Importance

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Abstract

A capacitive touch sensor panel includes a generally planar substrate, a graphic layer behind the substrate defining user readable graphic symbols and a light source behind the graphic layer including individual selectively actuatable light elements behind particular ones of the graphic symbols. A flexible substrate supporting a plurality of electrically capacitive sensing pads are juxtaposed with the graphic symbols in a manner that functions associated with the graphic symbols are invoked by actuation of the sensing pads overlaying the corresponding symbol. The substrate has optical transmission characteristics at selected light frequencies in order to project images of the graphic symbols juxtaposed with actuated light elements and to impart a homogeneous appearance to portions of the substrate overlying nonactuated light elements, the later defining a 'sleep mode' in which the touch panel blends in with surrounding surfaces.

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First Claim