# US 2016/0253000 A1 · 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 2016/0253000 A1 - Document ID: US20160253000A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/998,056 - Filed: 2015-12-23 - Published: 2016-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-28 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Inventors: DAVID L. GRAUMANN; JAMESON H. WILLIAMS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160253000A1 ## 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 at position 1 -18. (canceled) ### Claim 19 A computing system capable of being used in facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at the computing device, the computing system comprising: a sense surface; and the computing device having: a sensor to detect a user touch to the sense surface having multiple holes, 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 20 (depends on 19) The computing system of claim 19, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The computing system of claim 19, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The computing system of claim 19, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The computing system of claim 19, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press. ### Claim 24 A method for facilitating outer user touches for performing tasks at a computing device, the method comprising: detecting, by a sensor, a user touch to a sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and performing, by a processor, an action in response to the user touch. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press. ### Claim 29 A apparatus comprising: a sense surface; and a computing device having: a sensor to detect a user touch to the sense surface having multiple holes, 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. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The apparatus claim 29, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 32 (depends on 29) The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 33 (depends on 29) The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press. ### Claim 34 At least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising: detecting, by a sensor, a user touch to a sense surface having multiple holes, wherein the sense surface is to cover at least a portion of the sensor; and performing an action in response to the user touch. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the multiple holes are arranged in an array where the holes are over the sensor while exposing a portion of the sensor. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the action comprises performance of a task at the computing device. ### Claim 37 (depends on 34) The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the sensor is located at front of the computing device. ### Claim 38 (depends on 34) The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the user touch corresponds to one or more of a roll, a flick, a rub, or a press.