A new Apple patent has appeared on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a feature that may affect the multi-touch display.
Under U.S. Patent No. 8,4,462,133, the apparatus is to provide physical "clickable" buttons for a touch surface. The patent claims tapping on the touchscreen may lead to accidental activations.
"Therefore, what is needed is a method and an apparatus which allows touch areas of a touchscreen to be comfortably and efficiently activated," stated the patent.
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"The present invention pertains to button attachment structures which may be attached to a touchscreen of a device to provide physical buttons for use to activate features of the device. The present invention may be implemented in numerous ways, including, but not limited to, as a method, system, device, or apparatus."
An example of the Apple patent is figure 8 (see left), which includes a button attachment structure with multiple buttons.
The size and shape of the button attachment apparatus may vary. According to the U.S. patent, the structure may be sized to "accommodate" the device in question.
Could the new product come upon the launch of the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6?
Time will tell.
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