CN110945460B - computer with keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus may include a display portion including a display housing and a display at least partially within the display housing. The device may also include a base portion pivotally coupled to the display portion and including a bottom housing, a top housing coupled to the bottom housing and defining an array of raised keypads, and a sensing system positioned below the top housing and configured to detect an input applied to the raised keypads of the array of raised keypads.

Description

Computer with keyboard

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The patent cooperation treaty patent application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application 62/537,350 filed on 7, 26, 2017 and U.S. provisional patent application 15/990,508 filed on 5, 25, 2018, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

The described embodiments relate generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices having keyboards with flexible input surfaces.

Background

Many electronic devices include a keyboard for facilitating user input. Conventional keyboards include movable keys that are actuated by a user striking with their finger or another object. Some devices include a touch screen on which a virtual keyboard may be displayed. The user may select individual keys of the virtual keyboard by pressing on portions of the surface of the touch screen corresponding to the desired letters, characters, or functions. The surface of the touch screen may be flat and featureless and thus may occupy less space than a mechanical keyboard, but may require the user to identify the location of the keys visually rather than by feel.

Disclosure of Invention

An apparatus may include a display portion including a display housing and a display at least partially within the display housing. The apparatus may also include a base portion pivotally coupled to the display portion and including a bottom housing, a glass top housing coupled to the bottom housing and defining an array of raised keypad areas, and a sensing system positioned below the glass top housing and configured to detect an input applied to the raised keypad areas of the array of raised keypad areas. The array of raised key regions may form a keyboard of the device. The glass top case may also define a touch input area along the side of the keyboard. The input may include a force applied to the raised key regions of the array of raised key regions, and the raised key regions may be configured to flex locally in response to the applied force. The sensing system may be configured to detect localized flexing of the raised key region and to detect touch input applied to the touch input region.

The array of raised key regions may form a keyboard of the device, and the device may further include a support structure within the base portion, below the glass top case, and configured to resist deflection of the glass top case in a non-key region of the keyboard.

The raised key region may define a substantially planar top surface. The raised key region may be defined at least in part by a sidewall extending around the raised key region and configured to deform in response to an input.

The apparatus may further include a support structure positioned below an area of the glass top case between two adjacent raised key regions, and the support structure may be configured to resist deflection of the area in response to a force applied to one of the two adjacent raised key regions.

The array of raised key regions may define a keyboard of the device and the glass top case may define transparent portions along sides of the keyboard. The display may be a first display and the apparatus may further comprise a second display positioned below the glass top case. The second display may be aligned with the transparent portion of the glass top case.

The glass top case may include a first glass layer defining an array of raised key regions and configured to flex in response to a first force applied to the raised key regions. The glass top case may further include a second glass layer positioned below the first glass layer and configured to provide a buckling response in response to a second force applied to the raised key region that is greater than the first force.

The keyboard of the electronic device may include a bottom case, a glass top case coupled to the bottom case and defining an array of raised key regions, and a sensing system located below the glass top case. The raised key regions of the array of raised key regions may be configured to flex in response to an actuation force applied to the raised key regions, and the sensing system may be configured to detect the flexing of the raised key regions. The raised key region may include a curved top surface. The raised key region may include sidewalls extending from the base surface of the glass top case and supporting the top surface of the respective key region, and the sidewalls may be configured to deform in response to an actuation force. The keyboard may include a haptic actuator configured to impart a force to the raised key region in response to the sensing system detecting deflection of the raised key region.

The keyboard may further include an elastic member below the raised key region and configured to impart a return force to the raised key region. The resilient member may provide a buckling response to the raised key region, and the buckling response may be provided in response to the raised key region buckling beyond a threshold distance. The elastic member may be a collapsible dome.

The device may include a display portion and a base portion hinged to the display portion, the display portion including a display. The base portion may include a bottom shell and a glass top shell coupled to the bottom shell and defining an array of keypads, wherein the keypads of the array of keypads are configured to produce a buckling response in response to an applied force. Each key region of the array of key regions may have a thickness of less than about 40 μm.

The keypad may define a top surface having a convex curved shape configured to collapse to provide a buckling response. The device may further include a spring below the keypad and configured to impart a return force to the keypad. The apparatus may further include a support structure supporting the glass top case relative to the bottom case and configured to prevent forces applied to the keypad from buckling an additional keypad adjacent to the keypad.

Drawings

The present disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified example of a computing device.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the computing device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a base portion of the computing device shown in FIG. 1.

Fig. 4A-4B illustrate exemplary configurations of a glass top shell.

Fig. 4C illustrates an exemplary force-deflection curve for the key region of the glass top case of fig. 4A-4B.

Fig. 5A-5H illustrate cross-sectional views of exemplary glass top shells.

Fig. 6A-6B illustrate another exemplary configuration of a glass top shell.

Fig. 6C illustrates an exemplary force-deflection curve for the key region of the glass top case of fig. 6A-6B.

Fig. 7A-7F illustrate cross-sectional views of other exemplary glass top shells.

Fig. 8A-8D illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of a glass top case having a resilient member aligned with a key region.

Fig. 9A illustrates another exemplary configuration of a glass top case.

Fig. 9B-9E illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of a glass top shell exhibiting global buckling.

Fig. 10A-10C illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of a double glazed top shell.

Fig. 10D illustrates an exemplary force-deflection curve for the key region of the glass top case of fig. 10A-10C.

11A-11B illustrate an exemplary glass top case with retractable key protrusions.

Fig. 12A-14B illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of a device having an actuator for generating a retractable key protrusion.

Fig. 15A-15B illustrate a glass top case of an actuator having a key region selectively formed with protrusions.

Fig. 16A-16B illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of an apparatus having a support structure.

FIG. 17A illustrates a detailed view of the computing device shown in FIG. 1.

17B-17D illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of the glass top case of FIG. 17A.

Fig. 18A illustrates a simplified example of a computing device.

18B-18D illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of the computing device shown in FIG. 18A.

Fig. 19 shows a schematic diagram of an electronic device.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to keyboards that include a glass member defining an input surface of the keyboard. In particular, a user may directly touch or apply a force (e.g., push or tap) or otherwise contact the glass member to provide input to the keyboard. The glass member (also referred to as a glass cover) may be formed from a thin glass sheet that is flexible enough to locally deform in response to the application of force. For example, the glass sheet may be a strengthened glass having a thickness of about 40 microns or less. Due to the thinness and flexibility of the glass, when typical typing forces are applied to a thin glass sheet (e.g., via a finger), the glass may deform primarily directly under the forces (e.g., directly under the finger), while other areas of the glass sheet remain substantially undeformed or less deformed. Local deformation of thin glass may provide a more satisfactory typing experience than thicker or less flexible glass, as the user may actually feel similar to or implicate deformation or sagging of a conventional movable key pad. Further, the localized deformation may produce a softer typing sensation (e.g., less shock impact) than a less compliant surface (such as a conventional touch screen) upon which the tap is made.

In some cases, the glass cover of the keyboard may include protrusions, contours, depressions, and/or other shapes or features that define different key regions of the keyboard. For example, the glass cover may be thermoformed or otherwise processed to form an array of raised key regions (e.g., protrusions, contoured key regions, etc.) defining key regions of a keyboard. The raised key regions may provide a more familiar sensory keyboard surface for the user, as each key region may have a shape and feel similar to a conventional movable key. Furthermore, users may be able to type faster and with fewer mistakes because they may feel the boundaries and bounds of each key region without having to look at the keyboard to align their fingers with the keys. The ability to feel different key regions may also help prevent the user's hand from inadvertently shifting out of position during typing.

Further, due to the flexibility of the thin glass cover, the raised key regions may be configured to deform in response to typing inputs. Such variations may provide a tactile sensation similar to conventional movable key keyboards. Additionally, the raised key region may be configured to provide various types of haptic responses. For example, the keypad may be configured to have a shape that flexes when pressed, provides a flexing response, or otherwise produces a perceptible tactile output (e.g., a click or a snap). As used herein, "buckling," "buckling response," and "buckling force" may refer to a force response of a keypad or input area characterized by a gradual increase in opposing force as the keypad or input area is pressed, followed by a sudden or significant decrease in opposing force. The reduction in the opposing force results in a familiar "click" feel and optionally a sound. An exemplary force-deflection curve illustrating a buckling response is described herein with reference to fig. 6C. As another example, the key region may be configured to not buckle or have a significant force peak, thus providing more continuous force feedback during typing.

The glass cover of the keyboard described herein may also make it possible to achieve other features and benefits. For example, since the glass may be transparent, the display may be placed under the glass cover. The display may allow the keyboard and any other area of the glass cover to act as a display in addition to the input device. The display may allow the computer to display different keyboard layouts, keyboard letter systems, keyboard colors, or otherwise change the appearance of the keyboard by displaying different images through transparent glass. Further, the dielectric properties of the glass may allow for the use of various touches and/or force sensors under the glass cover to detect touch and/or force inputs to the key regions (or other types of user inputs), as well as inputs applied to other non-key regions of the glass cover (e.g., touch input regions under a keyboard). As used herein, a non-key region may correspond to an area of the cover that is not configured as a key region of the keyboard, including, for example, an area between key regions (which may be similar to a key mesh), an area outside of the keyboard region, and so on. The glass sheet may also provide a surface that may be free of openings, which may help protect the internal components from contaminants and spillage.

Fig. 1 shows a computing device 100 (or simply "device 100") that may include a glass cover, as described above. In particular, the base portion 104 of the device 100 may include a top housing 112 (also referred to as a cover) that is at least partially formed of glass and defines a keyboard of the device 100 and optionally other input areas (e.g., a touch pad or touch input area) of the device 100.

The device 100 is similar to a laptop computer having a display portion 102 and a base portion 104 flexibly or pivotally coupled to the display portion 102. The display portion 102 includes a display housing 107 and a display 101 at least partially within the display housing 107. The display 101 provides the primary means of communicating visual information to a user, such as by displaying a graphical user interface. The base portion 104 is configured to receive various types of user inputs (also referred to herein as inputs), such as touch inputs (e.g., gestures, multi-touch inputs, swipes, taps, etc.), force inputs (e.g., presses or other inputs that meet a force or deflection threshold), touch inputs in combination with force inputs, and the like. The touch and/or force input may correspond to a user striking a key pad or other input surface, similar to conventional typing motions or actions.

