Information processing terminal and method

• US 20020115469A1
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tajima, Shigeru, Rekimoto, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,823,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A user interface by which contents of what is being processed can be confirmed with the sense of touch is provided. On a first surface of a portable phone, first piezoelectric devices are arranged, and on a second surface of the portable phone, second piezoelectric devices are arranged. When radio waves are transmitted, a displacement is generated from the first and second last piezoelectric devices at the same time when radio waves are transmitted from an antenna, and the displacement moves in sequence to the piezoelectric devices of the upper portion. When the displacement moves to the first and second initial piezoelectric devices, a displacement is generated repeatedly from the first and second last piezoelectric devices, and is continued until the other party to which a call is being originated responds.

Claims

1. An information processing terminal which is held by a user'"'"'s hand and is used, said information processing terminal comprising:

performing means for performing a predetermined process;

displacement generation means, having a plurality of displacement sections, for generating a displacement which is transmitted to the hand of said user in contact therewith, said displacement sections protruding from the housing of said information processing terminal; and

control means for controlling the timings of individual displacements of the plurality of displacement sections of said displacement generation means in accordance with said process performed by said performing means.

2. An information processing terminal according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the timings of the displacements of said plurality of displacement sections, so that, on the whole, vibrations proceed in a predetermined direction.

3. An information processing terminal according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for communicating with another apparatus via a network, wherein said control means performs control so that said displacement section is displaced at a different timing between when said communication means receives radio waves from said other apparatus and when said communication means transmits radio waves to said other apparatus.

4. An information processing terminal according to claim 1, wherein said information processing terminal is a portable phone.

5. An information processing terminal according to claim 1, wherein said information processing terminal is a pen-type operation device.

6. An information processing method for use with an information processing terminal which is held by a user'"'"'s hand and is used, said information processing method comprising:

a performing step of performing a predetermined process;

a displacement generation step of generating a displacement in a plurality of displacement sections which protrude from the housing of said information processing terminal, said displacement being transmitted to the hand of said user in contact therewith; and

a control step of controlling the timings of individual displacements of the plurality of displacement sections in accordance with said process performed in said performing step.