The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 55 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover Apple's patent that relates to advanced haptic feedback components for both a future Apple Pencil and mobile devices like an iPhone and iPad. The idea is to provide users with an immersive multimedia user experience. Bringing this to the iPhone would allow Apple to directly challenge Samsung's popular Galaxy Note smartphone.

Apple notes that conventional electronic devices include touch screen displays that generate graphical images based on user input implemented by an electronic stylus. Generally, conventional electronic styluses are devoid of feedback components for stimulating the user's senses. Indeed, implementing feedback components within the electronic stylus may be advantageous in that for example, during use, the electronic stylus is generally closer in physical proximity to the user than the touch screen display. Thus, any feedback that can be generated by the electronic stylus is more apt to be perceived by the user.

Therefore, there is a need for electronic styluses to include feedback components for generating haptic feedback that is responsive to the user's input with the touch screen display.

The techniques and components found in Apple's patent involve an electronic stylus capable of detecting an amount of contact that is made with a touch screen panel and generating a haptic feedback response that is based on the amount of contact. Such techniques and components may be advantageous to graphical artists drawing with an electronic stylus, where the accuracy and representation of graphical images generated by the touch screen display can be highly dependent upon the haptic feedback perceived by the user.

The haptic feedback component is configured to generate different types of haptic feedback based on mechanical input between the touch sensitive device and the touch screen panel. In some embodiments, the haptic feedback component is configured to impart haptic feedback in a plurality of different directions/dimensions. For example, the haptic feedback component can be configured to simulate the physical sensation of moving a paintbrush across a canvas that is displayed by the touch screen panel.

In another example, the haptic feedback component can be configured to simulate a difference between a wet paintbrush and a dry paintbrush that is displayed on the touch screen panel.

In another example, the haptic feedback component can increase oscillation of a mass in order to simulate moving a paintbrush across a rough surface (e.g., wood) that is displayed by the touch screen pane.

In another example, the haptic feedback component can be configured to simulate the effect of a pencil rubbing against an edge of a piece of paper. Notably, the haptic feedback component can be configured to independently generate different types of haptic feedback without requiring haptic feedback instructions from the electronic device.

Apple's patent FIG. 13B below illustrates a perspective view of a touch sensitive device #1300 that includes a cantilever haptic feedback component #1340 within an internal cavity, in accordance with some embodiments. The touch sensitive device can refer to a portable electronic device, such as an iPhone manufactured by Apple Inc.

Apple's patent FIG. 2D illustrates a touch sensitive device #200 (an iPhone) including an axial haptic feedback component #240. In some embodiments, the axial haptic feedback component #240 can include a bimorph actuator.

Apple's patent FIG. 13A illustrates a cross-sectional view of a touch sensitive device #1300 that includes an axial haptic feedback component #1340a and a cantilever haptic feedback component #1340b.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the axial haptic feedback component can be positioned towards the distal end of the touch sensitive device while the cantilever haptic feedback component can be positioned towards the proximal end of the touch sensitive device.

By providing two different types of haptic feedback components (#1340a and #1340b), the touch sensitive device (Apple Pencil) is configured to simultaneously provide haptic feedback associated with a variety of directionalities or degrees of freedom. In this manner, the amount of haptic feedback perceived by the user is magnified

Apple's granted patent was originally filed in Q2 2017 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.