Apple patent is for a touch pad for handheld device
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jan 24, 2008 at 10:28am
An Apple patent (number 20080018615) for a touch pad for a handheld device has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It relates generally to a media player (think, of course, the iPod) having a touch pad. More particularly, the present invention relates to touch pads having scrolling features.
It’s for a media device for storing and playing media such as audio, video or images, includes a memory device configured to store a plurality of media items in a digital format. The media device also includes a display configured to present a group of media items from the plurality of stored media items and to present a visual indicator that is capable of scrolling through the displayed group of media items in order to designate a specific media item from the group of media items. The media deice further includes a touch pad configured to receive input from a sliding motion or a tapping motion of a finger. The sliding motion of the finger controls the movement of the visual indicator through the group of media items. The tapping motion of the finger selects the specific media item that is designated by the visual indicator.
Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a media player with a touch pad. It would also be desirable to provide a hand held device with a touch pad. It would additionally be desirable to provide a touch pad that can sense and resolve angular and/or radial positions of a moving object (e.g., finger) as it is moved in a rotating and/or radial manner across the touch pad. That is, a touch pad that is based on polar coordinates rather than Cartesian coordinates. It would be further desirable to transform the angular or radial movements into translational movements in the GUI of the display screen for scrolling and other related linear actions.
“The invention relates, in one embodiment, to a media player for storing and playing media such as audio, video or images. The media player includes a housing that encloses internally various electrical components that provide computing operations for the media player. The media player also includes a touch pad supported by the housing and configured to provide one or more control functions for controlling various applications associated with the media player.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a pocket sized handheld computing device. The computing device includes computing hardware for providing at least one application. The computing device also includes a display screen configured to display text and graphics associated with the at least one application. The computing device additionally includes a touch pad configured to provide one or more control functions for allowing a user of the computing device to provide inputs to the at least one application.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a touch pad assembly for use in a computing device. The touch pad assembly has a touch sensitive surface for accepting contact with an object. The touch pad assembly is configured to provide polar coordinate information of the object relative to the touch sensitive surface when the object is moved about the touch sensitive surface.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a user input system having a touch pad, a display and a controller. The system is configured to convert angular or radial data associated with the touch pad into control inputs associated with the display. By way of example, the control inputs may correspond to translational movements associated with scrolling or other related linear actions.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a handheld electronic device for storing and playing media such as audio, video or images. The handheld electronic device includes a memory device configured to store a plurality of media items in a digital format. The handheld electronic device also includes a display configured to present a group of media items from the plurality of stored media items and to present a visual indicator that is capable of scrolling through the displayed group of media items in order to designate a specific media item from the group of media items. The handheld electronic device further includes a touch pad configured to receive input from a sliding motion or a tapping motion of a finger. The sliding motion of the finger controls the movement of the visual indicator through the group of media items. The tapping motion of the finger selects the specific media item that is designated by the visual indicator.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a battery powered handheld music player. The battery powered music player includes a housing that supports various electrical components that provide computing operations for the music player. The battery powered music player also includes a memory device disposed inside the housing and configured to store a plurality of songs in a digital format. The battery powered music player further includes a display screen provided at a first portion of a front surface of the housing and configured to present a list of songs from the plurality of stored songs and to present a visual indicator that is capable of linearly traversing through the list of songs in order to designate a specific song from the list of songs. The battery powered music player additionally includes a single integrated input arrangement provided at a second portion of the front surface of the housing. The single integrated input arrangement includes a plurality of input regions that are adjacent one another and that provide control functions for operating the music player. At least one of the input regions being implemented with a touch pad. Moreover, the battery powered music player includes audio output components for outputting music associated with a selected specific song from the list of songs.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a battery powered handheld device capable of playing media. The battery powered handheld device includes a housing that supports various electrical components that provide computing operations for the battery powered handheld device. The battery powered handheld device also includes a memory device disposed inside the housing and configured to store a plurality of menu items. The battery powered handheld device further includes a display screen provided at a first portion of a front surface of the housing, and configured to present a list of menu items and to present a visual indicator that is capable of linearly traversing through the list of menu items in order to designate a specific menu item from the list of menu items. The battery powered handheld device additionally includes an input arrangement provided at a second portion of the front surface of the housing. The input arrangement includes an inner input region and one or more outer input regions that provide control functions for operating the battery powered handheld device. The outer input regions are disposed outside the inner input region. The inner input region includes at least a touch pad.”
The inventors are Stephen Paul Zadesky and Tang Yew Tan. The graphic below is a perspective view of a media player, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