The base portion 104 may also provide an output for communicating information to a user, such as with indicator lights, tactile output devices, a display mounted in the base portion 104, and the like. In some cases, various types of inputs and outputs are facilitated or enabled via the base portion 104 by using a glass top case 112 on the base portion 104, as described herein.

The display portion 102 and the base portion 104 may be coupled to each other such that they may be positioned in an open position and a closed position. In the open position, a user may be able to provide input to the device 100 via the base portion 104 while viewing information on the display portion 102. In the closed position, the display portion 102 and the base portion 104 are folded against each other. More specifically, the display portion 102 and the base portion 104 may be hinged together (e.g., via a pivot or hinge mechanism 103) to form a flip-type device that is movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration.

As described above, the base portion 104 may include a top shell 112 coupled to the bottom shell 110. The bottom shell 110 may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal (e.g., magnesium, aluminum, titanium, etc.), plastic, glass, etc., and may define a portion of the interior volume of the base portion 104 with the top shell 112. Top shell 112 may be attached to bottom shell 110 in any suitable manner, including adhesive, mechanical interlocking, joining members, fusion bonding, and the like.

The top shell 112 may be formed at least partially, and in some cases entirely, from glass. The glass top case 112 may be configured to locally flex or deform in response to an input force applied thereto. For example, the glass of the top shell may be sufficiently thin and may be formed into a shape that allows the top shell to sag or otherwise flex when a user presses on the glass. In contrast, thicker or more rigid glass may not flex significantly in response to typical input forces applied by a user's finger. Such an unyielding glass surface may not produce the desired tactile sensation of typing and may not flex sufficiently to facilitate force sensing (such as if the force is detected based on the amount of deflection of the glass). Thus, as described herein, the thin glass top case may flex locally, thereby providing a desired haptic response (e.g., similar to or suggestive of a sensation of a movable key pad) and the ability to detect touch input using mechanical devices such as domes, flex sensors, and the like.

The top shell 112 may be formed from one or more layers of strengthened glass (e.g., chemically strengthened, ion exchanged, heat treated, tempered, annealed, etc.). The glass may be thinner than about 100 μm, thinner than about 40 μm, or thinner than about 30 μm. The glass top case 112 may be configured to locally flex or deform any suitable amount in response to a typing force. For example, the glass top case 112 may be configured to flex locally by about 0.1mm, about 0.2mm, about 0.3mm, about 0.4mm, about 0.5mm, or any other suitable amount in response to a sample typing force (e.g., 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, etc.).

The top housing 112 may define or include input areas such as a keyboard area 114 and a touch input area 116. The keyboard region 114 may include or define a key region 115, which may correspond to keys of a keyboard or other input regions. The top housing 112, and in particular the keyboard region 114, may be devoid of raised or otherwise raised key regions (e.g., which may be smooth and/or substantially flat). In such cases, the keypad 115 may be distinguished using ink, paint, dye, texture, display, or any other suitable technique. In other cases, the keyboard region 114 of the top case 112 may be shaped to define physically distinct key regions 115. For example, as described herein, the top housing 112 may include depressions, protrusions, boundaries, or other physical features on an outer surface thereof that define and/or bound the different key regions 115 that may be felt by a user typing on the keyboard region 114 or otherwise touching the keyboard region 114. The top housing 112 may alternatively or additionally include grooves or recesses on its inner surface corresponding to the different key regions. Such internal and external features may isolate or position deformations caused by forces (e.g., typing forces) applied to the keypad 115. For example, deformation of the top case 112 due to a force applied to a protrusion (which may be similar to a key cap of a conventional keyboard) may be substantially isolated to the protrusion, thereby providing a user with a sensation of pressing a key of a conventional mechanical keyboard.

In some cases, the entire top surface of top housing 112 may be touch and/or force sensitive and may allow touch input to be detected at substantially any location along its top surface, including in the keyboard region and surrounding regions (e.g., touch input region 116). In addition to receiving or detecting input, the top housing 112 may be configured to provide a tactile (haptic), haptic, visual, auditory, or other perceptible output to a user. For example, the top housing 112 may include or be integrated with a display, light source, haptic actuator, etc. that provides an output that can be detected via the top housing 112. The composition and configuration of the top housing 112 may facilitate and integrate these (and other) input and output functions. For example, a continuous non-conductive top case 112 formed of thin deformable glass may allow input to be detected through the top case 112 while also providing tactile feedback in the form of a keypad 115 that flexes, deforms, or otherwise moves in response to an applied force.

The top shell 112 may define a continuous uninterrupted top surface of the base portion 104. For example, the top shell 112 may have no seams, openings, through holes, or other discontinuities in the portion of the top shell 112 that forms the outer surface of the base portion 104. The top shell 112 may extend to the outer edge of the base portion 104. Thus, the top shell 112 may prevent or reduce the likelihood of liquid, dust, dirt, or other contaminants or debris from entering the base portion 104 through the top surface of the top shell 112.

Touch input area 116 may be configured to detect touch and/or force based inputs and may be or include any portion of top housing 112, including substantially the entire top housing 112, including keyboard area 114, touch input area 116, or any other portion of top housing 112. In some cases, substantially the entire top housing 112 may define a touch-sensitive surface from edge to edge. In this manner, touch or touch pad inputs, such as tap, flick, gesture (e.g., swipe, pinch) and multi-touch inputs, may be detected on any portion of the top housing 112, including on various key regions 115 within the keyboard region 114 and on portions of the top housing 112 outside of the keyboard region 114.

Fig. 2 is a partially exploded view of the device 100. As described above, the device 100 includes a top housing 112 that forms part of the base portion 104 and defines an array of key regions 115 (e.g., raised or otherwise physically or visually distinct key regions, as described herein). As shown in fig. 2, the base portion 104 is pivotally coupled to the display portion 102 via a hinge 103 (or any other suitable mechanism) to form a foldable or flip-top laptop or notebook computer.

The base portion 104 may include a bottom shell 110 and a top shell 112, which together define an interior volume of the base portion 104, as described above. The base portion 104 may also include components 208 within the interior volume, such as a processor, memory device, battery, circuit board, input/output device, haptic actuator, wired and/or wireless communication device, communication port, disk drive, and the like. As described above, the top shell 112 may be a continuous surface (e.g., without holes or openings in its top surface) to prevent or limit liquid, debris, or other contaminants from entering the interior volume, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the component 208. Examples of components that may be included in component 208 are discussed herein with reference to fig. 19.

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the base portion 104. The base portion 104 includes a top shell 112, a bottom shell 110, and a touch and/or force sensing system 302 below the top shell 112 (e.g., disposed within an interior volume defined by the top shell 112 and the bottom shell 110). Touch and/or force sensing system 302 can provide touch and/or force sensing functionality for detecting touch inputs and/or force inputs (and/or other types of user inputs) applied to top case 112. For example, the touch sensing function of the touch and/or force sensing system 302 can detect the presence and location of touch inputs applied to the top case 112 (such as on the keyboard region 114), while the force sensing function can detect the magnitude (and optionally also the location) of force inputs that cause deformation of the top case 112.

Touch and/or force sensing system 302 can include any suitable components and can rely on any suitable force and/or touch sensing technology, including capacitive, resistive, inductive, or optical sensing, electromechanical switching, collapsible dome, or any other suitable technology. Further, as shown in fig. 3, touch and/or force sensing system 302 generally represents one or more components that provide a touch and/or force sensing system. Although touch and/or force sensing system 302 is illustrated as a single block or component, in many implementations touch and/or force sensing system 302 will be formed from multiple components and/or layers. Thus, the touch and/or force sensing system 302 need not be configured as a sheet as shown in fig. 3, but rather may take any physical form and may be integrated with the base portion 104 in any suitable manner. For example, the touch and/or force sensing system 302 may be or include an array of collapsible domes or switches, or an array of electroactive polymer switches, or the like. As another example, touch and/or force sensing system 302 can include multiple sensors for detecting touch inputs (e.g., each sensor associated with a different region of the top case) and multiple sensors for detecting force inputs. Further, the touch and force sensing functions may be provided by separate components or systems, or integrated into a single component or system.

The base portion 104 may also include an optional display 304 below the touch and/or force sensing system 302. The display 304 may be used to generate images on different areas of the top housing 112, such as the keyboard area 114, the touch input area 116, and the like. For example, the display 304 may produce an image of a character, glyph, symbol, key cap, or other image that is visible through the top housing 112 and optionally aligned with each of the key regions 115. Since the display 304 may dynamically change the displayed content, different images may be displayed at different times, allowing the device 100 to display different keyboard layouts, different key glyphs, etc. If the base portion 104 includes the display 304, portions of the touch and/or force sensing system 302 and the top housing 112 may be transparent or substantially transparent and aligned with the display 304 or an active portion of the display 304 to allow the display 304 to be visible to a user through the top housing 112.

Fig. 4A-4C relate to an exemplary configuration of a glass top case 400 (which may correspond to top case 112, fig. 1, and which may be referred to simply as top case 400) in which the glass is configured to deform in response to an actuation force applied to a keypad (e.g., protrusion 402) without producing a click or "buckling" type haptic response. As described above, top case 400 may be formed of chemically strengthened glass having a thickness that facilitates localized deformation in response to an actuation force (e.g., finger pressure on a keypad). For example, the top case 400 may be formed of one or more layers of strengthened glass (e.g., chemically strengthened, ion-exchanged, heat treated, tempered, annealed, etc.) and may be thinner than about 100 μm, thinner than about 40 μm, or thinner than about 30 μm.

Fig. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of the top case 400, corresponding to a view of the top case along line A-A in fig. 1, showing an example in which a key region (e.g., key region 115) is defined by a protrusion 402 formed in the top case 400. The protrusion 402 may extend or otherwise protrude above the portion of the top case 400 adjacent the key region.

