The invention relates generally to portable electronic devices comprised of two main body portions, where the body portions are moveable relative to each other, and more specifically to controlling operation of an electronic device by movement of the body portions.
Portable hand-held electronic devices are in widespread use and provide a variety of functions. Most notably, mobile communication devices are constantly being designed with an increased number of features, making voice communication just one of the many functions they provide to users. As such, these devices are increasingly relied upon by people in everyday life.
Despite the increased functionality expected of such devices, they continue to remain relatively small. This has presented a problem to manufactures because with increased functionality there has been a corresponding need to provide a variety of user input. For example, many users dislike using a conventional telephony keypad for text entry, and in response manufacturers have sought to provide “QWERTY” style keypads. Such “full” keypads, however, require a substantial surface area. In response, manufactures have, for example, designed wider devices to accommodate a full keypad, or provided a retractable or sliding body section that can be hidden when not in use.
Full keypads help users enter text into a device, but devices now run applications using other types of input to control. Manufacturers have provided navigation buttons for directional input, for example. Adding buttons of course requires more area, which tends to work against designing a small device. Therefore there exists a need for a means to provide user input to control operation of a portable device without having to add additional buttons.
The present invention discloses in an embodiment a method for controlling operation of an application running on a mobile communication device. The mobile communication device is designed with a main body portion and a flip portion, otherwise known as a “clamshell” configuration. The flip portion may have a display, and is moveable between a closed position and a fully open position. In a present embodiment, the application present or outputs graphical information on the display. The inventive method embodiment commences by initiating a positional input mode of the mobile communication device. As the flip portion is moved, the method commences detecting the flip being in an intermediate position between the closed and fully open positions, and then adjusting operation of the application in correspondence with the intermediate position.
In a further embodiment the invention provides a method of operating a user interface of a portable device, the device having a main body portion and a flip portion. The main body portion and the flip portion are coupled together at a hinge. The flip portion is moveable between a closed position and a fully open position. The present method embodiment commences upon opening the flip portion to the fully open position, and then moving the flip in a prescribed motion. The device detects the prescribed motion of the flip, and subsequently commences a prescribed operation of the portable device which corresponds to the prescribed motion of the flip portion.
In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a mobile communication device, comprised of a main body portion and a flip portion which is coupled to the main body portion and is moveable between a closed position and a fully open position. The mobile communication device further includes a position detecting circuit operatively coupled to the main body portion and the flip portion which provides an output for indicating a position of the flip portion relative to the main body portion. A processor of the mobile communication device, which is operatively coupled to the position detecting circuit, is configured to adjust an operation of the mobile communication device when the flip is moved in a prescribed manner, as detected by the position detecting circuit.
There are shown in the drawings, embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Referring now to
The device has a main body portion 102 and a flip portion 104. The main body portion and flip portion are hingeably connected at a hinge 106, allowing the body portions to move with respect to each other. The hinge can be implemented by any conventional design, as are well-practiced in the art. Electronic circuitry disposed in the main body portion is electrically coupled to circuitry in the flip portion by, for example, a flexible circuit board member that passes through the hinge. In the closed position, the device is generally in an idle state, waiting to be opened and used by a user, or waiting to receive a call notification from a communication system to which the user subscribes.
While in the open position, where a main display may be viewed by the user, the device can run various applications, such as, for example, Internet web browsers, media viewers, games, email clients, datebooks, and so on. As is well known, the device presents the user with an interface from which the user can launch applications or undertake other operations. Control of these operations and input to applications is typically accomplished by pressing buttons on the device, or by voice commands in some cases.
Referring now to
Movement of the flip to the prescribed position may be part of a more complex movement. For example, the flip may be moved to the intermediate position momentarily, and returned to the fully open position as a “rocking” motion, as indicated by arrow 304. In such a case, detection of the flip in the intermediate position is simply part of detecting a movement of the flip in a prescribed manner. It is also contemplated that there may be more than one prescribed position may be defined, with each prescribed position of movement corresponding to a different input. For example, moving the flip from an intermediate position to the open position and back to the intermediate position could correspond to a “go back” command for a web browser, while moving the flip forward, towards the closed position, and back could correspond to a “go forward” command. Similarly, with a video player application, one movement could be used for “fast forward” and another movement could be used for “rewind.”
Furthermore, upon detecting the flip being moved into the prescribed position or in the prescribed manner, the device may provide feedback to the user to confirm that the device has detected the movement. The feedback may be tactile, such as by momentarily turning on a vibrator motor, as well as audible or visual. And if multiple prescribed movements are defined, the feedback may vary to correspond to each of the defined prescribed positions or movements.
