Patent Application
20150100621
Not applicable.
1. Field oOf Invention
This disclosure relates generally to user interface. More specifically, the disclosure relates to methods for operating a system comprising a handheld device and a wearable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Handheld computing and communication devices have gained significant popularity in recent years. Users are using the handheld devices such as, for example, iPhone, iPod and iPad from Apple Inc, Cupertino, Calif., to enjoy media assets and to access the Internet services. Methods for a user interfacing with the devices have been developed. Graphical User Interface (GUI) based on touch-sensitive display has been adopted widely in recent years.
Wearable devices have recently attracted significant attentions. Wearable devices include smart watches, smart glasses and smart garments. The wearable devices with smaller display sizes are difficult to operate. Value propositions for the wearable devices have not become clear despite of strong initiatives from several major players in the mobile communication industry.
It is an object of the present invention to providing a system and method for operating a wearable device through leveraging a connected handheld device to ease difficulties associated with operating the device with a small display.
It is another object of the present invention to providing a method for a user to switch freely between a wearable device and a handheld device by displaying every hierarchical level of the user interface on a phone display and on a watch display in a synchronized manner and therefore to ease difficulties associated with operating the device with a smaller display.
It is yet another object of the present invention to providing a system and method that enables the handheld device to be operated in a low-power mode by mimicking operations of the wearable device.
In an exemplary case, the handheld device is a smart phone and the wearable device is a smart watch. The phone and the watch can be connected through an ad hoc communication link such as, for example, through a Bluetooth type of connection.
The phone includes a default user interface for the phone and the watch includes a default user interface for the watch. The UI for the watch is typically simpler than the one for the phone because of smaller display size and less processing power. The phone includes a virtual UI for the watch. An icon for the virtual UI can be displayed on the smart phone as a user selectable item.
In one embodiment, the user selects the icon for the virtual UI through the phone user interface. In response to user selection, the first screen of the virtual UI is displayed on the phone. The user navigates through the UI and selects an application. In response to the user's selection, a processor of the phone transmits a data file including data related to selected application to the watch through the ad hoc communication link. A processor of the watch executes the application accordingly.
In another embodiment, a control signal is transmitted from the processor of the phone to the processor of the watch in response to the user's selection of the icon for the virtual UI. Every hierarchical level of the UI is displayed in a synchronized manner on the display for the phone and on the one for watch. The user inputs can be received either from the phone or from the watch through the user's interactions with one of the devices. The user can switch freely between two devices by navigating through either one of the synchronized user interfaces. An application can be selected by the user employing either one of the devices. The processor of the watch executes selected application accordingly.
In yet another embodiment, the phone includes a low-power processor or a low-power operating mode of the processor. The phone further includes a virtual storage unit for storing data in the watch. The phone can be operated in a low-power operating mode employing the virtual UI of the watch. The phone is operated in a way mimicking operations of the watch.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its various embodiments, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of the present invention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefits of this disclosure.
Client 104 includes client processor 120 and client storage unit 122. Client processor 120 is typically less powerful than server processor 108. Client processor 120 consumes substantially less power than server processor 108. Client 104 is operated utilizing of client UI 124. Client 104 can execute applications 126 that are specific to client 104. For example, client 104 may include sensors (not shown in the figure) unique to client 104 such as, for example, a pedometer. Client 104 also includes applications 128 that are common to server 102.
An application executed by server 102 through UI 112 may consume more power than the same application executed by client 104 through UI 124.
In one aspect, server 102 can control operations of client 104 by running virtual client UI 118 in server 102. The user selects an application in a progressive manner through virtual client UI 118. A control signal is transmitted from server 102 to client 104 through ad hoc communication link 106. In response to the control signal, client 104 executes selected application. In one implementation, every hierarchical level of the user interface of client 104 can be displayed on both server 102 and client 104 in a synchronized manner. The user can switch freely between two devices by navigating through either one of the synchronized user interfaces to select the application.
In another aspect, server and client common applications 116 can be run in server 102 through virtual client UI 118. Server 102 run by processor 108 is operated under a low-power mode mimicking operations of client 104. The feature is very useful when server 102 is running out of power while the user wants to continue to use the device for limited functionalities.
