GB2509583A - Touchscreen stylus. - Google Patents

Abstract

A stylus 12 for a touchscreen device 10 comprises an elongate first element 40 having a screen engaging portion 49 at one end and a holding portion 47 at the other end. A body portion 42, in the form of a sleeve, surrounds a part of the first element and the first element is mounted for limited axial movement in the body portion. The body portion has an annular external contact surface. The first element is preferably biased in an axial direction by spring 50 so that the screen engaging portion is retracted inside the body portion and held away from the touchscreen. A force can be applied to the holding portion to bring the screen engaging portion into contact with the touchscreen. The body portion may be freely rotatable around the first element. The stylus is intended to be used for tracing round objects to record their shape on the touchscreen.

Description

I

AStvius The:presentiiwention relates to astyls for use with 2 toucksoreen, of a thueMoreen. ooutputór device. (ECD).

According: tc' thc present: Inyention there. is provided a stylus for use in. conjunction with a T(1J) qoinprishig an etcigate fitsi clement hayi$tgahponeetd.apda:screen engagingportion$ the Sej eS,, Md. a secojtd eletttsit cotnprisng, a cylindrical bod' portion statnundMg at kat. a portion of thu ienwnt the Just eitme.jt being.

mounted (or limited, axial. niovontent. rdative thi.oylStiàat. Wy Portion an4.ihe:bQdy.ption having an annularexternal contact surfbee.

Ideally' the axially.ciiig eu4 of the body' portion remote from kIte hóldjig portE, ,bnastopth ratti$Iy Sen4ing surthee in. a single plane.

for sliding. over a touchscreen or touchsireeg cover. Preferably, the.

radially extending Mttfate fr, cotitmnuou and,ttntlat ft is a prte4 fe$pre, that the fnt' element is' riIientiy urged in an axial. direction into an inactive po$tion. relative to the b..y such that the scrc.n engaging portion i, retmetedl iuskk the. bu4y portkm above the,radiafly cxtcn4ing' Sz'e of tht body ijoit1on aM t1e first eiernn cn:be støvcd a*ially' Into an active vosltion in *hic Ike screth.eigUging $Etko:nJt iii radial alignment with said radiaUy extending'Srfrée of the body portion son to, contact in use the screen of a TCD. A Aullier preferred feature Is'that the first element is resiliently nged. by mean of a: coil spring: disposed between the body portion and the hotdin9 poflion; In a pretbrred etnbodin*ent thø lx*'portloti Is freely rotatable about. a central lengthwise axis oI:the lint clement.

In a Anllier.arrangernent $iere is further provided an annulir toilet s$vc4fspiscd çoaidafly around Ike bpdy'porflon 0$ sleeve being fte. to rotate, atound. the. body pSiun. Atso an, cxte$or stthce of the isidhtg p**tion has apiursllty fThrntationsibtnati0ns tc aid g$p ErnhodImenti of the prcsójd invention will nOW he: described h dsiL The.' dea7ipthrn makes mince to tho accompanying drawings tznvhkk Figure Ills a vertical section through a styIua açcordiñg to the resent Invention' in an Inactive position, Figure 2 is a verbS section through the stylus in an active position, Figure 3 is a plan view of at alternative stylus according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a side view of the stylus of figure 3, Figure 5 is a vertical section on AA of figure 4 through the stylus iii an inactive position, and Figure 6 is a. vertical settion. through the stylus in an active position.

In figures 1 and 2 there is shown a stylus 12 which. is intended, in use, to engage the screen 10 of' a Touchscreen Computer Device <TCD), for exampi.e a computer tablet, mun-tablet or even phone. The stylus 1.2 comprises a first, element 40 and a second element 41. The second element 41 comprises a cylindrical body portion 42 having a circular cylindrical, axially extending external contact surface 43 and an internal projection 44 having a central hole/bore 45. The lower face 46 of the body portion 1:5 smooth mid extends radially in a single plane to enable the face 46 to slide easily over the upper surface of the screen 10 of the TC[) with the surfitee 43 substantially perpendicular to tile surface of the screen. I'he first element 40 comprises, a holding portion 47 ha4ng a downwardly extending stem 48 which passes through the central hole $5 of the body portion and is a sliding fit therein. The central hole 45 has a length in. the vertical direction (as viewed in the figures) sufficient to support the first element in a vertical orientation relative to the second element. The lowermost end of the stem 48 has a screen engaging portion 49 in the form of a tip which could have any desired shape..

