Patent 8436816 was granted and assigned to Apple (company) on May, 2013 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An input device includes a deflection based capacitive sensing input. Deflection of a metal fame of the input device causes a change in capacitance that is used to control a function of an electrical device. The input appears selectively visible because it is made of the same material as the housing it is contained in and because it is selectively backlit through tiny holes.