Control of user interface of electronic device

• US 20070002018A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Eigo
• Application Number:
  US11/172,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20070002018A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 1/1694 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 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution for controlling user interface control of an electronic device. According to an embodiment of the invention, information is displayed on a display unit of the electronic device, and the scrolling of the displayed information is initiated by detecting a physical deviation in a position of the electronic device. The scrolling speed is controlled according to the strength of the measured pressure focusing on the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display unit for displaying information;

a deviation detection unit for detecting physical deviations in a position of the electronic device;

a pressure measurement unit for measuring physical pressure focusing on the electronic device by a user; and

a control unit connected to the display unit, the deviation detection unit and the pressure measurement unit, the control unit being configured to receive, from the deviation detection unit, deviation information indicating deviation in a position of the electronic device, scroll information on a display unit of the electronic device into a direction indicated by the deviation information, receive pressure information from the pressure measurement unit indicating the strength of a pressure focusing on the electronic device, and control the speed of the scrolling of the information according to the pressure information.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the deviation detection unit is configured to detect a rapid back and forth movement of the electronic device and detect the direction of the movement before the last change occurs in direction of the rapid back and forth movement;

and

the control unit is configured to scroll information on a display unit of the electronic device into a direction indicated by the direction of the movement before the last change in the direction of the rapid back and forth movement.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the deviation detection unit is an acceleration sensor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to decrease the speed of the scrolling according to an increase in the strength of the pressure in the received pressure information or increase the speed of the scrolling according to a decrease in the strength of the pressure in the received pressure information.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to provide on the display unit a cursor and associate the selection of a component indicated by the cursor in the display unit with a predetermined strength of the pressure indicated by the received pressure information.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to set a threshold value for the strength of the pressure indicated by the received pressure information, interpret the strength values exceeding the threshold value as selection inputs and select the component indicated by the cursor on the display unit.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to activate the deviation detection unit to begin detection of deviation upon a determined event in the electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the determined event is a launch of a determined application in the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises an input unit for receiving inputs from a user and the control unit is further configured to receive an activation input for the deviation detection unit through the input unit.

10. A user interface control method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a physical deviation in a position of the electronic device;

scrolling information on a display unit of the electronic device into a direction indicated by the physical deviation;

measuring a physical pressure focusing on the electronic device; and

controlling the speed of the scrolling of the information according to the strength of the measured pressure.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a rapid back and forth movement of the electronic device;

detecting the direction of the movement before the last change occurs in the direction of the rapid back and forth movement; and

scrolling information on the display unit of the electronic device into a direction indicated by the direction of the movement before the last change in the direction of the rapid back and forth movement.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

decreasing the speed of the scrolling according to an increase in the measured strength of the pressure focusing on the electronic device;

or

increasing the speed of the scrolling according to a decrease in the measured strength of the pressure focusing on the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing in the display unit a cursor and

associating the selection of a component indicated by the cursor in the display unit with a determined strength of the measured pressure focusing on the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising setting a threshold value for the strength of the measured pressure focusing on the electronic device;

interpreting strength values exceeding the threshold value as selection inputs; and

selecting the component indicated by the cursor on the display unit.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating the deviation detection upon a determined event in the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising with the determined event being a launch of a determined application in the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an input from the user for activation of deviation detection.

18. An electronic device comprising:

means for displaying information;

means for detecting physical deviations in a position of the electronic device;

means for measuring physical pressure focused on the electronic device by a user;

means for receiving, from the deviation detection means, deviation information indicating deviation in a position of the electronic device;

means for scrolling information on the display means into a direction indicated by the deviation information;

means for receiving, from the pressure measurement means pressure information indicating the strength of the pressure focusing on the electronic device; and

means for controlling the speed of the scrolling of the information according to the pressure information.

19. A computer program product, embodied in a distribution medium, encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for controlling a user interface of an electronic device, the process comprising:

detecting a physical deviation in a position of the electronic device;

scrolling information on a display unit of the electronic device into a direction indicated by the physical deviation;

measuring a physical pressure focusing on the electronic device; and

controlling the speed of the scrolling of the information according to the strength of the measured pressure.