Handheld electronic device for receiving and displaying status information

• US 10,133,318 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Khokhlov, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US15/888,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 4555501- 903, 4554042, 4554561-457, 715764, 715810-845, 34053913, 340988-996, 705319, D101042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 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 3/0481 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

PDAs can be used to provide their users with various functions. One such function is the ability to contact other users who are stored in the PDA as contacts, for example by telephone of text message. The decision as to whether or not a particular user should be contacted may be influenced by the location of that user. For example, if a contact is nearby, then it may be more likely that the user of the PDA would want to contact them. The present embodiments provide a PDA on which the location of one or more contacts can be displayed. Furthermore, the location of a particular contact can be shown on a map on the screen of the PDA simply by tilting the PDA through a predetermined angle about a horizontal axis. Thus, the map can be displayed in an intuitive and straightforward manner.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device with an interface configured to connect to a network, the handheld electronic device comprising:

a screen configured to display information to a user of the handheld electronic device; and

circuitry configured to;

determine a location of the handheld electronic device;

determine at least one function performed by the handheld electronic device; and

receive status information relating to one or more users of other electronic devices, the status information comprising information indicating the geographical location of other electronic devices,

wherein the circuitry of the handheld electronic device is further configured to;

determine a set of one or more users of other electronic devices connected to the network, which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the determination being based on whether the geographical location information of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more other users corresponds to the determined location of the handheld electronic device;

generate an updated set of one or more determined users of other electronic devices in response to a change in geographical location of other electronic devices; and

control display on the screen of information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users of the other electronic devices, the information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users including a respective user name, a graphical representation corresponding to the user, and status information so as to indicate the updated set of one or more determined users as being users which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the updated set of one or more determined users being based on whether an updated geographical location of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more determined users corresponds to a determined location of the handheld electronic device.

2. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display the geographical location of the respective other electronic devices of the updated set of one or more determined users.

3. The handheld electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

determine a position of the handheld electronic device relative to a position of the one or more determined users of other electronic devices, and

control the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display the position of the handheld electronic device relative to the position of the one or more determined users of other electronic devices.

4. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display the geographical location of the respective other electronic devices of the updated set of one or more determined users on a map.

5. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display a predetermined number of closest, with respect to a relative distance to the handheld electronic device, geographical locations of the respective other electronic devices of the updated set of one or more determined users on a map.

6. The handheld electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined number of closest, with respect to the relative distance to the handheld electronic device, geographical locations of the respective other electronic devices of the updated set of one or more determined users displayable on a map is two, five, ten or twenty.

7. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display on a map the geographical location of one of the one or more determined users in response to selecting that user for display.

8. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive said status information relating to the one or more users of the other electronic devices from a server.

9. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one function includes at least one of:

displaying videos;

displaying photographs;

taking photographs;

playing music;

sending emails;

accessing the internet;

playing games; and

acting as a telephone.

10. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the status information of the respective other electronic devices also indicates a power status of the electronic device of the determined user.

11. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising one of hardware and software configured to determine a status of the handheld electronic device, the status of the handheld electronic device indicating a power status of the handheld electronic device.

12. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit status information about the handheld electronic device.

13. The handheld electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit status information about itself to a server.

14. The handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to re-determine the set of one or more users of other electronic devices which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, when the status of the handheld electronic device changes.

15. A method comprising:

retrieving a determined location of a handheld electronic device;

determining at least one function performed by the handheld electronic device;

receiving status information relating to one or more users of other electronic devices, the status information comprising information indicating the geographical location of the one or more other electronic devices;

determining a set of one or more users of other electronic devices which have a potential for a user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the determination being based on whether the geographical location information of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more other users corresponds to a the determined location of the handheld electronic device;

generating an updated set of one or more determined users of other electronic devices in response to a change in geographical location of other electronic devices; and

controlling display on a screen of the handheld electronic device of information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users of the other electronic devices, the information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users including a respective user name, a graphical representation corresponding to the user, and status information so as to indicate the updated set of one or more determined users as being users which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the updated set of one or more determined users being based on whether an updated geographical location information of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more other users corresponds to a determined location of the handheld electronic device.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising controlling the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display the location of the determined set of one or more users on a map.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising controlling the display on the screen of the handheld electronic device to display the location of the handheld electronic device relative to the updated set of one or more determined users of the other electronic devices.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising receiving, by the handheld electronic device, the status information relating to the one or more users of the other electronic devices from a server.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising transmitting, by the handheld electronic device, status information about the handheld electronic device.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transmitting transmits the status information to a server.

21. The method according to claim 15, further comprising re-determining the set of one or more users of other electronic devices which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, in response to the status of the handheld electronic device changing.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the method steps are performed by the handheld electronic device.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer executable instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

determining a current location of a handheld electronic device;

determining at least one function performed by the handheld electronic device;

receiving status information relating to one or more users of other electronic devices, the status information comprising information indicating the geographical location of other electronic devices;

determining a set of one or more users of other electronic devices which have a potential for a user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the determination being based on whether the geographical location information of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more other users corresponds to a the determined location of the handheld electronic device;

generating an updated set of one or more determined users of other electronic devices in response to a change in geographical location of other electronic devices; and

controlling display on a screen of the handheld electronic device of information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users of the other electronic devices, the information relating to the updated set of one or more determined users including a respective user name, a graphical representation corresponding to the user, and status information so as to indicate the updated set one or more of determined users as being users which have a potential for the user of the handheld electronic device to be interested in contacting, the updated set of one or more determined users being based on whether an updated geographical location information of the respective other electronic devices of the one or more other users corresponds to a determined location of the handheld electronic device.