| CPC G06F 3/0202 (2013.01) [G06F 3/041 (2013.01)] | 15 Claims |
|
1. A human operable controller for controlling an application on an external computer system, the controller comprising:
a controller body comprising a front and a back, wherein the front is opposite to the back;
a thumb-operable control area arranged at the front of the controller body; and
a plurality of depressible buttons and a touch sensor arranged at the thumb-operable control area, wherein the touch sensor comprises a touch surface comprising a corresponding aperture for each of the plurality of depressible buttons;
wherein the controller body is shaped to be held in a hand or hands of a user of the controller such that the plurality of depressible buttons and the touch sensor are operable by a single thumb of the user,
wherein the plurality of depressible buttons is operable by said thumb while said thumb touches the touch sensor, and
wherein the plurality of depressible buttons is operable without said thumb touching the touch sensor;
a processing circuitry for generating at least one control signal based on user interaction with the plurality of depressible buttons and the touch sensor, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate:
a first control signal when a user depresses a depressible button with the single thumb while no touch is detected using the touch sensor,
a second control signal, different from the first control signal, when the touch of the single thumb is detected using the touch sensor while no depressible button is depressed, and
a third control signal, different from both the first and second control signals, when a user depresses a depressible button with the single thumb while the touch of said single thumb is simultaneously detected using the touch sensor; and
a communication interface for communicatively coupling with the external computer system and for providing the control signal to the external computer system to control the application.
|