The protrusion 402 protrudes above the datum surface 403 of the top case 400 by a height 407. The height 407 may be about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, or any other suitable height. The protrusion 402 may include an edge 404 that defines an outer perimeter of a top surface 405 of the protrusion 402. The protrusion 402 may also include a sidewall (e.g., corresponding to item 410) that extends from a reference face 403 of the top shell 400 (e.g., a surface of the top shell 400 that is not the protrusion 402) to a top surface 405 of the protrusion 402. The sidewalls may support the top surface 405 of the protrusion 402. The sidewall may be a continuous sidewall extending around the perimeter of the top surface 405. The sidewalls may provide structural rigidity to the key region. In some cases, the sidewalls may flex, or otherwise deform to provide typing conformality and/or tactile feedback, as described herein. For example, in some configurations, the sidewalls of the protrusion 402 may be deformed (e.g., to provide a typing fit and/or tactile feedback), while the top surface 405 of the protrusion 402 may remain substantially undeformed (or otherwise contribute less to the deflection of the protrusion 402 as compared to the sidewalls). In this case, the top surface 405 may be less flexible or less deformable (e.g., stiffer) than the sidewalls.

As described above, the protrusion 402 may provide useful tactile information to a user of the keyboard because the individual key regions may be distinguished by touch, allowing the user to accurately and consistently position their fingers on the key regions by feeling the edges or corners 404 of the protrusion 402.

The top shell 400 may be treated in any suitable manner to form the protrusion 402. For example, the top shell 400 may be thermoformed, molded, machined, or otherwise processed to produce a desired shape. In some cases, top case 400 has a substantially uniform thickness over at least a keyboard region (e.g., keyboard region 114, fig. 1) of top case 400, and in some cases over the entire top case 400. For example, the thickness of the top shell 400 may be substantially the same at the datum plane (dimension 408), the sides of the protrusion 402 (dimension 410), and the top portion of the protrusion 402 (dimension 412). In other cases, top shell 400 may have different thicknesses at different locations on top shell 400, such as a first thickness of dimension 412 and another thickness of dimension 410. For example, the thickness of the sides of the protrusions (dimension 410) may be less than the thickness of the top portion (dimension 412) such that the sides of the protrusions deform more than the top portion of the protrusions in response to a force applied to the top surface 405.

Fig. 4B is another partial cross-sectional view of top shell 400, showing how top shell 400, and in particular protrusions 402, may deform in response to a force exerted on top surface 405. In particular, fig. 4B shows a finger 406 pressing on the protrusion 402 and deforming the protrusion 402, which may correspond to typing. As shown, the protrusion 402 may deform while other portions of the top housing 400 remain substantially undeformed or unflexed. In some cases, large-scale deflection of the entire top housing 400 is resisted, limited, or prevented by a support structure that butts or otherwise supports the top housing 400 against another portion of the device in which it is integrated (e.g., bottom housing 110). The shape of the deformed protrusion 402 shown in fig. 4B is merely exemplary, and the protrusion 402 may have a different shape or profile than illustrated when the protrusion 402 is deformed.

As described above, the top shell 400 may be configured to deform without yielding or collapsing the output. Fig. 4C shows a force-deflection (e.g., stroke) curve 414 that characterizes the force response of the protrusion 402 when deformed. In particular, as the actuation force (e.g., from finger 406) causes protrusion 402 to deform downward, the force response of protrusion 402 increases along the path from point 416 to point 418. As shown, the path increases along the travel (e.g., has a positive slope) without a sudden or significant decrease in force, and thus without collapsing or producing a buckling response (e.g., "click"). In some cases, as described herein, a haptic actuator or other component may be used with a top case having a non-flexed configuration to generate a haptic response that simulates a flexed response or otherwise indicates that an input has been detected and registered by a keyboard.

While fig. 4A-4B illustrate one exemplary configuration of a top case having a non-flexed key region, other top cases having non-flexed key regions may have different configurations, protruding shapes, depressions, or other features. Fig. 5A-5H illustrate a variety of such examples. In the example shown in fig. 5A-5H, where the keypad is defined by or includes ridges or sidewalls, the sidewalls may be configured such that they do not collapse or buckle in response to normal typing forces. In some cases, the sidewalls or ridges defining the key region may have a greater hardness than the top surface. The higher stiffness of the sidewall can help isolate and/or position the deflection to the top surface. In some cases, the sidewalls or ridges may be less stiff than the top surface, which may result in the deformation being substantially isolated to the sidewalls. This may result in the top surface flexing in a more uniform manner (e.g., it may not substantially bend or buckle). In other cases, the sidewalls or ridges are not significantly stiffer than the top surface, and the flexing of the key region may include flexing of both the top surface and the sidewalls. In any of these embodiments, as described above, the deflection of the top surface and/or the sidewalls may not produce a buckling response or other abrupt decrease in force response.

Unless specifically indicated, all of the exemplary top shells shown in fig. 5A-5H may be formed of glass and may have a substantially uniform thickness (e.g., less than about 100 μm, 40 μm, 30 μm, or any other suitable dimension). The glass can be any suitable glass, such as a strengthened glass (e.g., chemically strengthened, ion exchanged, heat treated, tempered, annealed, etc.).

Fig. 5A shows a partial cross-sectional view of a top housing 500 defining a protrusion 502 (which may correspond to top housing 112, fig. 1). The protrusion 502 is similar to the protrusion 402 in fig. 4A-4B, but has an edge 504 with a radius of curvature between the sidewall and the top surface that is greater than the edge 404 in fig. 4A-4B. The rounded edge 504 may create a different feel to the user and may have greater resistance to chipping, cracking, or other damage. In some cases, the radius of the rounded edge 504 may be about 10 μm, 5 μm, or any other suitable dimension that produces a significantly rounded edge (e.g., not sharp, discontinuous corners). The protrusion 502 of the top case 500 may protrude above a reference plane of the top case 500 by a height 506. The height 506 may be about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, or any other suitable height.

Fig. 5B shows a partial cross-sectional view of top shell 510 defining protrusion 512 (which may correspond to top shell 112, fig. 1). The protrusion 512 is similar to the protrusion 402 in fig. 4A-4B, but has a concave top surface 513 instead of the substantially flat top surface 405. The concave top surface 513 may provide a comfortable surface that substantially matches the shape of a user's fingertip. The concave top surface 513 may have a substantially cylindrical profile, a substantially spherical profile, or any other suitable shape. The protrusions 512 of the top shell 510 may protrude by a height 516 above a datum plane of the top shell 510. The height 516 may be about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, or any other suitable height. Although fig. 5B shows a concave top surface 513, in other implementations, the top surface may be convex.

Fig. 5C shows a partial cross-sectional view of top housing 520 (which may correspond to top housing 112, fig. 1) defining a protrusion 524 that extends around key region 522 and defines key region 522. While the protrusions in the top shells 400, 500, 510 define key regions that are raised relative to surrounding or adjacent portions of the top shells, the protrusions 524 of the top shell 520 extend around a surface that is substantially flush or planar with nearby portions of the top shells (e.g., the area of the top shell 520 between the key regions 522). This may provide a shorter stack height for the top housing 520, thus providing a shorter height for the device in which it is incorporated.

Since the protrusions 524 define the key regions 522 and/or extend around the key regions 522, a user may be able to distinguish the key regions 522 by touching, allowing for faster typing, easier finger alignment, etc. The protrusions 524 may be any height 526 above a reference plane of the top housing 520 (e.g., a top surface of the key region 522 or an area between the protrusions 524 and extending around the key region 522), such as about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, 0.05mm, or any other suitable height. Recesses 528 may be artifacts of the process used to form top housing 520, such as thermoforming or molding a glass sheet of uniform thickness, or they may be machined into the bottom surface of top housing 520.

As shown, top housing 520 may have a complementary recess 528 below protrusion 524, and top housing 520 may have a substantially uniform thickness, as described above. The curved portions of top housing 520 defining protrusions 524 and complementary recesses 528 may act as flexible joints that facilitate flexing of key regions 522 relative to the rest of top housing 520. In some cases, the portions of top shell 520 defining protrusions 524 and recesses 528 are thinner than the surrounding areas, which may create more top shell deformation in response to a given force.

In other cases, top shell 520 may include protrusions 524, but remain substantially flat bottom layer (e.g., with recesses 528 omitted). This configuration may harden the glass surrounding the key region 522, which may help isolate and position the deflection of the key region 522 in response to the application of force.

Fig. 5D shows a partial cross-sectional view of a top housing 530 (which may correspond to top housing 112, fig. 1) having a keying region 532 defined by a raised portion 533 and a recessed portion 534. The recessed portion 534 may extend around the raised portion 533 and may act as a flexible joint that facilitates flexing of the keying region 532 relative to the remainder of the top shell 530. The recessed portion 534 may also be used to visually and tactilely distinguish the key regions 532 from each other. The raised portion 533 may be any height 536 above the datum plane of the top shell 530, such as about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, 0.05mm, or any other suitable height. Additionally, the top case 530 may have a substantially uniform thickness, or it may have different thicknesses at different locations. For example, the glass forming the sides of the recessed portion 534 and the protruding portion 533 may be thinner or thicker than the glass between the key regions 532.

Fig. 5E shows a partial cross-sectional view of top housing 540 (which may correspond to top housing 112, fig. 1) having a key region 542 defined by a recess 544 on a bottom surface of top housing 540. The top surface of the top shell 540 may be substantially flat or featureless. The depressions 544 may visually define key regions 542 on the top housing 540. In particular, if the top housing 540 is transparent or translucent glass, the recess 544 may be visible through the glass material. Recess 544 may also define a region of thinner glass, which may increase the amount of deformation of top housing 540 in response to a force applied to key region 542 as compared to a top housing having a uniform thickness. In addition, recess 544 may help isolate and position the deflection of key region 542 in response to forces applied to key region 542.

