Touch-sensitive screen with mechanical selectable label-displays

A multi-function device such as a combined PDA and wireless display telephone (20) uses a display and input device (30) that includes a touch-sensitive membrane (10) underlayed by a manually-operated mechanical label-display arrangement (15) to display different sets of touch-area labels (18) that correspond to the different functions. A display screen (11) is retained as the underlay for a portion of the touch-sensitive membrane to display touch-area labels that must be changed automatically and dynamically, and to display output information. Each set of labels (18) is defined by a different physical display surface, each formed from a plurality of movable aligned surface portions. A linkage translates operation of a manual actuator (19) into motion of the surface portions such that, in each predefined position of the actuator, the surface portions of a different surface are aligned with each other and face the touch-sensitive membrane in front of the surface portions of the other surfaces.Published versio