Mode manager for a pointing device

• US 20060250357A1
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Safai, Mammad
• Application Number:
  US11/121,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250357A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A portable electronic device comprises a pointing device and a mode manager. The pointing device is configured to detect relative movement across a surface. The mode manager is configured to switch between a first mode of operation of the pointing device and a second mode of operation of the pointing device based on a parameter associated with pointing device and/or the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a pointing device configured to detect relative movement at a portion of the pointing device;

a manager configured to determine a mode of operation for the pointing device from among a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based on a parameter associated with the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the pointing device comprises a base surface and the pointing device is configured to detect relative movement via:

the base surface;

a moveable puck configured to move over the base surface within a puck field of motion; and

a position detector configured to identify a position of the puck.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the pointing device comprises at least one of a touch pad device, a mouse, a joystick, a rockerswitch device, a scroll wheel device, and a touchscreen.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises a status of an application of the portable electronic device.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4 wherein the status of the application comprises:

an initiation of an application of the portable electronic device;

a termination of an application of the portable electronic device; and

a switch between two different applications of the portable electronic device.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises a first parameter associated with relative movement at the portion surface of the pointing device, the first parameter including at least one of a pressure, a direction, a speed, a position, a duration, and a distance.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6 wherein the parameter comprises comparing at least one of a duration, a frequency, and a magnitude of the first parameter relative to a threshold.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7 wherein the magnitude of the first parameter comprises the magnitude of distance of relative movement at the portion of the pointing device including a first magnitude of relative movement associated with the first mode of operation and a second magnitude of relative movement associated with the second mode of operation.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 6 wherein position of relative movement is adjacent an edge of the puck field of motion.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the manager comprises a controller and an application operating on the portable electronic device determines the mode of operation for the pointing device, via the controller of the pointing device, from among a plurality of modes of operation wherein the plurality of modes of operation includes at least the first mode and the second mode.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises at least one of a user profile and an interface style including at least one of a menu style, a keypad style, a map style, a gaming style, and a desktop style.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises an input mode comprising at least one of a mouse mode, a joystick mode, a scroll mode, a rockerswitch mode, a trackball mode, a touchpad mode, a keypad mode, a touchscreen mode, a stylus mode, and a hybrid mode.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 1 comprising at least one of a phone, a portable audio device, a camera, a personal digital assistant, a universal remote, a handheld computer, and a handheld global positioning satellite device.

14. A pointing device comprising:

a base surface;

a moveable puck configured to move over the base surface within a field of motion constrained by a recentering mechanism;

a position detector configured to identify a position of the puck; and

a mode switcher in communication with the position detector and configured to direct operation of the pointing device in at least one of a first mode and a second mode based on a parameter associated with the pointing device.

15. The pointing device of claim 14, wherein the first mode of operation comprises a mouse mode of operation, the second mode of operation comprises a joystick mode of operation, and the parameter comprises the position of the puck relative to an edge of the puck field of motion wherein the mode switcher causes operation of the pointing device in the first mode when the puck is away from the edge of the field of motion and in the second mode when the puck is adjacent the edge of the field of motion for a predetermined period of time.

16. The pointing device of claim 14, wherein the parameter comprises a type of application operating at a host electronic device supported by the pointing device.

17. The pointing device of claim 14 wherein the parameter comprises exceeding a threshold of at least one of a magnitude, a duration, and a frequency of a type of movement of the puck relative to the base surface.

18. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of managing modes of operation for a pointing device, the method comprising:

monitoring relative movement of a portion of a pointing device that generates movement data; and

switching between a first mode of operation of the pointing device and a second mode of operation of the pointing device upon detecting an event associated with the pointing device.

19. The medium of claim 18 wherein switching between the first mode and the second mode comprises setting the event as a change in an application of a portable electronic device supported by the pointing device.

20. The medium of claim 19 wherein monitoring relative movement of the pointing device comprises:

monitoring movement of a puck of a pointing device across a base surface of the pointing device within a puck field of motion via a position detector of the pointing device, the position detector configured to identify a position.