Sensor managed apparatus, method and computer program product

• US 10,481,793 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ward, Anatol, Takashima, Kouichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US16/013,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20180300057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user'"'"'s finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a first area and a second area related to the display;

circuitry configured to

detect user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display;

determine whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and

execute a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.

2. A method, implemented by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, the method comprising:

by circuitry of the electronic device,

detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display;

determining whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and

executing a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing therein a program that includes instructions which when executed by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, causes the electronic device to perform a method comprising:

detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display;

determining whether a detected user interaction with the second area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects; and

executing a display state change of the display when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to the predetermined swiping motion performed over all of the plurality of input receiving objects.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 3, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a first area and a second area related to the display;

circuitry configured to

detect user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and

execute a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects.

10. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.

5. A method, implemented by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, the method comprising:

by circuitry of the electronic device,

detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and

executing a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing therein a program that includes instructions which when executed by an electronic device that includes a display, and a first area and a second area related to the display, causes the electronic device to perform a method comprising:

detecting user interaction with the second area, wherein the second area includes a plurality of input receiving objects each configured to receive an individual touch event from the user to perform a different respective function to perform control on an object or information displayed on the display; and

executing a display state change of the display, including the first area and the second area, when the detected user interaction with the second sensing area corresponds to a predetermined swiping motion performed over at least one of the plurality of input receiving objects.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 6, wherein the display state change of the display is a change from a display locked state to a display unlocked state.