Patent Application
20140313414
The present invention relates to portable electronic equipment, and more particularly, to a smartphone.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,082,523B2. entitled Portable Electronic Device With Graphic User Interface Supporting Application Switching, discloses a graphic user interface (UI) for use with a mobile phone.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,509,588B2, entitled Portable Electronic Device With Interface Reconfiguration Mode. discloses an interface reconfiguration mode in which a plurality of icons is displayed on a touch screen of a portable electronic device so as to change initial positions of the displayed icons and then reconfigure them.
However, according to the aforesaid prior arts, an UI is still confined to a built-in touch screen of a portable electronic device for performing UI configuration or reconfiguration.
In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior arts. the inventor of the present invention conceived room for improvement in the prior art and thus developed a smartphone that provide UIs to a screen characterized by two different display requirements.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a smartphone capable of providing a first user interface and a second user interface and choosing therebetween.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a smartphone comprising an application processor, a touch screen, a communication connector, and a video port connector and is characterized in that: an application processor enables a first user interface to be sent and displayed on a touch screen of the smartphone if a smartphone is not electrically connected to an external display or a flat-screen TV set and the displaying criteria of displaying area and resolution of the touch screen are met, wherein the first user interface comprises at least a mobile phone application (App): and the application processor sends a second user interface to the external display or the flat-screen TV set if the smartphone is electrically connected to the external display or the flat-screen TV set and the displaying criteria of screen displaying area and screen resolution of the external display or the flat-screen TV set are met, wherein the second user interface comprises at least an application (App) for use in operating the external display or the flat-screen TV set. The communication connector is electrically connected to the external display or the flat-screen TV set, wherein the application processor sends commands and/or data to the external display or the flat-screen TV set by means of the communication connector. The video port connector is electrically connected to the external display or the flat-screen TV set and adapted to send video signals corresponding to the second user interface.
The present invention further provides a smartphone comprising an application processor, a touch screen and is characterized in that: a user human-machine interface (UI) switching unit generates a user human-machine interface (UI) switching signal; the application processor receives the UI switching signal during a boot-up process and chooses between a first user interface and a second user interface according to the UI switching signal; after choosing the first user interface, the application processor enables the first user interface to be sent and displayed on the touch screen if displaying criteria of displaying area and resolution of the touch screen are met, wherein the first user interface comprises at least a mobile phone application (App); and after choosing the second user interface, the application processor sends the second user interface to the external display or the flat-screen TV set if displaying criteria of screen displaying area and screen resolution of an external display or a flat-screen TV set are met.
Technical features and advantages of the present invention are hereunder illustrated with preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Persons skilled in the art know that the screen of the touch screen 103 built in the smartphone 10 is much smaller than the screen of the external display 21 or the screen of the flat-screen TV set 23. Hence, according to the present invention, it is likely that user a human-machine interface (UI) operation will be inconvenient to users, if the screen of the external display 21 or the screen of the flat-screen TV set 23 employs a user interface UI of the touch screen 103 of the smartphone 10 indiscriminately.
In another aspect, if a user wants to connect the smartphone 10 and the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 together, the present invention can allow the user to enjoy the UI-based experience of operating the screen of the external display 21 or the screen of the flat-screen TV set 23 in the same way of enjoying the UI-based experience of operating a smart TV set.
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The application 131 is for use in operating the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23. The user can execute the application 131, for example, for giving commands to the external display 21 to shut down the screen (power), start the screen (power), or switch between signal sources, or, for example, for giving commands to the flat-screen TV set 23 to shut down the screen (power), start the screen (power), switch between signal sources, select TV channels, tune volume, or display an electronic program guide (EPG). The packet dedicated to the command and/or data 100 is sent to the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 by means of the communication connector 107, as shown in
According to the spirit of the disclosure contained in the present invention, persons skilled in the art can enhance the communication functions and processing capability of the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23, such that the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 is equipped with: the communication capability required for receiving the command and/or data 100; and the processing capability of a processor (not shown) or a system-on-chip (SoC) (not shown) for use with the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 in processing the command and/or data 100.
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In yet another specific embodiment of the present invention, for example, the wireless UI input device 40 is a conventional Bluetooth earphone microphone whereby the user selects and/or executes the applications 131, 133-144 of the second user interface 13 by voice.
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To access the first user interface 11, a user operates the aforesaid switch to select a high voltage level, and then the user starts the smartphone 10. During the boot-up process, the application processor 101 receives the UI switching signal 109a, identifies the UI switching signal 109a as a UI switching signal of the high voltage level, and eventually enables the first user interface 11 to be sent and displayed on the touch screen 103. Upon completion of the boot-up process, the user touches the first user interface 11 displayed on the touch screen 103 in order to operate the smartphone 10.
In another aspect, to access the second user interface 13, the user operates the aforesaid switch to select a low voltage level, connects the smartphone 10 to the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 with at least one cable (such as a USB 3.0 cable or a HDMI cable), and eventually starts the smartphone 10. During the boot-up process, the application processor 101 receives the UI switching signal 109a, identifies the UI switching signal 109a as a UI switching signal of the low voltage level, and eventually enables the second user interface 13 to be sent and displayed on the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23. Upon completion of the boot-up process, the user operates the smartphone 10 by means of the wireless UI input device 40. In particular, the present invention enables the user to enjoy the UI-based experience of operating the screen of the external display 21 or the screen of the flat-screen TV set 23 in the same way of enjoying the UI-based experience of operating a smart TV set.
It is also feasible to implement the UI switching unit 109 by a firmware means. For example, the user sets a flag value by executing a setting application built in the smartphone 10. Afterward, during the boot-up process, the application processor 101 examines the aforesaid flag value for choosing between the first user interface 11 and the second user interface 13. The flag value serves the same purpose as the UI switching signal 109a does, substantially.
The first user interface 11 and the second user interface 13 are stored in a flash memory (not shown) in the smartphone 10. Alternatively, the first user interface 11 is stored in a flash memory (not shown) in the smartphone 10, whereas the second user interface 13 is stored in a memory card (not shown) which is inserted into the smartphone 10, such as a conventional SD memory card.
The first user interface 11 can be a graphic user interface, whereas the second user interface 13 can be a graphic user interface.
According to the spirit of the disclosure contained in the present invention, persons skilled in the art can enhance the communication functions of the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23, such that the external display 21 or the flat-screen TV set 23 acquires the communication capability required for sending commands and/or data 230 to the application processor 101 of the smartphone 10.
The smartphone 10 of the present invention is concurrently equipped with the first user interface 11 and the second user interface 13 so as to function as a smartphone and a simulated smart TV, respectively. Accordingly, the present invention increases the values of conventional smartphones greatly and enhances the functions and advantages thereof notably.
Hence, the present invention meets the three requirements of patentability, namely novelty, non-obviousness, and industrial applicability.
The present invention is disclosed above by preferred embodiments. However, persons skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments are illustrative of the present invention only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent variations and modifications made to the aforesaid embodiments should fall within the scope of the present invention.