Fig. 5F shows a partial cross-sectional view of a top case 550 (which may correspond to top case 112, fig. 1) having a key region 552 defined by a protrusion formed by attaching a pad 554 to a substrate 553. Substrate 553 may be formed of glass (e.g., tempered glass) and may have a thickness (e.g., less than about 40 μm) that facilitates localized deformation of substrate 553 in response to an applied force. The pads 554 may protrude above the top surface of the substrate 553 by a height 556 (e.g., about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, or any other suitable height).

The pads 554 may be any suitable material, such as glass, metal, plastic, ceramic, sapphire, etc., and may be attached to the substrate 553 using an adhesive, fusion bonding, intermolecular forces (e.g., hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, etc.), or any other suitable technique. As shown, the pad 554 is a single piece. In other cases, they may include multiple parts or members, such as multiple layers of the same or different materials. The pad 554 may be transparent or opaque and may have the same or different appearance (e.g., color, texture, material, opacity, etc.) as the substrate 553. In some cases, the pad 554 and substrate 553 may be a unitary component (e.g., formed from a single continuous glass sheet).

The pad 554 may provide several functions. For example, they may visually and tactilely distinguish between different key regions 552, as described herein. In some cases, glyphs or other indicia may be formed on the top of substrate 553 or on the bottom of the pad 554 (or otherwise positioned between substrate 553 and pad 554), which may be visible through pad 554. In addition, the pads 554 may increase the stiffness or resistance to deformation of the substrate 553 in the keypad 552. This may help provide a more uniform or flat deflection of the key region 552 in response to the application of force. For example, rather than forming curved recesses in substrate 553, spacer 554 may be deformed with a flatter shape due to the increased stiffness in the resulting keypad 552.

Fig. 5G illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of top case 560 (which may correspond to top case 112, fig. 1) having a key region 562 defined by a pad 564 coupled to a bottom surface of a substrate 563. The pad 564 and the substrate 563 may be substantially similar to the pad 554 and the substrate 553 described with reference to fig. 5F, and may have similar materials, dimensions, and functions. For example, the pad 564 may increase the hardness or resistance to deformation of the substrate 563 in the key region 562. In addition, in the case where the substrate 563 is transparent, the pad 564 may be visible through the substrate 563 to visually distinguish the key regions 562.

Fig. 5H shows a partial cross-sectional view of a top case 570 (which may correspond to top case 112, fig. 1) having a key region 572 defined by a protrusion 571 formed in a base plate 573. The top shell 570 also includes a pad 574 positioned on the bottom surface of the protrusion 571 and aligned with the input surface of the protrusion 571. The substrate 573 may be substantially similar to the top case 500 described with reference to fig. 5A and may have similar materials, dimensions, and functions. The pad 574 may be substantially similar to the pads 554 and 564 (fig. 5F, 5G) and may likewise have similar materials, dimensions, and functions. For example, pad 574 may be formed of or include glass, and may be bonded to glass substrate 573. The pad 574 may locally harden the substrate 573 to increase the uniformity of deformation of the substrate 573 in response to application of force, and may also guide or isolate the deformation to specific areas of the substrate 573, such as the sides 576 of the protrusions 571.

As described above, the foregoing exemplary top case configuration may be configured with non-buckling key zones. However, due to the thinness and relative deformability of the glass used for the top case, the glass top cases described herein may be configured with a keypad that flexes, collapses, or otherwise generates a tactile "click" when pressed. Fig. 6A-7F illustrate an exemplary top case configuration with a flex key zone.

Fig. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of top case 600, corresponding to the view of the top case along section A-A in fig. 1, showing an example in which a key region (e.g., key region 115, fig. 1) is defined by a convex or dome-shaped protrusion 602 formed in top case 600. As described with reference to fig. 6C, these key regions (and those shown in fig. 7A-7F) may be configured to produce a buckling response.

The dome-shaped projection 602 projects above a datum plane 603 of the top case 600 by a height 604. The height 604 may be about 0.5mm, 0.2mm, 0.1mm, or any other suitable height. As described above, the protrusions 602 may provide useful tactile information to a user of the keyboard because the individual key regions may be distinguished by touch, allowing the user to accurately and consistently position their fingers on the key regions by feeling the protrusions 602.

Fig. 6B is another partial cross-sectional view of top case 600, showing how top case 600, and in particular protrusions 602, may deform in response to a force applied thereto. In particular, fig. 6B shows a finger 606 pressing on the protrusion 602 and deforming the protrusion 602, which may correspond to typing. As shown, the protrusions 602 may deform while other portions of the top case 600 remain substantially undeformed or unflexed.

Fig. 6C shows a force-deflection (e.g., stroke) curve 608 that characterizes the force response of the protrusion 602 when deformed. In particular, when an actuation force (e.g., from finger 606) causes protrusion 602 to deform downward, the force response of protrusion 602 increases along the path from point 610 until inflection point 612 is reached. When inflection point 612 is reached, protrusion 602 collapses or flexes and the force response of the protrusion suddenly decreases along the path from point 612 to point 614. The inflection point 612 may define or correspond to a deflection threshold of the protrusion. For example, once the deflection of the keypad reaches or exceeds a threshold distance (e.g., corresponding to inflection point 612), protrusion 602 flexes and provides a flexing response to the keypad.

After point 614, the force response begins to increase again (e.g., once the protrusion 602 is inverted and the glass stops to deform easily). This force response may produce a sudden or significant decrease in force similar to a click of a mechanical keyboard, and thus may produce a typing experience similar to or suggestive of using a movable key keyboard, although the structure of the glass top case is unitary.

Under normal operating conditions and forces, the device may detect an input (e.g., the registration key has been pressed) at point 612 (where the force begins to drop) or at point 614 (where the force begins to increase again). As described herein, any suitable sensor or sensing system may be used to detect deformation of the top shell and determine when to register an input, including touch sensors, force sensors, optical sensors, and the like.

Fig. 7A-7F illustrate additional examples of top shell shapes that may produce a buckling type haptic output, as well as exemplary geometries of the top shell when deflected beyond the inflection point described with reference to fig. 6. In particular, fig. 7A-7B illustrate partial cross-sectional views of a top case 700 that includes protrusions 702 that are similar to the protrusions of top case 500 (fig. 5A). The protrusions 702 may be configured such that they invert and flex when deformed. This can be achieved by: different dimensions are selected for the protrusions 702 than those shown in fig. 5A, such as greater height, more slightly curved protrusion sidewalls, thinner sidewalls, smaller top surfaces (e.g., in the horizontal direction as shown), and so forth.

Fig. 7C-7D illustrate partial cross-sectional views of a top shell 720 that is similar to top shell 510 (fig. 5B) but has been configured with a buckling mode. For example, the protrusions may be differently sized and/or the sides 722 of the protrusions may have different dimensions and/or material properties (e.g., different thicknesses, different heights, different radii of curvature, different durometers) that produce buckling deformation when pressed, as shown in fig. 7D.

Fig. 7E-7F show partial cross-sectional views of a top housing 730 including a protrusion 734, the protrusion 734 having a pad 732 on the top surface of the protrusion 734. The pad 732 may be similar to the pads 564 and 574 described herein and may be formed of the same material, coupled to the base 736, and provide the same function of the pads 564 and 574. In some cases, the stiffening function of the pad 732 causes the underlying substrate 736 to create a different flex pattern than would be created without the pad 732. For example, the increased stiffness of the protrusion 734 with the pad 732 attached may result in deformation being isolated to the side wall of the protrusion 734, which may result in buckling-type deformation and force response (as shown in fig. 7F) rather than a linear or continuous force response (as shown in fig. 4A-4C, for example).

In some cases, the resilient member may be incorporated into the device using a deformable glass top case to increase or alter the force response of the key region of the top case. For example, springs, shrapnel, elastomeric material, or the like may be provided below the top housing. Such elastic members may provide a return force to the protrusions formed in the top case. For example, if the protrusions of the top shell are configured to invert (e.g., collapse or buckle), the protrusions cannot return to their original protrusion orientation without a return force. Thus, the resilient member may bias the protrusion toward the unflexed or undeformed position to prepare the protrusion for receiving another input. In examples where the top shell is not configured to collapse or buckle, the resilient member may be used to alter the force response, for example to increase the amount of force to be applied to deform the top shell by an amount, or to alter the spring rate or other characteristics of the force response of the top shell.

Fig. 8A-8C illustrate partial cross-sectional views of an exemplary top case 800 having various types of resilient members that interact with protrusions in the top case to impart a return force on the protrusions, for example. The resilient member may be configured to deform or compress when a force is applied and return to an original state or shape when the force is removed. Examples of the elastic member are described below. The protrusion 802 in the top shell 800 may be configured to buckle or collapse as described with reference to fig. 6A-6C, or to deform without buckling or collapsing as described with reference to fig. 4A-4C.

For example, fig. 8A shows a top case 800 having a coil spring 804 aligned with a protrusion 802. The coil springs 804 may be supported by a lower member 806, which may correspond to a bottom shell of the housing (e.g., bottom shell 110, fig. 1), or any other component or structure of the electronic device. The coil spring 804 may be metal, rubber, plastic, or any other suitable material, and may have any suitable spring rate, including linear spring rates, non-linear spring rates, and the like. As mentioned, the coil spring 804 may provide a return force to the protrusion 802.

Fig. 8B shows top shell 800 with dome 808 aligned with protrusion 802. The domes 808 may be collapsible domes (e.g., domes that follow a force-deflection curve similar to that shown in fig. 6C), or they may be spring domes that do not collapse or otherwise produce a tactile "click". Where the top case 800 does not provide a buckling force response (e.g., as described with reference to fig. 6A-6C), a collapsible dome may be used to create a tactile "click" although the top case itself does not provide a Qu Qushi force response. This may allow for the use of different shapes for the key regions (e.g., protrusions, depressions, featureless layers, etc.), which may alone be insufficient to produce a tactile click, while still providing the tactile sensation of a collapsible dome. The dome 808 may have any suitable shape and may be formed from any suitable material, including metal, rubber, plastic, carbon fiber, and the like.

