Transforming media device

• US 20070010286A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Siddiqui, Kabir, Kim, Sayim, Luke, Hok-Sum
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0208 characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/20 including a rotatable camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

Systems and methods are presented herein for creating and using a multi-function device that allows a user to transform the device into the desired feature-set form which permit access to that feature'"'"'s functions, without a need for a user to traverse a series of interface menus to get to the desired functionality. In an exemplary embodiment, the device can be transformed into a phone, a media player, and a camera.

Claims

1. A portable camera phone, comprising:

a pivoting module;

an interface module;

the pivoting module rotationally coupled to the interface module;

the pivoting module comprising;

a camera orientation,

a media orientation, and

a phone orientation;

the interface module comprising a given hardware interface and an associated orientation comprising;

a camera hardware interface associated with the camera orientation;

a phone hardware interface associated with the phone orientation; and

a media hardware interface associated with the media orientation;

wherein when the mobile device is in the given orientation the associated interface is automatically activated such that the associated hardware interface can be used without further action by a user.

2. The portable camera phone of claim 1 further comprising media functions associated with the media orientation and wherein the media functions comprise at least one of listening to a radio, watching a video, watching TV, playing stored music, and downloading music from an external source.

3. The portable camera phone of claim 1 wherein the media interface comprises at least one of a click wheel, a navigational keypad, a numeric keypad, an alphanumeric keypad, or a joystick.

4. The portable camera phone of claim 3 wherein the navigational keypad comprises at least one of:

a dedicated navigation button, comprising at least one of right, left, up, down, and select;

a dedicated function button, comprising at least one of stop, pause, play, skip forward, skip backwards, or download;

or

a dedicated pause button.

5. The portable camera phone of claim 1 wherein the rotational coupling comprises at least one of:

a phone detector switch to detect when the portable camera phone is in a phone orientation;

a camera detector switch to detect when the portable camera phone is in a camera orientation;

or

a media detector switch to detect when the portable camera phone is in a media orientation.

6. The portable camera phone of claim 1 wherein the rotational coupling allows a maximum of 180 degree rotation.

7. The portable camera phone of claim 1 further comprising a display, the display having a camera context, a phone context and a media context, and wherein when the portable camera phone is placed in the camera orientation substantially automatically displaying the camera context;

when the phone is placed in the media orientation substantially automatically displaying the media context; and

when the phone is placed in the phone orientation substantially automatically displaying the phone context.

8. The portable camera phone of claim 7 wherein each of the contexts has an associated interface, and wherein displaying the context comprises displaying a screen related to the associated interface.

9. The portable camera phone of claim 1, wherein the camera orientation comprises the pivoting module being rotated 90 degrees from the phone orientation.

10. The portable camera phone of claim 1, wherein the media orientation comprises the pivoting module being rotated 90 degrees from the camera orientation.

11. The portable camera phone of claim 1, where the camera interface further comprises at least two selectable camera hardware functions and wherein the at least two selectable hardware functions are taken from a list comprising:

movie playing mode, slide mode, taking pictures mode, editing mode, redeye mode, flash mode, zoom mode, or user-selectable mode.

12. The portable camera phone of claim 11 wherein at least one selectable camera hardware function is visible only when the portable camera phone is in the camera orientation.

13. The portable camera phone of claim 1 further comprising a keypad and wherein activating the phone interface comprises accepting input from the keypad.

14. The portable camera phone of claim 7 wherein the digital display reflects at least one action not currently initiated by the user, and not necessarily associated with the given orientation.

15. The portable camera phone of claim 14 wherein information not immediately initiated by the user comprises notification of at least one of:

an incoming call, a calendar event reminder, an email receipt, an alarm, or a message.

16. A method of moving between different communication device features comprising:

in response to a modification of a physical orientation of the communication device, the physical orientation comprising at least one of a phone orientation, a camera orientation and a media orientation, substantially immediately switching between different features sets of the device, said switching comprising;

if in the phone orientation then substantially immediately activating a software phone interface associated with a display, and substantially immediately activating at least a hardware interface operable for making phone calls and for receiving phone calls;

if in the camera orientation then substantially immediately activating at least a camera hardware interface and a camera software interface;

if in the media orientation, then substantially immediately activating a software media interface, and a hardware media interface.

17. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 16.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising receiving an outside event notification and wherein the outside event can be performed when the communication device is in any of the physical orientations.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the response to modification of the physical orientation comprises

20. A transformable media smartphone comprising:

a transformable phone shape, the phone shape transformable into a media shape and transformable into a camera shape;

such that when the smartphone is transformed into a phone shape phone actions are substantially immediately operational, when the phone is transformed into a media shape, media actions are substantially immediately operational, and when the smartphone is transformed into the camera shape, camera actions are substantially immediately operational.