One-to-one direct communication

• US 20040139217A1
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew David Warnes, Anton O. Andrews, Nancy G. Kidney
• Original Assignee: Andrew David Warnes, Anton O. Andrews, Nancy G. Kidney
• Inventors: Andrews, Anton O., Kidney, Nancy G., Warnes, Andrew David
• Granted Patent: US 7,091,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• 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

Abstract

The progress of transferring an electronic object from a sending handheld to a receiver is graphically represented as an gradually object sliding out of view on the display of the sender and gradually sliding into view on the display of the receiver. A gravity sensor in the handheld is used to determine the transmission'"'"'s data rate. This visual feedback is an ergonomic feature for, e.g., electronic toys.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a first data processing device with a first display monitor;

a second data processing device;

wherein;

the first device has a data output for transmission of an electronic object;

the second device has a data input for receipt of the object transmitted by the first device;

the object corresponds with a graphical representation;

upon initiating of the transmission, the first device renders the representation as automatically and gradually disappearing from a visual portion of the first display monitor as a visual feedback representative of a progress of the transmission.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device has a second display monitor and renders the representation as gradually appearing on a visual portion of the second display monitor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least the first device or the second device has an orientation sensor for control of a data rate of the transmission in dependence of the orientation of the sensor with respect to gravity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a configuration controller and the second device comprises an reconfigurable apparatus controllable via the object upon receipt.

13. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the electronic object adds functionality to the second device.

14. The data processing system of claim 13 wherein as the graphical representation disappears from the first device, a corresponding graphical representation appears on the second device and represents to a user the added functionality.

17. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the first device has a data output for wireless transmission of the electronic object to a second device.

18. The data processing system of claim 17 wherein one device is a handheld device.

19. The data processing system of claim 18 wherein the first device includes an orientation sensor enabling the user to initiate transmission according to a particular orientation of the first device.

5. An electronic object for being communicated between data processing devices of which at least one has a respective display monitor, and wherein the object has a graphical representation that is suitable for gradually appearing or disappearing on a visual portion of the display monitor as a visual feedback representative of a progress of the communication, the graphical representation automatically gradually disappearing or appearing following an initiation of the communication.

15. The electronic object of claim 5 wherein the electronic object adds functionality to a device to which it is communicated.

16. The data processing system of claim 15 wherein as the graphical representation disappears from the first device, a corresponding representation appears on the second device and represents to a user the added functionality.

6. A software application for control of transferring an electronic object between data processing devices, wherein:

at least one of the devices has a display monitor;

the object has a graphical representation; and

the software application controls a visual feedback of a progress of the transferring by control of a displaying of the representation as gradually disappearing or appearing on a visual portion of the display monitor, the graphical representation automatically gradually appearing or disappearing following an initiation of the control for transferring the electronic object.

7. The software application of claim 6, wherein:

at least one of the devices has an orientation sensor for sensing an orientation of the sensor with respect to gravity; and

the application controls a data rate of the transferring depending on the orientation sensed.

8. A data processing system comprising:

a first data processing device with a first display monitor;

a second data processing device;

wherein;

the first device has a data output for transmission of an electronic object, the electronic object not consisting of a pointer controlled by a user-input device;

the second device has a data input for receipt of the object transmitted by the first device;

the object corresponds with a graphical representation;

upon initiating of the transmission, the first device renders the representation as gradually disappearing from a visual portion of the first display monitor as a visual feedback representative of a progress of the transmission.

9. A software application for control of transferring an electronic object between data processing devices, the electronic object not consisting of a pointer controlled by a user-input device, wherein:

at least one of the devices has a display monitor;

the object has a graphical representation; and

the software application controls a visual feedback of a progress of the transferring by control of a displaying of the representation as gradually appearing or disappearing on a visual portion of the display monitor.

10. A software application for control of transferring an electronic object between a first device and a second device, the application enabling a representation of an electronic object on the first device to gradually disappear after the initiation of transfer of an electronic object from the first device to the second device, the gradual disappearance corresponding to the progress of the transfer of the electronic object.

11. The software application of claim 10 wherein the electronic object adds functionality to the second device.

12. The software application of claim 11 wherein as the representation disappears from the first device, a corresponding representation appears on the second device and represents to a user the added functionality.

20. The electronic object of claim 10 wherein the representation of the object comprises an auditory representation.