Abstract: A light-based proximity sensor, including light emitters mounted in a housing alongside one side of the housing, oriented to emit light beams in a direction outside of the housing, light receivers mounted alongside the same one side oriented to receive light beams entering from inside the housing, the receivers being farther away from the one side than the emitters so as not to receive light beams emitted by the emitters that are not reflected, at least one reflective surface mounted farther away from the one side than the receivers, for redirecting light beams entering from outside the housing so as to enter the receivers, and a processor for controlling the emitters and the receivers, and for calculating a location of a nearby object outside of the housing that reflects light beams exiting the housing back into the housing, based on the reflected light beams received by the receivers.

Abstract: A user input device, including a user input area, light emitters arranged along a first edge of the input area so as to be evenly spaced, light receivers arranged along a second edge of the input area, a curved lens arranged in front of the emitters, such that light emitted by each of the emitters is refracted as it enters the curved lens, and is again refracted as it exits the curved lens, resulting in unevenly spaced collimated light exiting the curved lens and crossing the input area, the collimated light being shifted laterally by a non-zero offset along a direction parallel to the first edge, the offset being a characteristic of the arrangement of that emitter vis-à-vis the curved lens, and a calculating unit for determining location of an object inserted into the input area from outputs of the receivers, based on the characteristic offsets of the emitters.

Abstract: A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors.

Abstract: A touch sensor including a housing, a light guide mounted in the housing the light guide featuring an aperture through which light exits and enters the light guide, and an inner surface facing the interior of the housing, the sensor further includes two light emitters mounted in the housing for emitting light beams into the light guide that exit the aperture at diverging angles and a light receiver mounted in the housing for receiving reflected light beams entering the aperture at an angle of incidence different than the diverging angles.

Abstract: A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane.

Abstract: A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers.

Abstract: A lens for placement opposite a diode in an optical touch sensor, including an upper portion including an upper refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and an upper reflector located further from the diode, the upper reflector being curved in two dimensions and cut horizontally by a top horizontal plane of the lens, and a lower portion, coplanar with the diode, including a lower refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and a lower reflector located further from the diode, the lower reflector being curved in the two dimensions and cut horizontally by a bottom horizontal plane of the lens, wherein the upper and the lower reflector are symmetrical and vertically aligned, and wherein non-collimated light reflected by the lower reflector onto the upper reflector is partially collimated in the two dimensions by the lower reflector and further collimated in the two dimensions by the upper reflector.

Abstract: A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers.

Abstract: A touch sensor including a housing, a light guide mounted in the housing the light guide featuring an aperture through which light exits and enters the light guide, and an inner surface facing the interior of the housing, the sensor further includes two light emitters mounted in the housing for emitting light beams into the light guide that exit the aperture at diverging angles and a light receiver mounted in the housing for receiving reflected light beams entering the aperture at an angle of incidence different than the diverging angles.

Abstract: A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers.

Abstract: A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors.

Abstract: A light-based proximity sensor, including light emitters mounted in a housing alongside one side of the housing, oriented to emit light beams in a direction outside of the housing, light receivers mounted alongside the same one side oriented to receive light beams entering from inside the housing, the receivers being farther away from the one side than the emitters so as not to receive light beams emitted by the emitters that are not reflected, at least one reflective surface mounted farther away from the one side than the receivers, for redirecting light beams entering from outside the housing so as to enter the receivers, and a processor for controlling the emitters and the receivers, and for calculating a location of a nearby object outside of the housing that reflects light beams exiting the housing back into the housing, based on the reflected light beams received by the receivers.

Abstract: A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers.

Abstract: A method for use by a touch screen in which light transmitted inside the screen is scattered by an object touching the screen from outside the screen, the method including activating emitter-receiver pairs for a plurality of emitters and receivers while an object is touching a screen from outside the screen, wherein light emitted by each emitter is transmitted inside the screen, wherein each emitter is associated with a limited number of receivers that detect significant light from such emitter while no object is touching the screen, and wherein the activated emitter-receiver pairs include pairs for which the receiver is not associated with the emitter in the pair, determining that receivers not associated with emitters detect significant light due to the object scattering the light emitted by the emitters, and deriving the location where the object is touching the screen from the determining.

Abstract: An electronic device, including a housing, a display mounted in the housing, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the housing near the edges of the display and directed outward from the display, for detecting presence of an object outside the display and near the edges of the display, and a processor mounted in the housing and coupled with the display and with the proximity sensors, for operating the device responsive to user activation of elements of a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI including a displayed portion that is rendered by the processor on the display, and a virtual non-displayed portion that extends beyond the edges of the display, wherein the processor operates the device responsive to user activation of elements of the virtual portion of the GUI, based on the proximity sensors detecting presence of an object in the non-displayed portion of the GUI.

Abstract: A touch screen, including a layer of light-transmissive material having an upper surface that is exposed for touch by one or more objects, a plurality of light emitters underneath the upper surface, a first lens assembly for directing light beams emitted by the light emitters into the layer at an angle such that the light beams, when entering the layer, remain confined to the layer by total internal reflection when the light beams are not absorbed by any of the objects touching the upper surface, a plurality of light detectors for detecting light beams and for generating outputs indicating the amounts of light detected, a second lens assembly for directing light beams at a surface of the layer towards the light detectors, and a calculating unit for determining respective one or more locations of the one or more objects touching the upper surface, based on outputs of the light detectors.

Abstract: A lens for refracting light in three directions, including a lens surface having a repetitive pattern of recessed cavities formed by a repetitive pattern of three substantially planar facets.

Abstract: An optical element for a light based touch surface including a concatenated plurality of segments, wherein each segment is paired with a respective light emitter, each segment including an undulating series of pairs of reflective or refractive facets, wherein a first facet in each pair is oriented so as to collimate light emitted from a first light emitter associated with the segment and a second facet in each pair is oriented so as to collimate light emitted from a second light emitter associated with the segment, and wherein the first light emitter associated with the segment is the light emitter paired with the segment and the second light emitter associated with the segment is the light emitter paired with a neighboring segment.