Patent Application
20070136694
Hardware buttons are useful for quickly navigating to important or common user interface features of a hardware device. The hardware devices may be fixed, such as an automated teller machine (ATM) or an interactive screen at a grocery store. Other devices are hand-held and mobile, such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA) and the like. Some hardware devices are designed for one-handed interaction with the buttons, so that, for example, a user can interact with the device while driving.
A difficulty in designing hardware buttons for easy and intuitive user interaction is that that the button needs to mapped to a location (and context) that are ever changing. By way of example, some hardware buttons (on phones or ATMs for instance) change their meaning based on the current context of the user interface. These types of hardware buttons are often aligned next to the display so that they can be labeled by the display when their context changes. While such buttons are useful, they still have mapping issues and at times alignment issues (especially in the case of ATMs). It is not unusual for a user to have to hunt for a button for quite some time, and even to select the wrong one.
A related issue is that in an attempt to accommodate all of the functionality that hardware devices can offer, mobile devices end up implementing too many hardware buttons. This results in clutter that detracts from the aesthetics of a device and cheapens the overall look and feel of the device.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of representative concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in any way that would limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Briefly, various aspects of the subject matter described herein are directed towards writing content (e.g., an icon) to a switch to change the context of the switch based upon a hardware device's current operating context. Upon detecting interaction with a user interface, the appearance of a switch is based on a current context of the user interface. For example, the perceived color of the switch also may be changed based upon the hardware device's current operating context; the color change may be in conjunction with the writing of the content.
In one implementation, system comprising an assembly includes a writeable region that is associated with a sensor that controls operation of a program running on the computer device. The system includes means for writing to the writeable region in conjunction with the current context of the program.
Other advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:
Exemplary Operating Environment
The invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to: personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, tablet devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so forth, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and/or remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
With reference to
The computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by the computer 110. Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 110, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120. By way of example, and not limitation,
The computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,
The drives and their associated computer storage media, described above and illustrated in
The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 110, although only a memory storage device 181 has been illustrated in
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connected to the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 170. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user input interface 160 or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 110, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation,
Color And Context-Adaptable Hardware Button
Various aspects of the technology described herein are directed towards controlling the appearance and/or context of a hardware button, for example to correspond to the current context of visible user interface output on a display screen. Although the technology described herein describes various ways to accomplish example implementations, the present invention is not limited to any particular examples. As but one example, a type of switch referred to as a D-Pad is described, for its qualities of having five switches, typically configured as four directional switches (for up, down, right and left) movement and one selection switch for entering. However, virtually any type of button/switch including pen or touch sensitive mechanisms, and/or configurations, such as four or so buttons to the right of an ATM screen, a single button used at different times for different results, a keyboard key, a button accompanying or incorporated into an auxiliary display device, and so forth, may benefit from the technology described herein. As such, any of the examples mentioned herein are non-limiting, and the present invention may be used various ways that provide benefits and advantages in computing and switching activities in general.
In one desirable implementation, the switch cover 212 comprises a light guide, incorporates light guide, or is closely coupled to light guide. As is known, a light guide is typically plastic or other mostly transparent material, that contain etched lines or other internal flaws/facets so that light applied to the light guide (e.g., from a front, back and/or side direction) is diffused across the surface, giving the appearance of the switch cover 212 being lit up, rather than appearing as a piece of plastic or glass with having light simply shown through. In general, one or more appropriately-positioned RGB-based LEDs (two are shown labeled 214a and 214b) provide the coloring that illuminates the switch cover 212, although any alterative coloring scheme is equivalent. The diffused light may reflect up or down.
The next lower layer (from the perspective of
The bottom layer of the stacked switch mechanism 210 comprises the individual switches, in this example the five-way (D-Pad) comprising individual buttons/switches 218 that convert pressure (typically originating from a human finger) to a signal that indicates which of the five switches is being actuated. Note that the transparent cover/light guide 212 and electronic ink display 214 need to be configured (e.g., to yield and/or rock as necessary) to allow surface pressure to be transferred to the individual buttons.
As can be readily appreciated, a five-way switch is only one example of a mechanism which can facilitate user interaction with a device/program. Any other numbers of switches, combinations, styles, patterns and so forth may benefit from context. Even if a number of buttons are present, they need not all be active in a given context; e.g., left and right can be ignored if in a current user interface context only up, down and select have meaning.
In operation, when coupled to a hardware device such as those described above, including a mobile device (e.g., phone, tablet computer, laptop computer) or fixed device (non-mobile computer, ATM, store checkout display and so forth) the clear switch cover/light guide 212, in conjunction with the electronic ink display 214, provides the ability to write context-based icons that appear below the switch cover. One or more RGB-based LEDs 216 are controllable color to give the entire switch mechanism the appearance of being illuminated, and, for example, may change colors at the same time the context-icons change. As a result, a user receives visible guidance in the form of color and displayed content (e.g., an icon) in conjunction with the user's device interaction. For example, a program context handling means 390 comprising program and/or intermediate (e.g., operating system) code and one or more interfaces control the output.
By way of example, consider the switch 210 being illuminated and icons 330 and 332 being presented. The LED's illuminating color (not shown in this black-and-white example, but may be something such as light-blue which may be configured by the user) may be one that matches the program's state and context, which in this simplified example allows a user to use up and down buttons to navigate via a selection bar 340 that highlights a message header among email messages displayed on a user interface 342. In
To contrast the example of
In addition to the above-described combination of a clear switch cover, an RGB color-morphing front light, an electronic ink display and a five-way dome switch, the stacking of technologies also allow the implementation of alternative switching mechanisms. For example a touch panel that acts via a capacitive touch field (with a single physical button) may be present instead of the five physical buttons of an actual switch. Thus, this alternative operates via a capacitive (touch sensitive field) to locate finger placement and a physical press to activate it. Among other possible benefits, in this alternative implementation a larger area of context buttons may appear and disappear, there is no limit to the switch number other than what is practical.
Notwithstanding, in each of these alternatives tactile (often referred to as haptic) feedback is typically desirable to most users. Thus, capacitive sensing may be trigger something the user did not intend or does not even recognized as having occurred.
To this end, the switch may have bumps, depressions, slopes and many other types of mechanical, audible, visible feedback that a user can sense. For example, on a small device, a user may hunt around for a DPAD-type switch without looking, such as when driving or typing.
Further, as the button contains graphics output capabilities, the button is capable of acting as at an auxiliary display, including at times when the main host system is powered down, at least to an extent. For example, instead of having lights such as additional LEDs for notification, things such as the battery level, message received and so forth may be presented to the user via the switch mechanism 210. Further, as described above, the switch mechanism 210 may be of a kind that persists rendered content without consuming power.
In
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
