FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device that include a substrate with electrically conductive pads that are readable by touchscreen device.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Touch screen technology have been widely used as an input method as a way to capture user's gesture when the user uses his or her finger to draw or tap on the touch screen. Recently, there have been developments in storing information in electronic cards and electronic devices, and transmitting the information to a computer or a mobile device when the card or device is in close proximity to the touch screen. As the prevalent touch screen technology uses capacitive sensing to detect the change of capacitance when the user's finger touches the touch screen, many existing solutions require that the card or device must be touched by a human finger in order that the change of capacitance can be sensed by the touch screen. This may not be convenient to the user.

New methods and devices that transmit information between the devices and electronic devices with touch screens without the need of human touch will assist in advancing technological needs and solving technological problems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One example embodiment is a device which includes a non-conductive substrate and at least one touchpoint. The substrate has an external surface. The touchpoint includes a conductive pad disposed on the external surface, and a conductive line that has a first end and a second end. The first end makes electrical contact with the conductive pad and the second end extends spatially away from the first end to a pre-determined distance. When the external surface of the non-conductive substrate is placed in proximity to a touch surface, the conductive pad triggers a touch event on the touch surface such that a coordinate of the conductive pad relative to the touch surface is determined.

Another example embodiment is an object that includes a non-conductive substrate having an external surface, a number of conductive pads that are on the external surface of the non-conductive substrate, a number of conductive lines that are disposed at the opposite side of the external surface. Each conductive line has two ends. Each end of one conductive line connects one conductive pad so that each conductive pad is electrically interconnected with one another. Each conductive pad triggers a touch event when the external surface of the non-conductive substrate is placed in proximity to a touch surface such that a geometric pattern formed by the geometric arrangement of all conductive pads can be identified based on the coordinates of the conductive pads on the touch surface.

Another example embodiment is a method executed by a reader to identify an object. The object includes a non-conductive substrate that has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A number of conductive pads are disposed on the first surface. Each conductive pad in the object is connected to one or more conductive lines on the second surface through a conductive via that extends from the first surface to the second surface. The method includes determining coordinates of the conductive pads by the reader when the first surface is placed in proximity to the surface of the touch screen display of the reader, extracting a geometric pattern formed by the geometric arrangement of the plurality of conductive pads on the first surface of the non-conductive substrate by the reader, and determining the identity of the object based on the geometric pattern by the reader.

Other example embodiments are discussed herein.