Fig. 8C shows a top shell 800 having a leaf spring 810 aligned with and attached to the bottom surface of the protrusion 802. Leaf spring 810 may be a strip or pad of metal, carbon fiber, plastic, or any other suitable material, and may be attached to top shell 800 in any suitable manner, including adhesive, fusion bonding, mechanical attachment, and the like. In some cases, the leaf spring 810 may conform to the shape of the underside of the protrusion 802 such that the leaf spring 810 is in substantially full contact with the bottom surface of the top case 800. The leaf spring 810 resists deformation in a manner that imparts a return force on the protrusion 802. As described above, the return force may be configured to return the flexed or collapsed protrusion to a resting (e.g., upward protrusion) position, or to increase, change, or modify the force response of the non-flexed protrusion or top shell.

Fig. 8D shows a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary top housing 812 defining a protrusion 814 with a key mechanism 816 positioned below the protrusion. The protrusions 814 in the top shell 812 may be configured to buckle or collapse, as described with reference to fig. 6A-6C, or deform without buckling or collapsing, as described with reference to fig. 4A-4C. The top housing 812 may be the same as or similar to other top housings described herein. For example, the top housing 812 may be glass having a thickness of about 40 microns or less.

Similar to the resilient member in fig. 8A-8C, the key mechanism 816 can interact with the protrusion 814, for example, to impart a return force on the protrusion 814 to bias the protrusion 814 in an undepressed position and/or to provide tactile feedback (e.g., "click") when the protrusion 814 is actuated.

The keying mechanism 816 may include an actuation member 818, a base 824, a collapsible member 822, and a support mechanism 820, the support mechanism 820 configured to support the actuation member 818 and allow the actuation member 818 to move between an undepressed position and a depressed position. The support mechanism 820 may be coupled to the base plate 824 and the actuation member 818, and may have any suitable configuration. For example, as shown, the support mechanism is similar to a scissor mechanism, but other types and configurations are possible, such as butterfly hinges, linear guides, links, and the like.

The collapsible member 822 may be any suitable collapsible member, such as a collapsible dome. The collapsible member 822 may be formed of or may include a conductive material to allow the collapsible member 822 to act as a switch to detect or register actuation of the keypad defined by the protrusion 814. For example, when the collapsible member 822 collapses (e.g., by a user pressing on the protrusion 814), the collapsible member 822 may contact electrical contacts or electrodes on the substrate 824, thereby closing the circuit and allowing the computing device to register a key input. Further, collapsible member 822 may provide a biasing force to actuation member 818, and even to protrusion 814, and collapse of collapsible member 822 may provide a tactile "click" to the keypad when protrusion 814 is pressed and deformed.

The actuation member 818 may contact the underside of the protrusion 814 and may be adhered or otherwise bonded to the top housing 812, or it may not be adhered or bonded to the top housing 812. In some cases, actuation member 818 may define a glyph or symbol on a top surface of actuation member 818 that may be visible through top housing 812. Since the glyphs or symbols indicating the function of this particular key region are below the transparent (e.g., glass) top case 812, the glyphs or symbols may be protected from abrasion and abrasion due to typing input on the key region.

While the above discussion describes various aspects of localized deformation and localized buckling of the keypad, the glass top case may also or alternatively be configured to provide for global buckling. For example, fig. 9A shows a top shell 900 having a shape configured to provide overall buckling. More specifically, substantially the entire top housing 900, or at least a portion of the top housing 900 corresponding to the keypad region, may be configured to flex in response to a force applied to the top surface of the top housing 900. The particular shape (e.g., generally dome shape or convex shape) of the top shell 900 in fig. 9A is merely exemplary, and other shapes or configurations may alternatively be used to create a wholly buckled top shell.

Fig. 9B-9E illustrate partial cross-sectional views of the top housing 900, corresponding to the view of the top housing 900 along section D-D in fig. 9A. While fig. 9B-9E generally conform to the shape of the top shell 900 shown in fig. 9A, it should be understood that this is merely an exemplary shape and that the cross-sectional shape of the top shell may vary from the shape illustrated, depending on the particular shape or configuration used for the integrally buckled top shell.

As shown in fig. 9B-9C, when the top housing 900 is depressed in one area (e.g., by the user's finger 902, stylus, or another object), the entire flex portion of the top housing 900 collapses or flexes, thus producing a tactile click response when a particular force threshold is reached. When the user's finger 902 is removed from the top case 900, the flexed portion of the top case 900 returns to a resting (e.g., upwardly protruding) position (as shown in fig. 9D). When a force is applied to another area of the top housing 900, as shown in fig. 9D-9E, the top housing 900 may collapse or buckle in substantially the same manner as shown in fig. 9C. In this way, the user may click or press anywhere on the top housing 900 and detect a tactile click. The global flexure shown and described in fig. 9A-9E may provide tactile haptic feedback to the keypad area. For example, the keys may be sequentially struck (e.g., one after the other) during typing. Thus, generating a buckling response per key zone may not be necessary, as the overall buckling response may be capable of generating a haptic click for each sequential key stroke. Further, the integrally buckled top shell may be used with a top shell having a substantially flat or planar top surface or a top shell having physically distinct key regions (such as pads, protrusions, depressions, etc.).

In some cases, the top shell may be configured to produce both local and global buckling responses in response to force input. Fig. 10A-10D relate to a multiple layer glass top case 1000 that produces both localized and global buckling responses. Referring to fig. 10A, top case 1000 may include a first glass layer 1004, and fig. 10A is a partial cross-sectional view of top case 1000, corresponding to a view of the top case along line B-B in fig. 1. The first glass layer 1004 may define an array of protrusions 1006, the array of protrusions 1006 defining a key region of a keyboard. The first glass layer 1004 is substantially similar in material, dimensions, and function to the top case 700 described with reference to fig. 7A-7B. For example, the first glass layer 1004 may be formed from tempered glass having a thickness of less than about 40 μm, and each protrusion 1006 may be configured to flex or collapse in response to application of force to produce a first tactile click.

The top case 1000 may also include a second glass layer 1002. The second glass layer 1002 may be substantially similar to the top case 900 (fig. 9A-9E) and may be formed of the same material and provide the same functionality. For example, the second glass layer 1002 may be formed of tempered glass and may have a shape that provides a buckling response when force is applied to different areas on the second glass layer 1002. The first glass layer 1004 may be above the second glass layer 1002 and may be attached to the second glass layer 1002. For example, the first glass layer 1004 may be bonded, adhered, fused, or otherwise attached to the second glass layer 1002. The space under the protrusions 1006 may be empty or they may be occupied by material. For example, the space under the protrusions 1006 may be vacuum or filled with air, liquid, an elastic material (e.g., gel, silicone, etc.), or any other suitable material.

Fig. 10B and 10C illustrate how the two glass layers of the top case 1000 may flex in response to application of a force input (e.g., from a user's finger 1008), and fig. 10D illustrates an exemplary force-deflection curve 1010 of the double-layer top case 1000. In particular, top shell 1000 may generate a buckling response at two different force levels, each force level corresponding to buckling of a different one of the layers. Fig. 10B shows that the finger 1008 deforms the protrusion 1006 of the first glass layer 1004, which may correspond to the path from point 1012 to point 1014 in the force-deflection curve 1010. The force response may correspond to a typical typing input and may produce a tactile click indicating that the keypad has been actuated and that the input has been detected. If the user continues to increase the force after the protrusions 1006 deform (e.g., past point 1014 in curve 1010), the second glass layer 1002 may eventually buckle or collapse, as shown in FIG. 10C. The additional force may correspond to a path on curve 1010 from point 1014 to point 1016. When the second glass layer 1002 flexes, the keyboard may register another input and thus perform another action than when the first glass layer 1004 flexes. For example, when buckling of a protrusion or key region of the first glass layer 1004 (e.g., at or near point 1014) is detected, the keyboard may register selection of a character key and cause a lower case character to be displayed on the display. When buckling of the second glass layer 1002 is detected (e.g., at or near point 1016), the keyboard may replace the lower case character with the upper case character. Other functions may also or alternatively be associated with each of the first and second buckling points.

As described herein, the glass top shell may be made sufficiently thin such that force input from a user's finger, such as typing input, may locally deform the glass. This can be used to provide easier and more intuitive "moving" key regions to type on, and even generate tactile clicks and other tactile feedback. In some cases, the flexibility and/or deformability of the thin glass top case may be used in conjunction with an actuator to selectively form protrusions or recesses to define a key region. For example, fig. 11A-11B illustrate a top case 1100 that may be formed of thin glass having the dimensions and composition described herein, with an array of key regions 1102 defined by selectively formed protrusions. In particular, fig. 11A shows a top case 1100 having a key region 1102 that is substantially flush with the rest of the top case 1100. Fig. 11B shows the top case 1100 when an actuator under the keypad 1102 or otherwise associated with the keypad 1102 is extended, thereby creating a raised keypad 1102 on the top case 1100.

The keypad 1102 may be retracted (fig. 11A) or extended (fig. 11B) for a variety of reasons. For example, if top case 1100 is incorporated into a laptop computer (e.g., device 100, fig. 1), keypad 1102 may be stretched when the computer is opened (e.g., display portion 102 is rotated up to the visible position) to allow the user to apply typing input. As another example, keypad 1102 may be stretched when device 100 is in a text input mode, such as when a word processor or other application accepting text input is active on device 100. On the other hand, the keypad 1102 may retract when the device is closed or being closed, which allows the closed device to occupy less space. Thus, since the keypad 1102 is selectively extendable and retractable, it may be extended when the keyboard is in use or potentially in use, thereby providing an excellent typing experience, and may be retracted when the keyboard is not in use, such that the keyboard assembly occupies less space and the overall size of the device 100 is reduced.

Although fig. 11A-11B illustrate all of the keypress areas 1102 retracted or extended, the keypress areas 1102 may be controlled individually such that one or more keypress areas may be retracted and one or more other keypress areas extended (or vice versa). Further, as shown, the top housing 1100 in fig. 11A has a substantially flat top surface, but this is merely one example. In other cases, when the key regions 1102 are retracted, they protrude less than when the key regions 1102 are extended, but are not flush with the surrounding area of the top case 1100.

