Apparatus and method for tactile feedback from input device

A method for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a continuous touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, thereby enabling a user to manipulate a cursor on the display without viewing the cursor manipulation device and determining a location of the finger, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device having at least one generally continuous and planar sensor surface for contact and movement thereover of the finger;
• (b) disposing on the generally continuous and planar sensor surface a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions in which the texture of each region is different from the texture of at least one other region;
• and
• (c) providing a plurality of cursor manipulation functions in a stored program in the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first textured region to a second textured region of the plurality of spaced-apart textured regions.

A system for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, said system comprising:

• (a) sensing surface means for sensing contact by the human finger on the sensing surface means, said contact corresponding to a touch function sequence;
• (b) a plurality of spaced-apart textured regions disposed on the sensing surface means, the texture of each region being different from the texture of at least one other region;
• and
• (c) a plurality of cursor manipulation functions stored in a memory of the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the sensing surface means, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first textured region to a second textured region of the plurality of spaced-apart textured regions.

A system for providing human perceptible tactile differentiation to a human finger when using a touch-sensitive cursor manipulation device of a computer controlled display, said system comprising:

• (a) a sensing surface device including a generally continuous and planar surface for sensing contact by the human finger on the sensing surface device, said contact corresponding to a touch function sequence;
• (b) a plurality of spaced-apart regions disposed on the generally continuous and planar sensing surface means, said regions being separated by a ridge of material which rises above the sensing surface device such that the finger moving over said sensing surface device and moving from one of the spaced-apart regions to another will touch said ridge of material;
• and
• (c) a plurality of cursor manipulation functions stored in a memory of the computer which controls the display, said functions being actuable through contact by the finger with the generally continuous and planar sensing surface device, wherein at least one of the plurality of cursor manipulation functions is only actuable by moving the finger from a first region to a second region of the plurality of spaced-apart regions.