Extension Sticker: A Method for Transferring ExternalTouch Input Using a Striped Pattern Sticker

Kunihiro KatoMeiji University

Nakano, Tokyo, Japankunihiro162@gmail.com

Homei MiyashitaMeiji University

Nakano, Tokyo, Japanhomei@homei.com

ABSTRACTA method for transferring external touch input is proposedby partially attaching a sticker to a touch-panel display. Thetouch input area can be extended by printing striped patternsusing a conductive ink and attaching them to overlap with aportion of a touch-panel display. Even if the user does nottouch the touch panel directly, a touch event can be gener-ated by touching the stripes at an arbitrary point correspond-ing to the touched area. Thus, continuous touch input can begenerated, such as a scrolling operation without interruption.This method can be applied to a variety of devices includ-ing PCs, smartphones, and wearable devices. In this paper,we present several different examples of applications, includ-ing a method for extending control areas outside of the touchpanel, such as the side or back of a smartphone (Figure. 1).

Author KeywordsStriped pattern sticker; continuous touch input; conductiveink; capacitive touch panel.

ACM Classification KeywordsH.5.2 Information Interfaces and Presentation: User Inter-faces Input Devices and Strategies.

INTRODUCTIONMobile devices with touch-panel displays such as tablets andsmartphones are widespread; users can instinctively oper-ate these devices by touching the display with their finger.Many tangible interfaces on touch-panel displays have beenexplored. The interface on a capacitive touch panel was intro-duced by Rekimoto [1]. In addition, interfaces may operateon the touch-panels in CapStones and Clip-on gadgets, andother studies have been carried out on the interfaces of thesedevices to extend the operation of the touch panel [2] [3].However, although studies have been proposed, the environ-ment that allows a user to create an interface requiring theuser himself has not yet been realized.

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Figure 1. a) Smartphone side-input controls, b) rotation-scrolling con-trol conversion, and c) touch controls for non-touch-panel displays

Recently, conductive ink used in prototyping has been attract-ing attention. In the Instant inkjet circuits proposed by Kawa-hara, a conductive ink was used for prototyping the circuitsand sensors [4]. In addition, PrintSense has been used to cre-ate touch sensors [5].

In this study, we focused on the conductive ink and proposeda method for transferring external touch input by partiallyattaching a sticker to a touch-panel display. By attaching asticker printed with a striped pattern using a conductive ink,devices may be operated without directly touching the dis-play. By extending the striped pattern outside the display,the user can use any surface including the back or sides ofa smartphone, the surface of a desk, or even the walls of aroom as a touch-capable interface. Furthermore, this methodis not only ON-OFF control of touch input but allows for con-tinuous touch input such as scrolling within the scope of theattached sticker (Figure. 1).

PROPOSED METHODGeneral touch-panel displays are controlled with input usinghuman fingers. Therefore, one point can be recognized bytouching an area the size of a human finger, but a touch inputwill not be generated if the touch area is a small point or a lineless than 1 mm in width. In this paper, we propose a methodfor generating touch input by placing multiple lines that aretoo thin to be recognized by the touch-panel at intervals of afew millimeters. The user attaches the stickers with stripedpatterns printed using a conductive ink onto the edge of thedisplay (Figure. 2). By touching one side of the sticker, theuser can transfer the touch input to the display attached tothe other side of the sticker. In addition, touch input can begenerated by touching a number of closely spaced lines lessthan 1 mm in width. Therefore, the finger in contact with thelines of the striped pattern will be activated in order when the

Figure 2. Striped Pattern Using a Conductive Ink

user slides his finger on the sticker. Thus, continuous touchinput such as scrolling is generated without interruption.

APPLICATION EXAMPLESIn this section, we discuss examples of applications using theproposed method. Changing the form of the touch input areaallows a user to create a variety of touch interfaces.

Smartphone Side-Input ControlsStickers with striped patterns printed using a conductive inkare attached to the sides of the display and side surface of thesmartphone. In this way, the user can touch the side of thesmartphone to scroll and view a browser or other applicationswithout obscuring the screen with a finger (Figure. 1a). Byextending the striped pattern to the back of the smartphone,back-panel touch input can be realized for use in applications.Alternatively, the stickers could be applied to the sides of asmartwatch display equipped with a touch panel and to thewatch band, thereby allowing the device to be controlled bytouching the band.

Rotation-Scrolling Control ConversionRotation controls can be converted to scrolling controls byattaching a striped pattern printed with lines arranged in a cir-cle, as shown in Figure. 1b. This makes it possible to create awheel mechanism that allows for scrolling by simply attach-ing a sticker to a smartphone or tablet. This could be used torealize a jog dial that recreates the classic iPod controls on aniPhone.

Touch Controls for Non-Touch Panel DisplaysIt is possible to adjust the touch input speed difference bychanging the spacing of the stripes on the input and outputsides. Thus, a touch input operation using the user’s hand canbe converted to a touch input of fingertip size. For example,a smartphone or tablet is attached to a large non-touch-paneldisplay and displays a reproduction of the image. By attach-ing the sticker onto these two displays, it is possible to scrollthe side of the large non-touch-panel display by hand. Fig-ure 1c shows the transference of touch input from the stickerattached to the large non-touch-panel display to the tablet de-vice.

Applications for Other Devices and EquipmentThis method can be applied to a variety of other devicesequipped with capacitive touch panels. For example, the

method could be used for a digital camera with touch-panelzoom controls. When users touch a digital camera, they tendto press the body of the camera strongly, which can shift thecamera’s position. By using this method to extend the touchpanel to the camera’s tripod, we could realize more stablecontrols. Air-conditioner controllers have also used touchpanels in recent years, and these controllers are often locatedon a wall where they cannot be moved. Using this method,the user interface could be brought from the panel to the sofaor another location following the wall or floor. Because thinmaterials such as paper are used, they could be attached to theback of the carpeting or wallpaper. The method also allowsfor free design interaction with daily-use objects.

CONCLUSIONIn this paper, we reported a method for transferring externaltouch input by using a conductive ink.

Although the portion of the display covered by the patternis difficult to see, the touch area could be extended withoutreducing the display visibility by using transparent materialssuch as a transparent conductive ink. In addition, the printedsurface is degraded while using the interface because we haveused a conductive ink to create the stickers; thus, it is neces-sary to consider more appropriate materials.

Presently, the touch input can only be controlled in a singleaxial direction, but we hope to create a mechanism for con-trolling touch input at an arbitrary point in an x-y plane viafuture improvements. The examples in this paper are onlya portion of the total number of applications. Because thismethod can be used with a variety of devices equipped withcapacitive touch panels, we expect that it can be used in awide variety of applications.

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3. Liwei Chun, Stefanie Muller, Anne Roudaut, PatrickBaudisch: CapStones and ZebraWidgets: Sensing Stacksof Building Blocks, Dials and Sliders on CapacitiveTouch Screens, In Proc. CHI’12, pp.2189-2192, 2012.

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