US 8,739,033 · Granted 2014-05-27

The Haptic Feedback Patent That Lets Your Phone Talk Through Touch

Imagine your phone sending you messages without making a sound—just by vibrating in a specific pattern on a spot you can touch. This patent covers technology that uses tiny vibrations to tell you what's happening (like whether a notification is urgent or just a text) by where and how it buzzes on your device.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers an electronic device with a tactile element (a part you can feel) connected to a housing, paired with an actuator that creates localized haptic sensations. Specifically, it protects the combination of a user-touchable region, a tactile component attached to it, and a vibration system that can deliver distinct haptic feedback to that precise spot—allowing silent, touch-based communication without sound or visual alerts.

Why it matters

Haptic feedback became crucial as phones and wearables needed to notify users discreetly in meetings, quiet environments, or noisy settings. By patenting localized tactile sensations, Immersion Corporation secured intellectual property in a growing field where device makers wanted to convey information through touch alone. This type of patent became increasingly valuable as smartwatches and fitness trackers relied on subtle vibration patterns to communicate without draining battery on screens or speakers.

Real-world use

When your Apple Watch taps your wrist to alert you to a call or message, or when your phone vibrates in a distinct pattern for different notifications, you're experiencing the kind of localized haptic feedback this patent describes.

Original USPTO abstract

Devices using tactile feedback to deliver silent status information are described. One embodiment includes an electronic device comprising a housing comprising a user contactable region, a tactile element coupled to the user contactable region, and an actuator coupled to the tactile element and capable of outputting a haptic sensation localized to the tactile element.

Patent details

Publication number: US 8,739,033
Filing date: 2007-10-29
Grant date: 2014-05-27
Assignee: Immersion Corporation
Inventor(s): ROSENBERG LOUIS B.
CPC class: G06F3/016

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