US 12,643,036 B2 · Input unit, input device, and cover mountable over input unit

Abstract

An input unit enables the force of a finger of a user to smoothly act on an input stick no matter whether the finger radially tilts the input stick or returns the input stick to an initial position. An input device includes an input stick. The input stick includes a touch section that is disposed on the uppermost part of the input stick and is to be touched by a thumb of the user. The upper surface of the touch section has an upward-swelling periphery. The input stick includes an outer region and an inner region. The outer region is disposed outside an apex of the periphery and has a pattern where at least either recesses or protrusions are regularly arranged. The inner region is disposed inside the apex of the periphery and has a pattern where at least either recesses or protrusions are regularly arranged.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An input unit comprising:

a touch section that is provided with an upper surface that includes a disc-shaped central region and a ring-shaped upward-swelling periphery that extends from the disc-shaped central region,
wherein a portion of the upper surface of the touch section that corresponds to an outer region of the ring-shaped upward-swelling periphery that is positioned outside an apex of the ring-shaped upward-swelling periphery has a regularly arranged pattern of recesses or protrusions, and
wherein a portion of the upper surface of the touch section that corresponds to an inner region of the ring-shaped upward-swelling periphery that is positioned inside the apex of the ring-shaped upward-swelling periphery has a regularly arranged pattern of recesses or protrusions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Input unit, input device, and cover mountable over input unit

Life of this patent

Input unit, input device, and cover mountable over input unit

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15