The first clement 40 is axially movable relative t.o the body portion 42 lulls resiliently urged upwaids by a coil spring 50 disposed between the projection 44 and the holding portion 47, The stylus has an. inactive position in which the first element 40' is urged upwards by the spring 50 so that the screen engaging portion 49 is retracted (figure 1).. [he. stylus also has an active position in. which the first elei.ient 40 is pressed dowi against the force of the spring.50 so that the screen engaging portion 49 is level with the radial face 46 of the body portion 42 so as to engage the a s4reen th of S ica The msetiats of the first element 4O, an4 In $rtkutar di s4ltelt engaging. portion 49, must be TCD compatlbk such That. contacts wIt the steelier the tCD 2. a registered bythe iU.

In use, fhestylus 12 canbe:plaeed:oitthe Sctieh tOttheTCt)so :fl its azial onIactsuriace43 lies against the paitueterof an object aM the twer taco 46:1cs against the H 1stforni, Do. .4 ptessure is applied to the holding portkat 41 of the st$izs so that 0* sstcngag1tig:prtion is moved into itS active pusitt*n. The stylus 12 is then moved around the object such that tho stylus follows a 0tK ckfernthted bytho shape of the object..

bpretcdagcme*$thci48ickcSl!!sctioaandthe bo ponkm 42 i ibIe 1o rotate rnd the stet 48. Wh tracing: around an object, the body portion effecthely Mis sro.und 0* thesby minimising an effects of ItSi ktwee±t the stylus and the

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The lCD 22 can incorpola suitable programming (an app) sudh that torn the traced path,, and from *t known raW distance fç, the )eugthwiie:axbottbe styips 12 to the axial contact surAce 43, the can establ:iè details relating, to the. M*t iazi. as tpc and sitA By keeping the radial lower face 46 of the body portkrn ikt 4fluriSt the :sj4n4ow and the uxW cO4itac sa 43 ag1nst the obiict an boctntc u*Sg ca be uaçie with no anglingof lIke stylus whicin!oul4 result in j4çy tracing and hence ipacuratc recor$4 at details by it TCfl It will Ut appreojated that the stylus tan be used før puq*. other than fracing and E be Used IS effecth bosie: polti *flt*CtS with the semen of theTCI) ordrawinglines ext the son n of the ItO.

In figures 3 to 60 is shqv natwther stylus 112 in ahbó with the ptesert invcntibn The stylus 112 1w very simi ar to that shown in :figw and 2 and so lIkc teatnits hne hetn givcn 111cc reference flUtneralL These features will not h dcserbcd again.

In stylus 112therclsariatS aiznulnrgroove6O*hichsbics j dtvke to begripped and setalned by & suitabo dSco *4th wIth the: stybis 112 ny be: u!spcis4 Thovc$I proportions oFst4us 112.

omS b stylus 12 are diffcrnt with ttylus 112 bting SOftiewM Shorter and widet The undei*le of the bpd" portion 42 Is recessed at I Li such that the radhil lower' ,fe 46 is pe,,' and is spaced 1mm the screen cngaging portion 49. This enables the: stylus o. r main in good. contact with the screen' 10 but:re6ues the.friqfiàn between the neat ai,. the axiaE codtact siróc. Although the,radiai, Lower th&46',S shOwnn hoing a continuous annular' awmnec it coult bc discontinuous, &ound its pciiphcxy whilst still providing a, st$,ic enpgcment: with the seite, 30, perhaps eyei, otiytbree,poisis, øt,contatk wiih the sceen,bek'ig ttcessery to es abUt sufflalent stability.

Also: 4tk styLus 112, the screen cngMini pOdion 491s shown disposed within a stepped. recess 62 having an upper thoulder 63 which limits the' upward travel of the' first eLement 40 and. dated screçn engaging portion' 49 away from the. screen 10, hi ad4ition,. in this em imeat, the upper' end t the. spring 50 is received in,. an upwardly eueSing tes. 64 in ate holding. Sc* 47 of The sty1i' 112.

F:tMhothore the tower end of the, handtt portion,47 laM thefo,rrn' of'an annular projcction 65 whkb is slidably rçccived in a corresponding 4tCpPed recess Thedptlz,:et the steppe4 recesses a 66 arc. such' that the sprir g'SO rerusins orconcealed Sb theretot Less sus4cpftble to d''age ad the stepped t'ssiutilts downward travel of the ttvst' eleinenL The* are preferred but not essential lèatures.

In San, alternative stylus, there is provided a fr,ly' rotiting cylindricaL sieve around the body' portion C,b this arrangement' the axial contact süd,,, 43 js constbted' by the i,,ternai surface of the cylindrjSit 4',*e. In *uoh atisShneu'th ty1usis also' able to roil :zirouEid the: póEip&'y',ofl" objctt whiM the styhn is being used to, floe arnund the objict and coü1d, for examples beused in arraaujeMents where the fl hole 45 et ø body' pprtkn 42!str, 48 arc no of circular cross-scetion. ,My changes to tfr diameter of any stylus cait$ In the gratnmitt$ *f the app $ eistttc acetate nicaurement.