Abstract: A tactile user interface for handheld electronic devices that accommodates the human hand irrespective of morphology, size or laterality thus enabling any user to conveniently operate such devices with all five fingers which comprises an outer surface, one or more continuous sensor regions on said outer surface, wherein the regions are configured with one or more sensors to detect multiple simultaneous contact patches made by one or more fingers and/or the base of the thumb of a hand, a processor connected to the one or more sensors, wherein the processor identifies a particular contact patch based on the relative location of the particular contact patch with respect to the other contact patches wherein the processor is configured to control an electronic device by identifying a sign consisting of the combined distinctive features of one or more contact patches and associating the sign with a signal for controlling the electronic device or to input data and by transmitting said signal to the device.

Abstract: A tactile user interface for handheld electronic devices that accommodates the human hand irrespective of morphology, size or laterality thus enabling any user to conveniently operate such devices with all five fingers which comprises an outer surface, one or more continuous sensor regions on said outer surface, wherein the regions are configured with one or more sensors to detect multiple simultaneous contact patches made by one or more fingers and/or the base of the thumb of a hand, a processor connected to the one or more sensors, wherein the processor identifies a particular contact patch based on the relative location of the particular contact patch with respect to the other contact patches wherein the processor is configured to control an electronic device by identifying a sign consisting of the combined distinctive features of one or more contact patches and associating the sign with a signal for controlling the electronic device or to input data and by transmitting said signal to the device.

Abstract: A tactile user interface for handheld electronic devices that accommodates the human hand irrespective of morphology, size or laterality thus enabling any user to conveniently operate such devices with all five fingers which comprises an outer surface, one or more continuous sensor regions on said outer surface, wherein the regions are configured with one or more sensors to detect multiple simultaneous contact patches made by one or more fingers and/or the base of the thumb of a hand, a processor connected to the one or more sensors, wherein the processor identifies a particular contact patch based on the relative location of the particular contact patch with respect to the other contact patches wherein the processor is configured to control an electronic device by identifying a sign consisting of the combined distinctive features of one or more contact patches and associating the sign with a signal for controlling the electronic device or to input data and by transmitting said signal to the device.