Apple patents more touch-screen tech
Apple is once again declaring its intention to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, filing patents that will make it easier and more productive to use the touch-screens on computing devices.
One patent application covers the provision of non-visual feedback to the user of a touch screen device. The documents use as examples both vibration and sound used as responses to the user’s touch. Critics of touch-screen technology have long pointed to the lack of non-visual feedback as a drawback of touch-screen devices of all kinds, including smartphones, computers, and industrial devices that are controlled by touch screens.
One additional type of feedback could come through haptic technology, which refers to interface design which communicates to the user via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions. One example would be initiating a vibration when a user selected a particular function, such as giving a command to exit a program. Such a response would be easily recognizable to the user and could provide a warning, especially if the user was visually impaired or working in low-light conditions. Different levels and frequencies of vibration could be used to communicate different computer responses.
Sound could also be added to the mix. A good example of this would be to provide feedback that a scroll wheel was being turned. In that case, a ratcheting vibration could be timed to coincide with a clicking sound that would simulate the response of an actual scroll wheel in a mouse. Most users would immediately understand this feedback without really having to think about it.
An additional patent was filed covering a novel use of fingerprint recognition in a touch screen, according to an Information Week story. In this instance, the device would be programmed to recognize each fingertip individually. That would allow the computer to understand ten different commands just by knowing which finger you are using. This number of inputs could be multiplied many times by pairing fingerprint recognition with other interface technologies, such as double-taps, swipes, and other gestures.
These are the kinds of innovations that keeps Apple in the forefront of technology. As devices get continually smaller, and as the user interface is more and more confined to a smaller space, these kinds of technologies will become critical in providing a rich user interface experience. I can hardly wait for the iPhone 17GS.
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