# US 10,120,511 B2 · Mechanism for employing and facilitating placement of a sensor cover over a capacitive circuitry sensor at a computing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,120,511 B2 - Document ID: US10120511B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/998,056 - Filed: 2015-12-23 - Published: 2016-09-01 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-23 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: David L. Graumann; Jameson H. Williams - Inventors: David L. Graumann; Jameson H. Williams - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120511B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - G06F 1/169: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033)} - G06F 1/182: {with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]} - H03K 17/962: {Capacitive touch switches} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A mechanism is described for employing and facilitating placing a sensor cover over an external sensor of a computing device. A method of embodiments of the invention includes sensing, at a sensor of a computing device, user touches to an outer surface of an impregnated sensor cover placed over the sensor, wherein the sensor cover includes a plurality of holes through the outer surface and a plurality of conductive leads corresponding to the plurality of holes, and wherein sensing is performed through one or more of the plurality of holes and their one or more corresponding conductive leads; and facilitating an action in response to each of the sensed user touches. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computing system capable of being used in facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at the computing device, the computing system comprising: a sensor cover having a sense surface having multiple holes with conductive leads; and the computing device having: a capacitive sensor coupled to the conductive leads of the multiple holes of the sense cover to detect a user touch to the sense surface of the sensor cover, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; a processor; and storage capable of storing instructions to be executed by the processor, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform an action in response to the user touch. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press to the sensor cover. ### Claim 6 A method for facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at a computing device, the method comprising: detecting, by a capacitive sensor, a user touch to a sense surface of a sensor cover having multiple holes with conductive leads coupled to the capacitive sensor, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the capacitive sensor; and performing, by a processor, an action in response to the user touch to the sensor cover. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the capacitive sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the capacitive sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press to the sensor cover. ### Claim 11 A apparatus comprising: a sensor cover having a sense surface having multiple holes with conductive leads; and a computing device having: a capacitive sensor coupled to the conductive leads of the multiple holes of the sense cover to detect a user touch to the sense surface of the sensor cover, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and a processor to perform an action in response to the user touch to the sensor cover. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus claim 11, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the capacitive sensor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the capacitive sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press to the sensor cover. ### Claim 16 At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising: detecting, by a capacitive sensor, a user touch to a sense surface of a sensor cover having multiple holes with conductive leads coupled to the capacitive sensor, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the capacitive sensor; and performing an action in response to the user touch to the sensor cover. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the capacitive sensor while exposing a portion of the capacitive sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the capacitive sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press to the sensor cover.