# US 2021/0240219 A1 · Virtual reality viewer and input mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0240219 A1 - Document ID: US20210240219A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/214,074 - Filed: 2021-03-26 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-16 - Assignees: Ddc Technology, LLC - Applicants: Ddc Technology, LLC - Inventors: Patrick BUCKLEY - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210240219A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt} - G02B 7/021: {for more than one lens} - G02B 27/017: {Head mounted} - G02B 27/0176: {characterised by mechanical features} - G02B 30/34: Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. three-dimensional [3D] slide viewers - G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)} - G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)} - G06F 3/03547: {Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface} - G06F 3/038: Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry - G06F 3/0393: {Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads} - G06F 3/041: Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means - G06F 3/0447: {Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells} - G06T 19/006: {Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00)} - H04M 1/0266: {for a display module assembly} - H04M 1/04: Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers - H04M 1/05: specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast - H04M 1/21: Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads - G02B 2027/0178: {Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position. and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring magnetic switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 An apparatus comprising: a housing having a portion configured to receive a mobile electronic device having a touchscreen display, the housing further including multiple lenses; an input device accessible from an exterior of the housing; and a contact element located within an interior of the housing, the contact element responsive to the input device and the contact element moveable within the interior of the housing between at least a first position and a second position, wherein in the second position a surface of the contact element is configured to generate a detectable touch event at the touch-screen display of the mobile electronic device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element is configured to generate the detectable touch event at the touchscreen display while the mobile electronic device is located within the interior of the housing. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input device comprises a tactile user input device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the housing has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a back surface, and two side surfaces. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the back surface supports two lenses. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element is coupled via a conductive lead to the input device. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input device comprises an active input device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input device is configured to receive a user input at the exterior of the housing and provide an indication of the received user input, via the contact element, to the touchscreen display. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the touch event, based on the user input, is provided to the touchscreen display at a position located within a central portion of the touchscreen display. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the central portion of the touchscreen display is not viewable, via the lenses, by either eye of a user. ### Claim 31 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element is configured to provide inputs to the mobile electronic device in a manner that does not disturb the field of view of the left eye or the right eye of a user. ### Claim 32 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element comprises a touchscreen input device. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the touchscreen input device is electrically coupled to the input device. ### Claim 34 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input device is configured to receive user interactions. ### Claim 35 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the input device is exposed externally with respect to an exterior surface of the housing. ### Claim 36 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input device is configured to detect a user action. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the input device is configured to relay a signal based on the user action to the touchscreen display. ### Claim 38 (depends on 32) The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the input device is configured to sense the user interaction and transmit a signal based on the sensed user interaction to the touchscreen display via the touch screen input device and via a conductive lead that couples the input device and the touchscreen input device. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the conductive lead runs through at least a portion of the housing. ### Claim 40 (depends on 32) The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the touchscreen input device comprises a conductive material. ### Claim 41 An apparatus comprising: a housing having a portion configured to receive a mobile electronic device having a touchscreen display, the housing further including multiple lenses; an input device accessible from an exterior of the housing; and a contact element located within an interior of the housing, the contact element electro-mechanically coupled, via a linkage element, to the input device, the contact element moveable within the interior of the housing between at least a first position and a second position, wherein in the second position the contact element is configured to generate a touch event at the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device. ### Claim 42 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the contact element is configured to move from the first position to the second position in response to a user interaction detected at the input device. ### Claim 43 (depends on 42) The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the user interaction comprises a depression of the depressible button. ### Claim 44 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the linkage element comprises a conductive lead that runs through at least a portion of the interior of the housing. ### Claim 45 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the contact element has a conductive surface, and at least a portion of the conductive surface is configured to contact a region of the touchscreen display of the mobile electronic device when the contact element is in the second position. ### Claim 46 (depends on 45) The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the region comprises a central region. ### Claim 47 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the linkage element is made from a flexible material. ### Claim 48 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a memory material coupled to the linkage element, the memory material configured to bias the linkage element toward the first position. ### Claim 49 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the contact element comprises one or more of a conductive foam, a compressible material, a metallized material, a metallized fabric, a metallized polymer, a conductive polymer, a flexographic ink, and/or a non-metallic conductor. ### Claim 50 A virtual reality viewer apparatus comprising: a housing having a portion configured to receive a mobile electronic device having a touch-screen, the housing further including a sidewall structure that supports at least two lenses, an input device that comprises a depressible button, the input device accessible from an exterior of the housing; and a contact element electro-mechanically coupled, via a linkage element, to the input device, the contact element moveable within the interior of the housing between at least a first position and a second position, wherein in the second position a surface of the contact element is configured to generate a detectable touch event at the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device, wherein the linkage element comprises a conductive lead that runs through at least a portion of the interior of the housing.