Mobile device gestures

• US 10,126,904 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agnetta, Bryan Todd, Kralyevich, Brian Peter, Kriese, Jason Phillip, Park, Jae Pum, Rooney, Sean Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Shawna Stepp
• Application Number:
  US14/274,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

Electronic devices, interfaces for electronic devices, and techniques for interacting with such interfaces and electronic devices are described. For instance, this disclosure describes an example electronic device that includes sensors, such as multiple front-facing cameras to detect orientation and/or location of the electronic device relative to an object and one or more inertial sensors. Users of the device may perform gestures on the device by moving the device in-air and/or by moving their head, face, or eyes relative to the device. In response to these gestures, the device may perform operations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by an electronic device, that at least one of face or head of a user is present in front of a display of the electronic device;

detecting, by the electronic device and subsequent to determining that at least one of face or head of the user is present in front of the display, a first rotation of the electronic device in a first rotational direction about an axis perpendicular to the display of the device;

determining a first angle of the first rotation;

detecting, by the electronic device, a second rotation of the electronic device in a second rotational direction about the axis perpendicular to the display of the device;

determining a second angle of the second rotation, the second rotational direction being opposite the first rotational direction;

determining that the first angle meets or exceeds a first threshold angle of rotation;

determining that the second angle meets or exceeds a second threshold angle of rotation, the first threshold angle of rotation being greater than the second threshold angle of rotation;

recognizing, based at least in part on the determining that the first angle meets or exceeds the first threshold angle of rotation and the determining that the second angle meets or exceeds the second threshold angle of rotation, that the first rotation and the second rotation correspond to a predefined gesture; and

performing an operation responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first rotation and the second rotation occur consecutively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold angle of rotation is at least about 10 degrees and the second threshold angle of rotation is at least about 5 degrees.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the detecting the first rotation or the detecting the second rotation is based at least in part on an output of at least one of an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other inertial sensor of the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation performed responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture comprises causing one or more user interface controls to be presented on the display of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation performed responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture comprises causing a system hrome of the electronic device to be presented on the display of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the system chrome comprises an icon that is selectable to perform at least one of searching memory of the electronic device, searching a cloud network, navigating back to a previous location, or launching a settings menu.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the system chrome remains presented on the display of the electronic device for a predefined amount of time after performance of the predefined gesture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation performed responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture comprises causing one or more application launch controls to be presented on the display of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the causing one or more application launch controls to be presented on the display of the electronic device comprises causing the application launch controls to be presented along a substantially arc-shaped path.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation performed responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture comprises accessing location information of the electronic device and causing at least one of the following to be presented on the display of the electronic device:

a current location of the electronic device;

a control usable to “

like”

the current location of the electronic device;

a control usable to check-in at the current location of the electronic device;

a control usable to bookmark the current location of the electronic device;

a control usable to share the current location of the electronic device;

or

one or more points of interest within a predetermined distance of the current location of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation performed responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture comprises causing a map to be presented on the display of the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising presenting traffic information corresponding to one or more routes presented on the map.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the map comprises at least one of:

a map of surroundings of a current location of the electronic device;

a map of a frequent route traveled by the electronic device;

or

a map to a location of an appointment in a calendar of the electronic device.

15. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors of the electronic device to implement the method of claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined gesture further comprises an indication that the second rotation was performed within a predetermined amount of time from the first rotation being performed.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

one or more inertial sensors to detect movement of the electronic device;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining, by the one or more processors, that at least one of face or head of a user is present in front of the display of the electronic device;

receiving, subsequent to determining that at least one of face or head of the user is present in front of the display, a signal from the one or more inertial sensors indicating a transition of the electronic device from a first rotational motion about an axis to a second rotational motion about the axis, the signal further indicating that;

the first rotational motion meets or exceeds a first threshold angle of rotation;

the second rotational motion meets or exceeds a second threshold angle of rotation, the second threshold angle of rotation being less than the first threshold angle of rotation; and

the second rotational motion being in a direction opposite of the first rotational motion;

recognizing a predefined gesture based at least in part on receipt of the signal; and

performing an operation responsive to recognizing the predefined gesture.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the axis is perpendicular to the display.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the display comprises a rectangular display having a length greater than a width, the axis being parallel to the length of the display or the width of the display.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the display comprises a rectangular display having a length greater than a width, the length and width defining a plane and the axis being perpendicular to the plane.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first threshold angle of rotation is at least about 10 degrees and the second threshold angle of rotation is at least about 5 degrees.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the at least one inertial sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer or gyroscope.

23. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the signal further comprises an indication that the second rotational motion was performed within a predetermined amount of time from the first rotational motion being performed.