Accessory Protocol For Touch Screen Device Accessibility

An apparatus, comprising:

• a touch sensitive surface;
• an interface configured for coupling to an accessory;
• a processor coupled to the touch sensitive surface and the interface, the processor programmed for:
• launching an accessibility framework on the apparatus wherein the accessibility framework is configured to provide a user with enhanced access to the device, wherein the accessibility framework is configured to receive first touch input from the touch sensitive surface and interact with one or more applications executing on the device in response to the first touch input when the device is in a first state, and wherein the accessibility framework is further configured to receive second input from one or more accessories coupled to the device and interact with one or more applications executing on the device in response to the second input when the device is in a second state;
• detecting an accessory coupled to the interface;
• in response to the detection, putting the device into the second state, including enabling receipt of input from the accessory;
• and
• while the device is in the second state:
• receiving a first accessibility packet from the accessory through the interface, the first accessibility packet including a first accessibility command and a first parameter, where the first parameter is selected by the input device from a set of parameters defined by an accessory Application Programming Interface;
• processing the first accessibility packet to extract the first accessibility command and the first parameter;
• and
• generating input for the accessibility framework based on the first accessibility command and the first parameter.

A computer-implemented method for interacting with an accessibility framework executing on a device, the method comprising:

• launching an accessibility framework on the device, wherein the accessibility framework is configured to provide a user with enhanced access to the device, wherein the accessibility framework is further configured to receive first touch input from a surface of the device and interact with one or more applications executing on the device in response to the first touch input, and wherein the accessibility framework is further configured to receive second input through one or more accessories coupled to the device and interact with one or more applications executing on the device in response to the second input;
• detecting an accessory coupled to an interface of the device;
• enabling sending of output from the accessibility framework to the accessory in response to the detecting;
• receiving output from the accessibility framework, the output including an accessibility command and a first parameter;
• generating an accessibility packet in response to the output, the accessibility packet identifying the accessibility command and the first parameter according to identifiers defined by an application programming interface;
• and
• sending the accessibility packet to the accessory.

A computer-implemented method implemented by a mobile touch input device, the method comprising:

• receiving first input from an accessory communicatively coupled to the mobile touch input device, the first input including a first command identifier corresponding to a get accessibility parameter command and a first parameter identifying the requested accessibility parameter;
• providing second input to an accessibility framework executing on the device through an application programming interface, the input requesting a value of an accessibility parameter corresponding to the first parameter, wherein the accessibility framework is configured to provide a user with enhanced access to the device;
• receiving a return accessibility parameter command from the accessibility framework in response to the second input, the return accessibility parameter command including the first parameter and a second parameter corresponding to a value of the requested accessibility parameter;
• and
• generating an accessibility packet including a second command identifier corresponding to the return accessibility parameter command, the first parameter, and the second parameter, and sending the accessibility packet to the accessory.