Referring now to
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The device includes a main processor 502, which executes instruction code designed in accordance with the teachings herein. In the present example, the processor is operatively coupled to a radio frequency transceiver. The transceiver includes all necessary elements for modulating, demodulating, transmitting, receiving, filtering, amplifying, and other processing of signals that are to be transmitted and that have been received via an antenna 506. The transceiver and main processor are both operatively coupled to an audio processor 508. The audio processor performs operations on audio signals so that audio signals received form a remote location via the transceiver may be played over a speaker 510, and audio signals received locally at a microphone 512 may be processed for transmission by the transceiver the device further includes an aggregate memory 514 which may include read only memory, random access memory, volatile and non-volatile memory, storage memory and execution memory. The device uses various memory elements to store instruction code for operating systems, applications, firmware, data, and so on. The combination of the memory and the executable instruction code configures the processor to accomplish the various methods, processes, and tasks for which the device is intended. For example, the instruction code, along with certain hardware elements, allow the processor to operate a user interface 516. The interface may include elements such as a display 518, keypad and other buttons 520, speakers 510, and tactile feedback elements such as a vibrational motor 522. The vibrational motor is an electric motor that drives an eccentric cam to produce vibrations.
The device further comprises, as part of its user interface, a positional detector 524 that is operatively coupled to the processor 502. The position detector is further coupled to a position sensor 526 which produces an output as the flip portion of the device is moved. The output of the position sensor is processed by the position detector, which determines when the flip is in a prescribed position or has been moved in a prescribed manner. The position detector may be an independent hardware element, or it may be a software element running on the main processor. The position sensor includes hardware elements which produce an electric signal indicating movement of the flip, position of the flip, or both. The position sensor may be, for example, a resistive potentiometer which changes electrical resistance as the flip is moved. Another example of a position sensor may include an opto-electric device which detects motion by the breaking of an optical coupling. In a further example, the position sensor may include a series of small magnets disposed in either the flip portion or the main body portion of the hinge, and a hall effect device disposed in the other body portion such that as the flip is rotated, the hall effect device senses the magnetic pulses as the magnets move past it.
As the flip portion is moved and the flip hinge portion 408 moves past the main body hinge portion 410. The position sensor 526 may have elements disposed in both portions for detecting the motion. The movement of the flip portion results in the position sensor generating a signal to the position detector 524, which tracks the signal and compares it to predefined patterns corresponding to one or more prescribed positions or prescribed movements. Once a prescribed position or movement is detected, the position detector may interrupt the processor 502 to indicate the occurrence of the prescribed position or motion. Subsequently, the processor provides the movement information to an instantiated application as a user input, and the application then adjusts its operation accordingly.
Referring now to
Once the device detects movement of the flip portion 608, the device then tracks the movement to determine if the flip is either moved to a prescribed position or in a prescribed manner 610. If the position detector indicates the flip portion has been moved in a prescribed manner, then an input corresponding to the detected prescribed motion is provided to the application 612. Upon receiving the input, the application then adjusts its operation in a manner corresponding to the detected movement, as defined by the application. As indicated by the flow chart, the method may be constantly repeating to provide various input to the application. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the device may be a multi-mode communication device capable of communicating by one of several modes of communication including, for example, cellular telephony, or simplex dispatch communication either network assisted or direct communication. Furthermore, several modes of cellular telephony communication may be available, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA) such as that described by the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) specification. In such a multi-mode communication device, it is contemplated that movement of the flip portion in a prescribed manner may be used to toggle the active communication mode. It is further contemplated that the invention may be used to accept or reject incoming calls. Upon receiving notification of an incoming call the user may open the device, or the device may already be opened as the user may be engaged in another activity. The user may, for example, “rock” the flip portion once to accept the incoming call, and “rock” the flip twice in succession to reject the call. Other motions of the flip portion may be defined to either reject or accept an incoming call.
In addition to the detection of the position of the flip portion, or movement of the flip portion in a prescribed manner, the invention may further be used to detect the degree of movement away from a prescribed position, and the direction of movement away from the prescribed position. For example, consider a game application simulating control of a vehicle. Movement of the flip portion can be detected to correspond to a speed at which the simulated vehicle moves in its virtual environment. Furthermore, movement back and forth may be used, for example, to cause a simulated object to move back and forth on the screen. In another example, the degree and direction of movement of the flip portion may be used to control speed and direction of scrolling through a list or other media or visual information displayed on the display.
This invention can be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/867,968, filed Nov. 30, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60867968 | Nov 2006 | US |