Method and apparatus for controlling a computer system

• US 20070021930A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elite Gaming Tech LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Uhlik, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,679,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• 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 3/0346 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A handheld computing device is introduced comprising a motion detection sensor(s) and a motion control agent. The motion detection sensor(s) detect motion of the computing device in one or more of six (6) fields of motion and generate an indication of such motion. The motion control agent, responsive to the indications of motion received from the motion sensors, generate control signals to modify, one or more of the operating state and/or the displayed content of the computing device based, at least in part, on the received indications.

Claims

1-61. -61. (canceled)

62. A method for controlling a computer device, the method comprising:

sensing motion of said computer device; and

generating, in response to said motion, at least one control signal substantially related to said motion for modifying an operating state of the device and/or content being displayed by the device.

63. The method as defined in claim 62 wherein the motion comprises motion in one or more of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion in x, y, or z directions and rotational motion about an x, y, or z axis.

64. The method as defined in claim 62 wherein sensing motion includes sensing lateral motion in one or more of x, y, or z directions.

65. The method as defined in claim 62 wherein sensing motion includes sensing rotational motion about one or more of an x, y, or z axis.

66. The method as defined in claim 64 wherein sensing motion includes sensing rotational motion about one or more of an x, y, or z axis.

67. The method as defined in claim 63 and further comprising enabling said generating in response to an initial motion and a complementary motion within desired ones of the fields exceeding a motion threshold.

68. The method as defined in claim 63 and further comprising receiving a signal enabling said generating of at least one control signal.

69. The method as defined in claim 62 and further comprising determining an operating state of the device.

70. The method as defined in claim 69 wherein generating includes generating the at least one control signal based, at least in part, on the operating state of the device.

71. The method as defined in claim 70 wherein the operating state includes an operating system having operational control of the device and/or another application having operational control of the device.

72. The method as defined in claim 71 wherein the at least one control signal causes a highlighted active region displayed on the device to be moved from one icon to another icon.

73. The method as defined in claim 71 wherein the at least one control signal causes an application that is associated with an icon, which is displayed on the device and denoted by a highlighted active region, to be invoked.

74. The method as defined in claim 70 and further comprising modifying content displayed by the device by at least one action selected from the group including scrolling, zooming, and moving to a different displayed page.