New Apple touch screen wonder device patent revealed

Stan Beer
Monday, 11 September 2006 16:30

Your IT - Home IT

The statement "It's Showtime" on September 13 takes on a whole new dimension with the revelation that Apple has had a patent under wraps for a new hand-held multifunction device since March this year. From the description filed with the US Patents Office, the new touch screen device can do everything but sing Jingle Bells - and it may even be able to do that.

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According to the patent application, Apple's new wonder gadget is a hand-held electronic device with a multi-touch input surface that includes two or more of the following device functionalities: PDA, mobile phone, music player, camera, video player, game player, handtop computer, Internet terminal, GPS receiver, and remote control.

Apple outlines in its patent application problems facing the design of multifunction devices such as phone PDA combos because the inputs of one function interfere with the inputs of the other and there is just not enough room for all the separate input buttons.

As Apple says in its patent application: "it is a challenge to design a merged device with limited input devices without adversely affecting the dedicated inputs for each device. As will be appreciated, it is preferable, not to overload the hand-held devices with a large number of input mechanisms as this tends to confuse the user and take up valuable space, i.e., "real estate."

"In the case of hand-held devices, space is at a premium because of their small size. At some point there is not enough space on the device to house all the necessary buttons and switches, etc. This is especially true when considering that all these devices need a display that typically takes up a large amount of space on its own.

"To increase the number of input devices beyond some level, designers would have to decrease the size of the display. However, this will often leave a negative impression on the user because the user typically desires the largest display possible. Alternatively, to accommodate more input devices designers may opt to increase the size of the device. This, too, will often leave a negative impression on a user because it would make one-handed operations difficult, and at some point, the size of the device becomes so large that it is no longer considered a hand-held device.

"Therefore what is needed in the art is an improved user interface that works for multi-functional hand-held devices."

Apple appears to have come up with the answer in the form of a handheld device that is largely all screen: "by eliminating physical buttons, keys, or switches from a front surface of an electronic device, additional surface area becomes available for a larger display. Ultimately this strategy would allow a substantially full screen display."

From the description as outlined in the particularly detailed patent application, Apple has made a serious attempt to create the ultimate user friendly navigation system for a multifunction device. Users will be able to select devices from a touch screen GUI main menu, flip between devices using a virtual on screen scrolling wheel or call up the device required by voice activation.

From the description given, the GUI on the screen of each function is divided into an area containing touch sensitive input controls and the output viewer. The controls themselves, according to the patent application, will not only be touch sensitive but also force sensitive, meaning they'll do different things based on how hard you press them.

What it all boils down to is that Apple appears to have come up with a universal device that is all screen, which presents different GUIs containing different controls depending on what function you want to use it for. If you choose it to be a phone, you'll get a screen that allows you to dial numbers and send SMS messages. If you choose it to be a handheld computer, you'll get a screen divided into a qwerty keyboard and computer GUI. If you choose it to be a remote control for your home entertainment center, you'll get a GUI with virtual buttons that look like the buttons on a remote control device.

It appears to be an ambitious project, but if any company is capable of successfully creating such a usable device then it is likely to be Apple.

Much of the hype about September 13 has until recently assumed that it is all about Apple unveiling its movie download plans. However, in a couple of days the world will find out if it's really about a good deal more.