Deformable apparatus, method and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9614981-B2
Application number	US-201213362121-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2012
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program, the apparatus including at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, enable the apparatus to: obtain an input signal indicative of a deformation of a housing of the apparatus; and provide, in response to the obtained input signal, an output signal to control further deformation of the housing of the apparatus.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to enable the apparatus to:
obtain an input signal indicative of a particular deformation to be provided to a housing of the apparatus in response to a determination of a force applied to the apparatus exceeding a threshold value; and
provide, in response to the obtained input signal, an output signal to control a deformation to the housing of the apparatus to the particular deformation indicated by the obtained input signal and control deformation to prevent excessive forces being applied to the housing of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises an external casing of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing contains the at least one processor and the at least one memory.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a signal indicative of the deformation of the housing of the apparatus is obtained from one or more sensors configured to detect the deformation of the housing.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to receive an input signal indicative of the occurrence of an event, and, in response to the input signal, to provide an output signal causing the housing of the apparatus to be deformed.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises an actuator configured to receive a control signal from the at least one processor and to control the deformation of the housing of the apparatus in response to the control signal.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the deformation comprises at least one of bending, stretching, shrinking, twisting or changing the shape of at least a portion of the housing of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the deformation varies in time in a sequence.

9. A method to detect a deformation to a housing of an apparatus, comprising:
using a programmed processor to:
obtain an input signal indicative of a particular deformation to be provided to a housing of the apparatus in response to a determination of a force applied to the apparatus exceeding a threshold value; and
provide, in response to the obtained input signal, an output signal to control a deformation to the housing of the apparatus to the particular deformation indicated by the obtained input signal and control deformation to prevent excessive forces being applied to the housing of the apparatus.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the housing comprises an external casing of the apparatus.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the housing contains at least one processor and at least one memory configured to enable the method to be carried out.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a signal indicative of the deformation of the housing of the apparatus is obtained from one or more sensors configured to detect the deformation of the housing.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving an input signal indicative of the occurrence of an event, and, in response to the input signal, providing an output signal causing the housing of the apparatus to be deformed.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a control signal to control the deformation of the housing of the apparatus is provided to an actuator configured to control the deformation of the housing of the apparatus in response to the control signal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the deformation comprises at least one of bending, stretching, shrinking, twisting or changing the shape of at least a portion of the housing of the apparatus.

16. A physical entity embodying a computer program comprising program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 9 .

17. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the deformation varies in time in a sequence.

18. A non-transitory physical entity embodying a computer program comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, enable an apparatus at least to perform:
obtaining an input signal indicative of a particular deformation to be provided to a housing of the apparatus in response to a determination of a force applied to the apparatus exceeding a threshold value; and
providing, in response to the obtained input signal, an output signal to control a deformation to the housing of the apparatus to the particular deformation indicated by the obtained input signal and control deformation to prevent excessive forces being applied to the housing of the apparatus.

Assignees

• Vanska Anssi
• Kosonen Matti
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Vanska Anssi
• Kosonen Matti

Classifications

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• H04M19/04 Primary

  the ringing-current being generated at the substations · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title