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ApplePatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Apple patents side button that detects where you press it

Apple has filed a patent for a side button system that uses two sensors to detect exactly where on the button you press. The system can trigger different actions based on the location of the press and the amount of force applied, potentially allowing for more complex controls on a single physical button.

Why it mattersThis design could allow users to perform multiple distinct actions, such as volume control or camera shutter, by pressing different parts of the same side button rather than needing separate buttons.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may include an input button system including an input member positioned along the side exterior surface of a housing component and configured to receive a force input, a beam structure at least partially within the enclosure, the beam structure configured to be deflected as a result of the force input on the input member, a first strain sensing element at a first location of the beam structure, and a second strain sensing element at a second location of the beam structure. The electronic device may further include a processing system configured to determine a region on the input member where the force input was applied using the strain sensing elements, and cause the electronic device to perform a first operation in response to detecting that the force input satisfies a first force threshold.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: an enclosure comprising: a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the electronic device; and a housing component coupled to the front cover and defining a side exterior surface of the electronic device; an input button system comprising: an input member positioned along the side exterior surface of the housing component and configured to receive a force input; a beam structure at least partially within the enclosure, the beam structure configured to be deflected as a result of the force input on the input member; a first strain sensing element at a first location of the beam structure; and a second strain sensing element at a second location of the beam structure; a processing system coupled to the first strain sensing element and the second strain sensing element and configured to: determine a location of the force input on the input member based at least in part on at least one of a first signal from the first strain sensing element or a second signal from the second strain sensing element; and cause the electronic device to perform a first operation in response to detecting, based at least in part on at least one of the first signal from the first strain sensing element or the second signal from the second strain sensing element, that the force input satisfies a first force threshold; and a dome switch configured to collapse in response to the force input satisfying a second force threshold greater than the first force threshold, the electronic device configured to perform a second operation in response to detecting the collapse of the dome switch.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
INPUT SYSTEM FOR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Publication number
US20260277336A1
Application number
19671761
Filed
May 8, 2026
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 3/02 Physics & computingG06F 1/1626 Physics & computingG06F 3/016 Physics & computingH04N 23/631 Electricity & electronicsH04N 23/69 Electricity & electronicsG06F 3/041 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.