The top housing 1100 may be substantially flat when no force is applied to the top housing (e.g., from an internal actuator) or the top housing may define a raised keypad when no force is applied to the top housing. That is, the neutral state of the top case 1100 may be substantially flat, and the raised key region may be formed by deforming the top case 1100 with an actuator. In other cases, the neutral state of top housing 1100 may include raised key regions, and top housing 1100 may be made substantially flat (or the protrusions may be reduced in size) by applying a retraction force with an actuator.

Various types of actuators or other mechanisms may be used to extend and/or retract the keypad of the glass top case. For example, fig. 12A-12B are partial cross-sectional views of the electronic device, as viewed along line E-E in fig. 11B, illustrating an exemplary mechanical actuator 1200 that may be positioned below the top housing 1100. The mechanical actuator 1200 may include a plunger 1206, the plunger 1206 engaging a bottom surface of the top case 1100 to locally deform the keypad 1102 when the actuator 1200 is extended. The actuator 1200 may be any suitable type of actuator including a solenoid, hydraulic actuator, pneumatic actuator, lead screw, cam, or the like. In some cases, plunger 1206 may be glued, adhered, or otherwise secured to the bottom surface of top case 1100, which allows actuator 1200 to further retract button zone 1102 to form a cavity with respect to the rest of top case 1100.

Actuator 1200 may be supported by base 1202, and base 1202 may be a portion of a housing (e.g., bottom shell 110, fig. 1), or any other component or structure of an electronic device. Further, the top housing 1100 may be supported by a support structure 1204, which support structure 1204 cradles or otherwise supports the top housing 1100 with respect to another portion of the device in which it is integrated (such as the base 1202). The support structure 1204 may be adhered or bonded to the top housing 1100 to isolate and/or position the deformations created by the actuator 1200, thereby allowing the actuator 1200 to create discrete protrusions for different key regions 1102, rather than simply lifting the entire top housing 1100.

The keypad 1102 of the top case 1100 may flex locally in response to an applied force despite the presence of an actuator. For example, fig. 12C shows that the button zone 1102 of the top case 1100 flexes in response to a force applied by the finger 1210. Although fig. 12C shows the keypad 1102 flexed to form a depression, this is but one exemplary configuration. In other cases, the keypad 1102 may flex from a raised configuration (as shown in fig. 12B) to a substantially flat configuration (e.g., as shown in fig. 12A) or to a raised configuration lower than that shown in fig. 12B.

The actuator 1200 may be configured to remove or reduce the force applied to the top case 1100 (or to generate a reversal force tending to retract the keypad 1102) when a force is detected on the keypad 1102. In some cases, the actuator 1200 may be used to impart a return force to the keypad 1102, such as to provide a desired tactile sensation to the keypad 1102 and/or to return a collapsed or flexed keypad to its unflexed or undeformed position. In some cases, actuator 1200 may be a haptic actuator that produces a haptic output. For example, the actuator 1200 may generate a force response substantially similar to the force-deflection curve discussed with reference to fig. 6C or 10D, thereby generating a tactile click that may be felt and/or heard by the user. In some cases, the actuator 1200 produces motion or vibration that can be perceived by a user and provides a haptic response (e.g., a "click"). Such haptic outputs may be used in conjunction with both buckling and non-buckling top shells.

Instead of or in addition to a mechanical actuator, a magnetic actuator may be used. For example, fig. 13A-13C are partial cross-sectional views of the electronic device, as viewed along line E-E in fig. 11B, showing an exemplary magnetic actuator 1300 that may be positioned below the top case 1100 to extend and/or retract the key region 1102. Fig. 13A shows the top case 1100 with the key region 1102 retracted, and fig. 13B shows the top case 1100 with the key region 1102 extended. Fig. 13C shows top housing 1100 when keypad 1102 is partially flexed in response to a force applied by finger 1210.

The magnetic actuators 1300 may each include a first magnetic element 1301 and a second magnetic element 1302. The first magnetic element 1301 and the second magnetic element 1302 may be any of a magnetic material, a magnetizable material, a ferromagnetic material, a metal, or the like, of a magnet (e.g., a permanent magnet, a rare earth magnet, an electromagnet, etc.). The first magnetic element 1301 and the second magnetic element 1302 may be selectively energized or magnetized to produce a repulsive force (as shown in fig. 13B) or an attractive force (as shown in fig. 13A). In some cases, the magnet or magnetic material may be selectively magnetized and demagnetized by subjecting the magnetic material to a particular magnetic field to create a repulsive or attractive force (or not create any force). This may allow the magnetic elements 1301, 1302 to generate a continuous force without the need to constantly apply energy or power to the electromagnets. In some cases, the magnetic actuator 1300 may include shielding, bypass, induction coils, and/or other components to facilitate selectively magnetizing and demagnetizing or otherwise operating the magnetic actuator 1300.

The magnetic actuator 1300 may provide the same or similar functions as the mechanical actuators described above. For example, the magnetic actuator 1300 may be configured to impart a return force to a top case having a buckling or non-buckling protrusion. As another example, the magnetic actuator 1300 may be configured to produce a tactile click that may be felt and/or heard by a user. As described above, the tactile output produced by such actuators may be used in conjunction with both buckling and non-buckling top shells.

Piezoelectric actuators may also be used to selectively extend and retract the raised key regions. For example, fig. 14A-14B are partial cross-sectional views of the electronic device, as viewed along line E-E in fig. 11B, showing an exemplary piezoelectric actuator 1400 that may be positioned below the top case 1100 to locally deform the top case 1100 to extend and/or retract the key region 1102. Fig. 14A shows the top case 1100 when the key region 1102 is extended, and fig. 14B shows the top case 1100 with the key region 1102 retracted. Fig. 14B shows the keypad 1102 retracted to form a cavity in the top surface of the top housing 1100, but this is only one exemplary configuration, and the piezoelectric actuator 1400 may alternatively retract the keypad 1102 to a substantially flush configuration.

The piezoelectric actuator may include an actuator strip 1402 that may be formed of a piezoelectric material. A force spreading layer 1404 may be disposed between the actuator strip 1402 and the bottom surface of the top case 1100 (and directly under or near the keypad 1102). The force spreading layer 1404 may increase the area of influence of the actuator strip 1402. More specifically, the force spreading layer 1404 may increase the area of the top housing 1100 that is deformable by the actuator straps 1402. The force spreading layer 1404 may be formed from or include any suitable material, such as silicone, metal, glass, elastomeric material, polymer, or the like.

As shown in fig. 14A, a voltage may be applied to the piezoelectric material of the actuator strip 1402 such that the actuator strip 1402 is contracted or reduced in length. If the actuator strip 1402 is not allowed to shear relative to the top case 1100, the change in length may create a raised or protruding keypad 1102. The local deformation may also be characterized as a convexity or bulge of the top shell 1100.

As shown in fig. 14B, a voltage may be applied to the piezoelectric material of the actuator strip 1402 such that the length of the actuator strip 1402 increases or increases. Similar to the previous example, if the actuator strip 1402 is not allowed to shear relative to the top case 1100, the change in length may create a depressed or depressed keypad 1102. The local deformation may also be characterized as concave or concave.

The top shell 1100 in fig. 14A-14B may have protrusions formed therein, and the protrusions may be configured as buckling or collapsing protrusions that produce a tactile click, as described with reference to fig. 6A-6C. In this case, and similar to the mechanical and magnetic actuators described above, the piezoelectric actuator 1400 may be configured to impart a return force to the protrusions such that they return to a neutral undeformed position after buckling or collapsing in response to a force input.

When an actuator is used to selectively locally deform the top shell, a support structure may be positioned below the top shell or otherwise configured to locate and isolate the deformation produced by the actuator. An exemplary support is shown and described with reference to fig. 12A-13C. However, in some cases, multiple actuators may cooperate to produce localized deformation, such as deformation of only a single key region, without deformation of the support structure surrounding or isolating a particular key region.

Fig. 15A-15B illustrate examples of how actuators may cooperate to create localized deformation in the top case 1500 without the effect of the support structure isolating each actuator. For example, fig. 15A illustrates a top case 1500 (which may be a glass top case having any of the dimensions and/or characteristics of the top cases described herein) in which a keying zone 1502 protrudes from a surrounding region 1504. Fig. 15B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the device with top housing 1500, as viewed along line F-F in fig. 15A. The actuators 1506-1, …, 1506-n positioned below the top case 1500 act on the top case 1500 to impart a force on the top case 1500 to create a deformation. For example, to create a raised key region 1502 without using a support that extends around the key region 1502 or defines the key region 1502, the actuator 1506-3 may be extended to force the key region 1502 upward. Without a support structure, the extended actuator 1506-3 may result in a protrusion that is larger than a single key region. Thus, actuators (e.g., including actuators 1506-2 and 1506-4) around or near region 1504 may retract, thus imparting a reaction force to top case 1500 that will help create a more pronounced localized protrusion of key region 1502.

The surrounding region 1504 is illustrated as being retracted relative to the remainder of the top housing 1500. However, this is for illustration only, and the surrounding actuators may instead generate a reaction force that maintains the undeformed height or position of the surrounding region 1504 relative to the top case 1500 substantially unchanged. Additionally, although the actuator 1506 is illustrated as a magnetic actuator, other types of actuators may be used in a similar manner to help locate deformations from other actuators (including, for example, mechanical actuators, piezoelectric actuators, etc.).

The cooperating actuators as described above may not be sufficient to allow all key regions to retract or extend simultaneously. Thus, these techniques may be implemented in devices where it is not necessary to produce protrusions for the entire keyboard at the same time. For example, in some cases, the keyboard may only produce localized deformation of the individual key regions when the key regions are being pressed or about to be pressed (e.g., as determined by an optical sensor, touch sensor, presence sensor, etc.). Thus, the actuator 1506 may, for example, cooperate so that the key region 1502 protrudes just before and/or during the key is being pressed, and then cooperate so that another key region protrudes before and/or during the other key region is being pressed.

