Proximity Sensor in Handheld Device

Filed September 30th, 2005

Here’s a good example of patent drawings’ potential to be misleading. You might glance at this and assume that Apple has contemplated making some sort of a Mac touch-screen tablet with a virtual on-screen scroll wheel. Well, maybe. But not necessarily–the patent involves touch sensors that can tell that fingers have neared them before it makes contact. If and when the technology shows up, it could be in an application that’s utterly different than this example.