A recent patent application by Sony Ericsson documents what could be the basis of the well-rumored PSP Phone which even the official Sony magazine has suggested is in development.  Titled “Orientation based multiple mode mechanically vibrated touchscreen display”, the document basically describes a handset with a full touchscreen that can be reconfigured to display gaming or more traditional cellphone controls, using haptic feedback to provide physical feedback rather than users needing to look at which “keys” they’re pressing.  It also suggests alternative layouts, mimicking a camera or mobile internet device, which would be switched between either by rotating the phone (which would be fitted with an accelerometer) or choosing the ‘List Mode/Application’ button, that could either be on-screen or a physical button somewhere on the casing.  Sony Ericsson have also suggested the idea of ’shoulder buttons’, present in hardware form on the PSP, but in this case represented by further touchscreen panels:

“In addition, a mechanically vibrated touchscreen display can be configured to cover the back and even the sides of a portable mobile communications device. This would allow for user interface ‘buttons’ to be configured in areas that are not just the front face of the portable mobile communications device”Sony Ericsson patent application

“[The handset can be] set out to mimic the look and feel of the popular Sony.TM. Playstation Portable (PSP.TM.) gaming device. The area designated by reference number 300 is reserved for game action. It is essentially the display within the display. The dashed box referred to by reference number 305 represents the buttons that appear on the right hand side of the PSP.TM.. The dashed box referred to by reference number 310 represents the buttons that appear on the bottom of the PSP.TM.. Lastly, the dashed box referred to by reference number 315 represents the buttons that appear on the left hand side of the PSP.TM.. The buttons represented by reference numbers 305, 310, and 315 are graphical renditions on the mechanically vibrated touchscreen display 150 of the portable mobile communications device 100. The mechanically vibrated touchscreen display is configurable and re-configurable to suit the mode or application desired by the user. In this example, when the user presses an area of the mechanically vibrated touchscreen display that corresponds to one of the buttons that is associated with the PSP.TM. interface, a tactile sensation is returned to the user that indicates a button was pressed. The exact type of tactile sensation emitted by the mechanically vibrated touchscreen display and experienced by the user can vary according to parameters set out in the display configuration associated with that mode. Thus, some buttons may have different feels than other buttons”Sony Ericsson patent

The patent was filed back in 2006, on August 20th, suggesting that while the design may seem very similar to the iPhone it’s nonetheless unlikely that Sony Ericsson copied the design; instead, it seems a straightforward recognition that touchscreen handsets are perhaps “the way forward” in controlling feature-rich devices.  Whether such a design will ever see the light of day, however, is uncertain.

[via Kotaku]