Audio/visual device user interface with tactile feedback

摘要

A user interface for an audio/visual device includes a touch sensor in which the touch sensor is vibrated by an actuator coupled thereto to provide a user with a virtual texture for a corresponding menu on which the user is provided with the impression that menu item have textures, where the menu may extend about the periphery of a display element so as to at least partially surround a display area in which a visual portion of an audio/visual program may be played and possibly in a manner corresponding to how a surface defined on the touch sensor at least partially surrounds another manually-operable control.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a touch sensor having a touch-sensitive surface that is manually operable with a digit of a hand of a user, and on which at least a portion of a racetrack surface is defined; an actuator coupled to the touch sensor to cause vibratory movement of the touch sensor; a processing device; and a storage accessible to the processing device and storing a sequence of instructions that when executed by the processing device, causes the processing device to, in response to an indication of the digit touching the racetrack surface at a position on the racetrack surface:
cause a marker to be visually displayed at a location on a menu visually displayed on a display element that corresponds to the position on the racetrack surface, wherein the menu is disposed about a periphery of the display element surrounding a display area at which a visual portion of an audio/visual program is displayed and the shape of the racetrack surface corresponds to the shape of the menu;cause the display area to be reduced in size to accommodate the menu, and cause the visual portion of the audio/visual program to be rescaled based on the reduced size;store menu data corresponding to a location of a plurality of menu items on the menu and virtual textures associated with the plurality of menu items;employ the menu data to determine a virtual texture that corresponds to the location of the marker on the menu; andoperate the actuator to cause vibratory movement of the touch sensor to provide a perception of the virtual texture, wherein a virtual texture of a menu item displayed on the menu differs from a virtual texture of a space between menu items displayed on the menu.