Report: The AT&T soft touch-sensitive screen

In the past, conventional touch-sensitive screens have not received widespread acceptance due to very structured target placement, video-image and touch-target alignment problems caused by cathode-ray tube drift, and the unfriendly feel of the hard surface. This article describes a touch screen technology that has overcome all of these problems — a unique, optically based soft touch screen developed by members of AT&T. The screen is the primary interface to the broad range of features of the world's most advanced telephone — the AT&T Personal Terminal model 510. With this touch screen, commanding almost any complex feature can be reduced to the simple act of touching. This holds significant promise for drawing the computer-leery into the realm of data bases and computer applications, making access to them easier than dialing a telephone. The applications are limited only by one's imagination and creativity.