Electronic device for controlling tactile notifications and operating method thereof

• US 10,044,850 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hyoung-Nam
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Application Number:
  US15/246,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control method of an electronic device includes: determining whether data is received by a background process of the electronic device and outputting a tactile notification notifying a user of the reception of the data when the data is received. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

in response to a change of data communication environment, determining whether to automatically receive data by a background process of the electronic device while graphical data different from the data is displayed through a display of the electronic device or while the display is turned off; and

in response to determining to automatically receive the data, outputting a tactile notification notifying initiation of the reception of the data before the data is completely received.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a tactile output target list that identifies one or more conditions for outputting the tactile notification,

wherein outputting the tactile notification comprises;

determining whether the data corresponds to at least one condition in the tactile output target list; and

outputting the tactile notification when the data corresponds to at least one condition in the tactile output target list.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more characteristics of the data,

wherein outputting the tactile notification comprises outputting the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more characteristics of the data is a size information of the data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more characteristics of the data is an execution state of a program related to the data.

6. The method of claim 3, the one or more characteristics of the data is an identity of a program related to the data.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein outputting the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics comprises:

determining a number of times to output the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics; and

outputting the tactile notification the determined number of times.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein outputting the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics comprises:

determining an output strength of the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics; and

outputting the tactile notification having the determined output strength.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein outputting the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics comprises:

determining an output cycle of the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics; and

outputting the tactile notification having the determined output cycle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a gripping input is detected by the electronic device within a predetermined time interval of the output of the tactile notification; and

interrupting the output of the tactile notification when the gripping input is detected within the predetermined time interval.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a touch input is detected by the electronic device within a predetermined time interval of the output of the tactile notification; and

interrupting the output of the tactile notification when the touch input is detected within the predetermined time interval.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether an external illuminance of the electronic device increases by a predetermined amount within a predetermined time interval of the output of the tactile notification; and

interrupting the output of the tactile notification when the external illuminance increases by the predetermined amount within the predetermined time interval.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interrupting the reception of the data before outputting the tactile notification.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

resuming the reception of the data after a predetermined time interval elapses without additional user input.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting of the tactile notification is a haptic effect.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a communication module;

an output module comprising at least one of a motor configured to output a tactile notification or a display configured to output a visual notification; and

a processor configured to determine, in response to a change of data communication environment, whether to automatically receive data, through the communication module, by a background process of the electronic device while graphical data different from the data is displayed through a display of the electronic device or while the display is turned off and output, in response to determining to automatically receive the data, through the output module, the tactile notification notifying initiation of the reception of the data before the data is completely received.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a tactile output target list that identifies one or more conditions for outputting the tactile notification,

determine whether the data corresponds to at least one condition in the tactile output target list, and

output, through the output module, the tactile notification when the data corresponds to at least one condition in the tactile output target list.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify one or more characteristics of the data, and

output, through the output module, the tactile notification based on the identified characteristics.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the one or more characteristics of the data is a size information of the data.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the one or more characteristics of the data is an execution state information of a program related to the data.