The US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application in August from Apple that relates to advancing Apple Pencil features. Apple Pencil may gain a display for icons and new touch features including a ‘sliding’ gesture as our cover graphic depicts.
Apple’s patent primarily covers future functionality being considered for Apple Pencil. Apple’s future touch panel of may include a touch sensitive surface that, in response to detecting a touch event, generates a signal that can be processed and utilized.
Apple began to implement this system when allowing a ‘double tap’ function with Apple Pencil version 2. In the future, Apple Pencil could provide a display component that could present textual and/or graphical display elements representing selectable virtual buttons or icons, and the touch sensitive surface may allow a user to navigate the content displayed on the display screen.
In addition, Apple Pencil could gain at least two new touch commands in the form of “sliding” and “rotational/rolling’ gestures.
Apple’s patent FIG. 4 below illustrates that multiple touch sensors (#200) could be set into future Apple Pencil in contrast to a single touch sensor area that has been built into Apple Pencil 2.
Each of the multiple touch sensors could extend within a different portion of the housing (#110). The touch sensors could be spaced apart from each other. At least one of the touch sensors could extend along the grip region (#104).
Apple further notes that “Gestures detected by the separate touch sensors could be interpreted as different user inputs according to preprogrammed functions to be performed by Apple Pencil and/or an external device upon detection of the user gestures.”
Apple’s patent FIG. 5 below illustrates that a secondary touch area for gestures could be placed towards the top of Apple Pencil. Gestures detected at an end of Apple Pencil could be interpreted differently than gestures provided at other locations, such as the grip region.
Apple’s patent FIG. 6 simply illustrates that gestures including tapping on Apple Pencil in any zone to have a feature applied, like Apple Pencil 2 today.
Possible Future Sliding Gesture: Apple’s patent FIG. 7 illustrates a “sliding” gesture. For example, longitudinal or other sliding gestures could be interpreted as a user input to change a characteristic (e.g., color, size, width, thickness, shape, etc.) of a marking produced by use of Apple Pencil with the external device.
By further example, longitudinal or other sliding gestures could be interpreted as a user input to perform functions on the external device, such as a copy function, a paste function, an undo function, and/or a redo function.
Possible Future Rolling/Rotational Gesture: As shown in patent FIG. 8 above, the touch sensor can be used to detect a rolling gesture by the user. The rolling gesture can include movement of a finger about a circumference of the housing and/or rolling movement of the housing over a surface, such as a working surface. Multiple sensing elements of the touch sensor 200 distributed circumferentially within the housing could be used in concert to detect particular user inputs.
For example, rotational gestures could be interpreted as a user input to perform functions on the external device, such as zooming in or out of a displayed view and/or scaling the size or other aspect of an object displayed on the external device.
Apple states that one or more of the future Apple Pencil gestures could be applied to a future version of Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and other unspecified devices and/or accessories.
Apple’s patent application is an update that adds 20 new patent claims to better protect the invention from patent trolls and competitors. The main thrust of the update secures the the advancement of the Apple Pencil Controller. Eight of the new patent claims supports the new “controller” as noted below.
- A stylus comprising: a housing defining a grip region of the stylus; a capacitive touch sensor comprising multiple sensing elements distributed circumferentially and longitudinally along an inner surface of the housing at the grip region; and a controller configured to operate the stylus in: a grip mode, when the controller detects with the touch sensor that a user is holding the stylus, in which the controller sets a first baseline based on a first detection of the touch sensor; a liftoff mode, when the controller determines with the touch sensor that the user has lifted a finger from the stylus, in which the controller sets a second baseline based on a second detection of the touch sensor; and a touchdown mode, when the controller determines with the touch sensor that the user has returned the finger to the stylus, in which the controller transmits an output to another device.
- The stylus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to operate the stylus in an idle mode, when the controller determines with the touch sensor that the stylus is not gripped by the user.
- The stylus of claim 2, wherein the controller determines with the touch sensor that the stylus is not gripped by the user when the controller detects an orientation of the stylus on a horizontal surface.
- The stylus of claim 2, wherein the controller determines with the touch sensor that the stylus is not gripped by the user when only the sensing elements on one side of the stylus detect contact.
- The stylus of claim 1, wherein the first baseline represents a number of fingers on the grip region and the controller, while the stylus is in the grip mode, is further configured to detect deviations from the first baseline.
- The stylus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to change from the grip mode to the liftoff mode when a deviation from the first baseline is detected.
- The stylus of claim 7, wherein the second baseline represents a number of fingers on the grip region and the controller, while the stylus is in the liftoff mode, is further configured to detect deviations from the second baseline.
- The stylus of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to change from the liftoff mode to the touchdown mode when a deviation from the second baseline is detected.
To review the remaining 12 new patent claims, review Apple’s patent application 20220253162 published in August.