In an exemplary case, server 102 and client 104 are mobile computing and communication devices. In one implementation, server 102 is a smart phone and client 104 is a smart watch. In another implementation, server 102 is a tablet computer and client device 104 is a smart watch. In yet another implementation, server 102 is a laptop computer and client device 104 is a smart watch. In still other implementations, clients 104 are smart glasses. In still other implementations, server 102 is tablet computer or a laptop computer while client 104 is a smart phone.
A smart phone as server 102 and a smart watch as client 104 are used exemplarily in the present disclosure to illustrate the inventive concept, which should not limit scope of the inventive concept. As depicted in
In an exemplary implementation, a reader is disposed in smart phone 202 and a storage tag is disposed in smart watch 204. The reader can read from and write to the tag. In another exemplary case, smart phone 202 includes a first set of reader and tag and smart watch 204 includes a second set of reader and tag. The reader in smart phone 202 reads and writes to the tag in smart watch 204. The reader in smart watch 204 reads from and writes to the tag in smart phone 202.
Smart phone 202 and smart watch 204 are connected when the two devices are within a predetermined distance. An authenticity check is typically conducted before the connection is confirmed.
Smart phone 202 further includes phone file storage 232 including a plurality of flash memory modules and Random Access Memory (RAM) modules. Smart phone 202 includes network interface 234 pertaining to communicating with a communication network including but is not limited to the Internet and a public phone network. Smart phone 202 and smart watch 204 are connectable through ad hoc communication link 206. The ad hoc communication link 206 includes ad hoc communication unit 236 in smart phone 202 and unit 256 in smart watch 204. In one implementation unit 236 and unit 256 conform to the Bluetooth standards and their extensions. In another implementation, the units conform to the ZigBee standards and their extensions. In yet another implementation, the units conform to the NFC standards and their extensions. Smart phone 202 further includes watch manager 230 pertaining to managing its interactions with smart watch 204. Watch manager 230 is a piece of software stored in phone file storage 232 and is executable by phone processor 222. Operations of smart phone 202 are powered by phone battery 238. Phone battery 238 may be a rechargeable battery. Phone battery 238 further includes power management unit (not shown in the figure). The power management unit monitors remaining power of battery 238 and may trigger smart phone 202 to be operated at a low-power mode. Functional blocks of smart phone 202 are connected through data bus 240.
Smart watch 204 includes watch processor 242 and watch display 210. Watch display 210 may have substantially smaller size than phone display 208. Smart watch 204 further comprises watch UI 246, which may take a simplified form of phone UI 226. Watch sensor 248 may provide watch specific applications such as, for example, applications related heath monitoring of the user. An example includes a pedometer in smart watch 204. Smart watch 204 also includes watch file storage 252. Watch file storage 252 may include a plurality of flash memory modules and RAM modules. Smart watch 204 further includes phone manager 250 pertaining to managing its interactions with smart phone 202. Phone manager 250 is a piece of software stored in watch storage 252 and is executable by watch processor 242. Operations of smart watch 204 are powered by watch battery 258. A power management unit may be included to manage power consumption of smart watch 204 (not shown in the figure).
In response to received data file, watch processor 242 executes selected application employing smart watch 204. As shown in
In another implementation (not included in
Smart phone 202 further includes a virtual watch storage unit 232A. Data stored in phone storage 232 and in watch storage 252 are organized into various databases. Some of the databases in smart watch 204 are synchronized to the databases in smart phone 202. Some databases are specific to smart phone 202. Some databases are specific to smart watch 204. Virtual storage 232A stores metadata of data files belonging to databases that have been synchronized. In one implementation, virtual storage 232A stores metadata of data specific to smart watch 204. In another implementation, virtual storage 232A stores actual data for the data specific to smart watch 204. In cases that metadata are stored in virtual watch storage 232A, data files represented by the metadata are retrieved from either phone storage 232 or from watch storage 252 through ad communication link.
In yet another implementation, virtual watch storage 232A stores all actual data files of smart watch 204. Stored data files are duplications of the data files already stored in watch storage 252,
Smart phone 202 is operated under a low-power mode by running virtual watch UI 228. Low power processor 222A controls operations of smart phone 202. Processor 222A retrieves data files directly or indirectly from virtual watch storage 232A. Smart phone 202 mimics operations of smart watch 204 to save power consumption according to the third embodiment.
Smart phone 202 may utilize a full size phone display 208 in one implementation. Smart phone 202 may utilize only a part of phone display 208 in another implementation to save power consumption.
