on a first side of a carrier (3002), and placing a second outer layer (416) on a second side of the carrier;

attaching a connecting portion (202) to the first and second outer layers in the carrier; and

folding the carrier (3002) such that at least one of the first or second outer layers is disposed over the other of the first or second outer layers, the folding such that the second outer layer surrounds at least a portion of the connecting portion.

10. A keyboard (104) comprising:

a pressure-sensitive key assembly including a plurality of keys operable to initiate inputs for a computing device;

a connection portion configured to physically removably connect to a computing device and to communicatively communicate signals generated by the plurality of keys to the computing device;

a flexible hinge physically connecting the connection portion to the key assembly; and

a first outer layer and a second outer layer configured to cover the pressure-sensitive key assembly, form an outer surface of the flexible hinge, and be secured to the connection portion, at least one of the first outer layer or the second outer layer being secured to the pressure-sensitive key assembly using a heat transfer film,

wherein the first outer layer and the pressure sensitive key assembly are disposed on a first side of a carrier and the second outer layer is disposed on a second side of the carrier, at least one of the first outer layer or the second outer layer being disposed over the other of the first outer layer or the second outer layer when the carrier is folded such that the second outer layer surrounds at least a portion of the connection portion.