According to a list published today by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO), Apple has been granted a patent for the haptic output of the iPhone. According to a scheme shown in the patent sketch, the iPhone power button and volume button are changed to solid-state buttons.
Citing the patent description, the touch input component can be configured to measure the force of user input; the control circuit can control the strength of the tactile output, and various related functions, based on the input force.
The control circuitry can collect information about the external electronic device and can control the input and output devices based on information about the external electronic device.
Apple further noted that these non-mechanical buttons can use solid-state semiconductor materials such as capacitive touch sensor electrodes and are not dependent on electrical switches, so they can be operated without moving the button components.
