Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to possible radical changes coming to future MacBooks using dynamic display interfaces.

Apple's patent background notes that some traditional trackpads are limited to a trackpad area that is generally located between the user's hands when positioned in a typing position. Most traditional trackpads are also visually static in appearance and tactile feel.

The systems and techniques described in this granted patent are directed to a MacBook having a touch-sensitive cover and a display that produces a dynamic graphical output and may extend over the palm rest region of a keyboard.

MacBook with Dynamic Display Interface

Apple's granted patent describes a MacBook with a new dynamic display interface next to or surrounding the keyboard. For example, a MacBook may include a display portion that is hinged to a base portion that includes a keyboard. The dynamic display interface may include one or more additional displays positioned in the base portion of the MacBook next to the keyboard.

The dynamic display interface may also include touch sensing components and/or force sensing components, which may be aligned with or otherwise associated with the additional display(s) to enable the detection of touch and/or force inputs applied to the dynamic display interface.

The dynamic display interface may span all or most of a palm rest region below a keyboard of a laptop computer (e.g., where a user's palms may sit when the user is typing).

In some cases, the dynamic display interface may extend around one or more additional sides of the keyboard, and in some cases may completely surround the keyboard. The dynamic display interface may also use haptic outputs to provide tactile feedback to a user.

The displays of the dynamic display interface may be used to dynamically produce differently sized and/or shaped trackpad-style input regions with which a user can control application programs or other aspects of the MacBook.

Notably, because the dynamic display interface uses dynamic displays, the particular size, shape, or other characteristic of a trackpad region may change depending on the mode of the MacBook.

For example, the location, shape, and/or size of a trackpad region may be modified based on the particular application that is being executed by the MacBook. In one scenario, if a word processing application is active (e.g., being displayed on the primary display of the MacBook), the trackpad region may be smaller or may be located in a different portion of the palm rest than if a gaming application is active. This will allow the user interface experience to be tailored for different applications or functions of the MacBook. 

In addition to using a graphical output on the dynamic display interface to dynamically define the boundaries of a trackpad region, a dynamic display interface may use tactile cues to help define the boundaries of a trackpad region. For example, a haptic output delivered along the surface of the dynamic display interface may be used to help a user to tactilely perceive the boundaries of the trackpad region. More particularly, the device may produce a haptic output when the user's finger is within the boundary and not produce the haptic output when the user's finger is outside of the boundary.

In addition to being able to dynamically display different trackpad regions, the dynamic display interface may display graphical outputs, such as icons, buttons, sliders, or keys, that can be selected and/or manipulated to control the MacBook.

Moreover, the particular graphical outputs that are displayed are dynamic and can be changed based on the current state of the MacBook and/or the particular application that is being executed.

For example, if a photo editing application is being executed, the graphical outputs may be selectable icons representing photo editing controls or tools, and if a word processing application is being executed, the graphical outputs may be selectable icons representing text formatting tools. In this way, selectable controls may be displayed on the dynamic display interface in the base portion, rather than on the primary display of the MacBook, thus freeing up space on the primary display for other graphical outputs.

In some cases, different touch-sensitive input regions around the keyboard may be associated with particular types of selectable content. The physically different locations may help indicate to a user what type of function or control may be available at that location.

For example, a touch-sensitive input region that is along a left lateral side of the keyboard may be dedicated to presenting a scroll bar (or other interface). Thus, if an active application includes a graphical user interface with graphical content that can be scrolled (e.g., a document, webpage, image, etc.), the user can expect that a scroll control object will be available on the left lateral side of the keyboard regardless of what the particular application is.

Similarly, the right lateral side of the keyboard may be dedicated to selectable icons that control a function of an active application. Thus, if an active application includes selectable controls, the user can expect that the controls will be available on the right lateral side of the keyboard, regardless of what the particular application is. In this way, the user experience may be consistent across multiple applications and/or graphical user interfaces that may be shown on the primary display of a laptop, as the user can expect a certain type or category of control (if relevant to the active application) to be available at a consistent location regardless of the particular application that is active.

In some cases, the locations of the user interface elements may be customized by a user. For example, a user may prefer a scroll control object to be located on the right side of the keyboard. The device may allow the user to customize whether the scroll control object is located on the right side of the keyboard for all applications that use a scroll bar, or even select a subset of applications for which the scroll bar should be on the right side of the keyboard, and another subset for which the scroll bar should be on the left side of the keyboard. These and other user-selected customizations are possible for any of the graphical outputs, user interface objects, or other affordances described in the patent.

To review the full details of this invention, check out patent application 12067177.