Input devices incorporating biometric sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9922229-B2
Application number	US-201615260253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A button assembly for an electronic device is disclosed. The button assembly integrates a biometric sensor below a top surface of the button. The button assembly is positioned relative to a secondary display of an electronic device. The secondary display can be positioned relative to a keyboard, such as above a top row of keys of the keyboard.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A button assembly comprising:
a button cap comprising:
a frame;
a cover attached to the frame and forming an external surface of the button cap; and
a standoff extending from a bottom surface of the frame, configured to insert within a through-hole defined in a housing of an electronic device;

a spring plate comprising:
an inner tongue coupled to an interior surface of the housing and adjacent the through-hole; and
an outer tongue coupled to the standoff; and

a biometric sensor abutting a bottom surface of the cover; wherein
the spring plate is configured to constrain a motion of the button in at least one direction; and
the button cap is configured to depress downwardly such that the standoff causes the outer tongue of the spring plate to deflect away from the interior surface.

2. The button assembly of claim 1 , wherein the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor.

3. The button assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the button assembly comprises an electrical switch positioned below between the biometric sensor and a top surface of the housing; and
the electrical switch is configured to operate as a power button of the electronic device.

4. The button assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the cover is formed from sapphire; and
the biometric sensor is positioned below the cover.

5. The button assembly of claim 1 , wherein button cap is positioned adjacent an input component of the electronic device.

6. The button assembly of claim 5 , wherein the input component comprises a rectilinear display.

7. The button assembly of claim 5 , wherein a top surface of the button cap is substantially flush with a top surface of the input component.

8. An electronic device comprising:
a housing defining an opening and a set of apertures;
a set of keys extending at least partially through the set of apertures;
a rectilinear display area disposed at least partially within the opening; and
a power button disposed at least partially within the opening configured to capture a biometric input when a user of the electronic device presses the power button, the power button disposed adjacent the rectilinear display area; wherein
the power button is configured to depress in a cantilevered manner such that the power button does not transfer a load to the rectilinear display area.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the rectilinear display area is coupled to at least one of a force sensor, a touch sensor, or a display.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the power button is configured to change a power state of the electronic device upon determining that the biometric input matches a previously-obtained biometric input.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the biometric sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the restricted-access button is positioned below a button cap of the restricted-access button.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the restricted-access button comprises:
a fingerprint sensor; and
a compressible dome switch positioned below the fingerprint sensor.

14. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the restricted-access button comprises a bumper configured to impact a surface of a housing of the electronic device when the restricted-access button is pressed by a user.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising a planar exterior surface defining an opening;
a display positioned within the opening;
a keyboard positioned along a side of the display and extending from the planar exterior surface and at least partially parallel to the display; and
a button positioned within the opening, the button comprising:
a cover;
a biometric sensor positioned below the cover and configured to capture a biometric input in response to a touch on the cover; and
an electrical switch positioned below the cover and configured to actuate in response a depression of the cover.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the display comprises an input sensor configured to detect at least one of:
a touch input to the display;
a force input to the display; or
a gesture input to the display.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising a bumper coupled to a back surface of the cover adjacent to an edge of the cover abutting the display.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein, in response to the user input, the bumper is configured to impact an interior surface of the housing causing the button to cantilever away from the display.

19. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the electrical switch comprises a compressible dome configured to depress against an indentation defined into the planar exterior surface of the housing.

20. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the button is separated from a sidewall of the opening by a gap.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Cao Robert Y
• Mccord Michael K
• Lancaster-Larocque Simon R

Classifications

• G06F1/1647

  including at least an additional display (G06F1/1692 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/021

  Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner · CPC title

• G06F1/1662

  Details related to the integrated keyboard · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title