While the actuators described herein are primarily described as producing localized deformations in the glass top shell, these (or other) actuators may also be used to produce other tactile outputs. For example, the actuator may produce motion, vibration, pulses, oscillations, or any other motion or tactile output that may be felt by the user through the top shell. For example, such a haptic output may be used to indicate when an input has been registered, or to simulate the feel of a haptic "click" of a buckling dome or spring. In the latter case, such haptic actuators may be used in combination with a top case that does not have a flexed or collapsed shape to provide a familiar haptic sensation to the key region of the top case.

As described above, a support structure may be incorporated into an electronic device to support the top case and optionally help position the deflection of the top case to individual key regions or subsets of key regions. Fig. 16A-16B are partial cross-sectional views of the electronic device, and in particular, a base portion of the electronic device, corresponding to a view of the top housing along section B-B in fig. 1. These figures show examples of top shells supported by a support structure. For example, fig. 16A shows a top case 1600, such as a glass top case, attached to a bottom case 1602. Bottom case 1602 may correspond to bottom case 110, fig. 1. The top housing 1600 may define an array of key regions 1604. As shown in fig. 16A, top housing 1600 defines substantially planar top and bottom surfaces. However, the keying region 1604 may correspond to any keying region described herein, including raised or protruding keying regions, recessed keying regions, collapsed or flexed keying regions, keying regions defined by grooves or features on the bottom surface of the top case, and the like.

The electronic device shown in fig. 16A includes a support structure 1606 within the base portion. The support structure 1606 is positioned to support an area of the top case 1600 between adjacent key regions 1604 (e.g., in a non-key region of the top case 1600). As shown, each keypad 1604 may be isolated from other keypads by support structures 1606, isolating and/or positioning the deflection caused by user input applied to the keypad to the respective keypad. In some cases, support structure 1606 may define a closed region that extends completely around the outer perimeter of key region 1604 or that defines the outer perimeter of key region 1604. For example, the support structure 1606 may be similar to a keyboard mesh having openings defining individual key regions. The opening may have any shape or configuration, such as square, circular, rectangular, or any other suitable shape.

As noted, fig. 16A shows an example in which a support structure is positioned between each key region. Fig. 16B shows a configuration of an electronic device in which there is no support structure between each key region, but there are a plurality of key regions between the support structures. In particular, fig. 16B shows a top shell 1610 (e.g., a glass top shell) attached to a base portion of a bottom shell 1612. The top housing 1610 defines a key region 1604 (which may have any of the shapes described herein, as indicated above for the top housing 1600). The support structure 1616 contacts the underside of the top housing 1610 to support the top housing, position the flexure, etc.

Support structures 1606, 1616 are illustrated as extending from top shells 1600, 1610 to bottom shells 1602, 1612. However, this is merely an exemplary configuration. In other configurations, at least some of the support structures 1606, 1616 do not directly contact the bottom shell, but rather contact another internal component or structure of the electronic device. In other configurations, bottom shells 1602, 1612 and support structures 1606, 1616 are a unitary structure (e.g., they form an integral component). For example, the bottom shell may be formed (e.g., machined or cast) with posts or walls extending upwardly from a surface of the bottom shell. In further configurations, the support structures 1606, 1616 are part of a mesh, such as a sheet having an array of openings therein. The openings may correspond to or substantially define a single-key region or a multi-key region. If the support structures 1606, 1616 are defined by webs, the webs may be adhered to the bottom surfaces of the top shells 1600, 1610.

The use of glass members for the top case, and more particularly for the input surface of the keyboard, may also provide a unique opportunity for forming wear resistant glyphs (or other symbols) on the individual key areas. 17A-17D illustrate various techniques for forming glyphs on a continuous glass (or other transparent material) top shell.

FIG. 17A is a detailed view of region C-C (FIG. 1) of the top housing 112 of the computing device 100, showing an exemplary key region 1702. The key region 1702 may correspond to one of the key regions 115 of the keyboard region 114. The key region 1702 may include a glyph 1704 that may indicate a function of the key region 1702. As described herein, glyphs 1704 may be defined on the bottom surface of the top shell 112 such that the top surface of the top shell 112 that a user touches while typing is simply a plain glass surface.

17B-17D are partial cross-sectional views of the top shell 112, as viewed along line G-G in FIG. 17A, illustrating various exemplary techniques for forming a glyph on the bottom surface of the top shell 112. For example, fig. 17B shows a mask layer 1706 disposed on the bottom surface of the top shell 112. The mask layer 1706 may include openings, such as opening 1708 in fig. 17B, that define glyphs. The mask layer 1706 may have a visual appearance that contrasts with the opening 1708 (or with anything visible through the opening 1708) to allow the glyphs 1704 to be visually distinguished from surrounding areas of the key region 1702. The mask layer 1706 may be any suitable material, such as paint, dye, ink, film layer, etc., and may be any suitable color. The mask layer 1706 may also be opaque to enclose the underlying components, materials, structures, adhesives, or other internal components of the apparatus 100. In some cases, another layer or material is positioned below the opening 1708 such that the underlying layer or material is visible through the top shell 112.

Fig. 17C shows an example in which an opening in the mask layer 1706 has an additional layer 1710 positioned therein. The additional layer 1710 may have a visual appearance that contrasts with the mask layer 1706 to define a glyph. The additional layer 1710 may be any suitable material, such as paint, dye, ink, film, etc., and may be opaque or translucent. In some cases, the additional layer 1710 can be a semi-transparent mirror material (e.g., a metal film) that can be reflective under certain external lighting conditions and can be transparent (or at least partially transparent or translucent) under other external lighting conditions. For example, if the light source under the additional layer 1710 is active, the additional layer 1710 may appear to the user to be backlit (e.g., the glyph 1704 may appear to be illuminated).

Fig. 17D illustrates an example in which the bottom surface of the top shell 112 has a contrasting surface finish or other treatment 1712 in the mask layer 1706 to define the glyphs 1704. For example, the portion of the bottom surface of the top shell 112 corresponding to the glyph opening may have a different roughness, texture, or other physical property than the surrounding non-glyph region. The surface finish or treatment may be produced in any suitable manner, such as etching (e.g., chemical etching, laser etching, plasma etching), machining, grinding, sandblasting, and the like. The different surface finishes or treatments 1712 may have a different visual appearance than the surrounding area when viewed through the top surface of the top shell 112. In some cases, additional layers may be used in conjunction with the top shell 112 shown in fig. 17D. For example, a mask layer 1706 (shown in fig. 17B-17C) may be applied to the non-zig-zag region of the top shell 112 (as described above) and an additional layer 1710 may be applied over the surface finish or treatment 1712.

While the foregoing examples show glyphs defined by material on the bottom surface of the top shell 112, these are just a few exemplary techniques for forming the glyphs. In some cases, the glyphs may be defined on the top surface of the top shell 112 using the same or similar configurations as shown in fig. 17B-17D (e.g., a mask layer, additional layers, and surface treatments may be applied to the top surface). In some cases, both the top and bottom surfaces of the top shell 112 may include coatings, inks, dyes, paints, surface treatments, etc. to define glyphs (or any other graphical object desired to be visible on the top shell 112).

The glass member of the keyboard surface may be coupled to the electronic device in various ways. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the glass top case 112 may define substantially all of the top surface of the computing device and may be directly coupled to the bottom case 110. 18A-18D illustrate other exemplary techniques for coupling glass members of a keyboard surface to a computing device.

Fig. 18A illustrates a computing device 1800 (or simply "device 1800") that may include glass members that define a keyboard surface. In particular, the base portion 1804 of the device 1800 may include a top shell 1812 and a separate keyboard member 1811 formed at least in part from glass and defining a keyboard region 1814 of the device 1800. The device 1800 may be otherwise identical or similar to the device 100 described above, and the aspects of the device 100 discussed herein will be understood to apply equally to the device 1800.

The keyboard member 1811 may have any of the features described herein for other top shells and/or employ any of the features described herein for other top shells, including deformable protrusions, flexed configurations, underlying resilient members, etc. For example, the keyboard member 1811 may be formed from one or more layers of strengthened glass (e.g., chemically strengthened, ion-exchanged, heat treated, tempered, annealed, etc.). The glass may be thinner than about 100 μm, thinner than about 40 μm, or thinner than about 30 μm. The keyboard member 1811 may be configured to locally flex or deform any suitable amount in response to a typing force. For example, keyboard member 1811 may be configured to locally flex about 0.1mm, about 0.2mm, about 0.3mm, about 0.4mm, about 0.5mm, or any other suitable amount in response to a sample typing force (e.g., 250g, 500g, 1kg, etc.).

The top shell 1812 may be formed of any suitable material or may include any suitable material, such as glass, plastic, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, magnesium, alloys, etc.). The top housing 1812 may also define an opening in which the keyboard member 1811 may be positioned. The top housing 1812 may also define or include an input area, such as a touch input area 1816. While both the keyboard member 1811 and the top case 1812 may be formed of glass, they may be formed of different glass materials or have other different properties or characteristics. For example, the top shell 1812 may be thicker than the keyboard member 1811 to provide additional strength and/or rigidity. As another example, the top case 1812 may be formed of glass having a higher hardness than that of the glass of the keyboard member 1811. In this way, various glass components can be customized for the specific design goals of each component. More specifically, a thicker top shell 1812 may provide greater structural stability, but may not provide sufficient localized deflection to provide a good typing experience. Thus, a thinner keyboard member 1811 may provide deformability for providing a desired typing experience, while a thicker top case 1812 provides a desired structural strength and/or rigidity.

18B-18D are partial cross-sectional views of the device 1800, as viewed along line H-H in FIG. 18A, illustrating an exemplary technique for joining the keyboard member 1811 to the top case 1812. In fig. 18B, for example, the top case 1812 defines a flange that supports a peripheral portion of the keyboard member 1811. An adhesive 1815 may be positioned on the flange to secure the keyboard member 1811 to the top case 1812. Adhesive 1815 may be any suitable adhesive or bonding agent including Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSA), heat Sensitive Adhesives (HSA), epoxy, contact cement, and the like. As shown in fig. 18B-18D, the top surface of the top housing 1812 and the top surface of the keyboard member 1811 may be substantially flush (e.g., coplanar) resulting in a substantially flat top surface to the base portion 1804 of the device 1800.

