US 11,907,426 B2
Electronic device with actuators for producing haptic and audio output along a device housing
Ari P. Miller, San Francisco, CA (US); Justin D. Crosby, Cupertino, CA (US); Daniel K. Boothe, San Francisco, CA (US); Houtan R. Farahani, Cupertino, CA (US); Kevin M. Robinson, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Ryan J. Mihelich, Morgan Hill, CA (US); and Robert J. Lockwood, San Carlos, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/703,740.
Application 17/703,740 is a continuation of application No. 16/121,454, filed on Sep. 4, 2018, granted, now 11,307,661.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/562,783, filed on Sep. 25, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0214751 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/01 (2006.01); H04R 1/02 (2006.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01); H04R 1/24 (2006.01); G06F 3/0354 (2013.01); H04R 7/04 (2006.01); H04R 17/00 (2006.01); H04R 9/06 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/016 (2013.01) [G06F 3/03547 (2013.01); G06F 3/041 (2013.01); H04R 1/028 (2013.01); H04R 1/24 (2013.01); H04R 7/04 (2013.01); H04R 9/06 (2013.01); H04R 17/00 (2013.01); H04R 2400/03 (2013.01); H04R 2499/11 (2013.01); H04R 2499/13 (2013.01); H04R 2499/15 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing that defines an exterior surface of the electronic device;
a set of one or more sensors operable to detect a touch, and an amount of force of the touch, along the exterior surface;
an array of actuators positioned below a wall of the housing; and
a processing unit operably coupled to the set of one or more sensors and the array of actuators and operable to:
cause movement of a first region of the wall of the housing using the array of actuators to produce an audio output;
detect the touch along the first region of the wall of the housing using the set of one or more sensors;
determine the amount of force of the touch exceeds a threshold using at least one sensor in the set of one or more sensors; and
cause movement of a second region of the wall of the housing using the array of actuators to produce the audio output, in response to detecting the touch along the first region of the wall of the housing and determining the amount of force of the touch exceeds the threshold.