Fig. 18C shows an example in which the keyboard member 1811 is fused to the top case 1812 along fused regions 1813. The keyboard member 1811 may be fused to the top case 1812 by at least partially melting or softening the top case 1812 and the keyboard member 1811 to form a fused region 1813. Fusion may be achieved using any suitable method including laser welding, ultrasonic welding, direct heating and/or flame application, pressure, and the like.

Fig. 18D shows an example in which the keyboard member 1811 defines a flange that is adhered or otherwise bonded to the bottom surface of the top case 1812. The keyboard member 1811 may be bonded to the top case 1812 with an adhesive 1818, which adhesive 1818 may be any suitable adhesive or bonding agent including Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA), heat Sensitive Adhesive (HSA), epoxy, contact cement, and the like.

Fig. 19 shows an exemplary schematic of an electronic device 1900. By way of example, device 1900 of fig. 19 may correspond to computing device 100 shown in fig. 1 and/or computing device 1800 shown in fig. 18A. If multiple functions, operations and structures are disclosed as being part of the device 1900, incorporated into the device 1900, or performed by the device 1900, it should be understood that various embodiments may omit any or all of such described functions, operations and structures. Thus, different embodiments of the apparatus 1900 may have some or all of the various capabilities, devices, physical features, modes, and operating parameters described herein or none of them. Electronic device 1900 may include a thin glass top housing, as described herein, upon which various key zones may be formed. For example, the key regions of the keyboard may be defined by protrusions formed into the glass top case, as described herein.

As shown in fig. 19, the device 1900 includes one or more processing units 1902 configured to access a memory 1904 having instructions stored thereon. The instructions or computer program may be configured to perform one or more of the operations or functions described for device 1900 (and/or any of the devices described herein, such as devices 100, 1800). For example, the instructions may be configured to control or coordinate operation of the one or more displays 1920, the one or more touch sensors 1906, the one or more force sensors 1908, the one or more communication channels 1910, and/or the one or more actuators 1912.

The processing unit 1902 of fig. 19 may be implemented as any electronic device capable of processing, receiving, or transmitting data or instructions. For example, the processing unit 1902 may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or a combination of such devices. As described herein, the term "processor" is intended to encompass a single processor or processing unit, multiple processors, multiple processing units, or one or more other suitably configured computing elements.

Memory 1904 may store electronic data that may be used by device 1900. For example, the memory may store electronic data or content such as, for example, audio and video files, documents and applications, device settings and user preferences, timing and control signals or data for various modules, data structures, or databases, and the like. Memory 1904 may be configured as any type of memory. By way of example only, memory 1904 may be implemented as random access memory, read only memory, flash memory, removable memory, or other types of storage elements or combinations of such devices.

Touch sensor 1906 (which may be part of a touch and/or force sensing system) can detect various types of touch-based inputs and generate signals or data that can be accessed using processor instructions. Touch sensor 1906 can use any suitable components and can rely on any suitable phenomenon to detect physical input. For example, the touch sensor 1906 may be a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, and the like. Touch sensor 1906 can include any suitable components for detecting touch-based input and generating signals or data that can be accessed using processor instructions, including electrodes (e.g., electrode layers), physical components (e.g., substrates, spacers, structural supports, compressible elements, etc.), processors, circuitry, firmware, and the like. Touch sensor 1906 can be used in conjunction with various input mechanisms to detect various types of inputs. For example, touch sensor 1906 can be used to detect touch inputs (e.g., gestures, multi-touch inputs, taps, etc.), keyboard inputs (e.g., actuation and/or localized deformation of a key region of a glass top case), and the like. Touch sensor 1906 may be integrated with or otherwise configured to detect touch input and/or deformation thereof on a top housing of a computing device (e.g., top housing 112, 1812 or any other top housing discussed herein) or another component configured to detect touch input, such as keyboard member 1811 (fig. 18A). Touch sensor 1906 can operate in conjunction with force sensor 1908 to generate signals or data in response to touch input or deformation of a keypad or other area of the glass top case.

Force sensors 1908 (which may be part of a touch and/or force sensing system) may detect various types of force-based inputs and generate signals or data that can be accessed using processor instructions. The force sensor 1908 may use any suitable components and may rely on any suitable phenomenon to detect physical input. For example, the force sensor 1908 may be a strain-based sensor, a piezoelectric-based sensor, a piezoresistive-based sensor, a capacitive sensor, a resistive sensor, and the like. Force sensor 1908 can include any suitable component for detecting force-based input and generating signals or data that can be accessed using processor instructions, including electrodes (e.g., electrode layers), physical components (e.g., substrates, spacer layers, structural supports, compressible elements, etc.), processors, circuitry, firmware, and the like. Force sensors 1908 may be used with various input mechanisms to detect various types of inputs. For example, force sensor 1908 may be used to detect clicks, presses, or other force inputs applied to a touch pad, keyboard, keypad area of a glass top case, touch or force sensitive input area, etc. (any or all of which may be located on or integrated with a top case of a computing device (e.g., top cases 112, 1812 or any other top case discussed herein) or integrated with a keyboard member (e.g., keyboard member 1811)). The force sensors 1908 can operate in conjunction with the touch sensors 1906 to generate signals or data in response to touch and/or force based input or localized deformation of the glass top case.

The apparatus 1900 may also include one or more actuators 1912. The actuator 1912 may include one or more of a variety of haptic technologies such as, but not necessarily limited to, mechanical actuators, solenoids, hydraulic actuators, cams, piezoelectric devices, magnetic actuators, and the like. In general, the actuator 1912 may be configured to provide a return force to a keypad of the glass top case and/or provide explicit feedback (e.g., a tactile click) to a user of the device. For example, the actuator 1912 may be adapted to create a clicking or flicking sensation and/or a vibratory sensation, to create a biasing force that biases the protrusion toward the undepressed position, and so forth.

The one or more communication channels 1910 may include one or more wireless interfaces adapted to provide communication between the one or more processing units 1902 and external devices. In general, one or more communication channels 1910 may be configured to transmit and receive data and/or signals that may be interpreted by instructions executing on processing unit 1902. In some cases, the external device is part of an external communication network configured to exchange data with the wireless device. Generally, a wireless interface may include, but is not limited to, radio frequency, optical, acoustic, and/or magnetic signals, and may be configured to operate over a wireless interface or protocol. Exemplary wireless interfaces include a radio frequency cellular interface, a fiber optic interface, an acoustic interface, a bluetooth interface, an infrared interface, a USB interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a TCP/IP interface, a network communication interface, or any conventional communication interface.

As shown in fig. 19, the device 1900 may include a battery 1914 for storing power and providing power to other components of the device 1900. The battery 1914 may be a rechargeable power source configured to provide power to the device 1900 when the device 1900 is being used by a user.

For purposes of explanation, the foregoing descriptions use specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required to practice the embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above teachings. Additionally, as used herein to refer to the position of a component, the terms above and below or their synonyms do not necessarily refer to absolute positions relative to external references, but rather to relative positions of components relative to the figures.

Claims (20)

1. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

A keyboard, the keyboard comprising:

a bottom case;

a glass top shell coupled to the bottom shell and defining an array of raised key regions; and

a sensing system is located below the glass top case and configured to detect deflection of raised key regions of the array of raised key regions.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the glass top case further defining a touch input region along a side of the array of raised key regions;

the flexing of the raised key region occurs in response to a force applied to the raised key region;

the sensing system is also configured to detect touch input applied to the touch input area.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device further comprises a support structure that is below the glass top case and that is configured to resist deflection of the glass top case in a non-key region of the keyboard.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the raised key region defines a substantially planar top surface.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the raised key region is at least partially defined by a sidewall that extends around the raised key region.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the raised key area is a first raised key area;

the electronic device further includes a support structure positioned below an area of the glass top case between the first raised key region and the second raised key region; and is also provided with

The support structure is configured to resist deflection of the region in response to a force applied to one of the first raised key region and the second raised key region.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the glass top housing defining a transparent portion along a side of the array of raised key regions;

the electronic device further includes a display positioned below the glass top case; and is also provided with

The display is aligned with the transparent portion of the glass top case.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the glass top case comprises:

a first glass layer defining the array of raised key regions and configured to flex in response to a first force applied to the raised key regions; and

a second glass layer positioned below the first glass layer and configured to provide a buckling response in response to a second force applied to the raised key region that is greater than the first force.

9. A keyboard for an electronic device, comprising:

a bottom case;

a glass top shell coupled to the bottom shell and defining an array of raised key regions, the raised key regions of the array of raised key regions configured to flex in response to a force applied to the raised key regions; and

a sensing system is located below the glass top case and configured to detect the deflection of the raised key region.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, further comprising a resilient member below the raised key region and configured to impart a return force to the raised key region.

11. The keyboard of claim 10, wherein:

the resilient member providing a buckling response to the raised key region; and is also provided with

The buckling response is provided in response to the deflection of the raised key region exceeding a threshold distance.

12. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein the resilient member is a collapsible dome.

13. The keyboard of claim 9, further comprising a haptic actuator configured to impart a haptic force to the raised key region in response to detection of the deflection of the raised key region by the sensing system.

14. The keyboard of claim 9 wherein the raised key region comprises a curved top surface.

15. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein:

the raised key region includes a sidewall extending from a base surface of the glass top case and supporting a top surface of the raised key region; and is also provided with

The sidewall is configured to deform in response to the force.

16. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a base portion, the base portion comprising:

a bottom case; and

a glass top shell coupled to the bottom shell and defining an array of key regions, wherein key regions of the array of key regions are configured to locally deform in response to an applied force.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the keypad defines a top surface having a convex curved shape configured to collapse to produce a buckling response.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a spring positioned below the key region and configured to impart a return force to the key region.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a support structure that supports the glass top case relative to the bottom case and is configured to prevent an applied force from buckling an additional key region adjacent to the key region.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein each key region in the array of key regions has a thickness of less than 40 μιη.