Handheld electronic device having virtual navigational input device, and associated method

• US 20070132738A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lowles, Robert, Idzik, Jacek
• Granted Patent: US 7,800,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device having a virtual navigational input device includes a case, and further includes an input apparatus and a processor apparatus disposed on the case. The processor apparatus executes a routine that compares vibrational results of a contact by a user on the case with reference vibrational results to identify the nature of the contact and to interpret the contact as an input to the processor. The exemplary contact with the case is in the nature of a sliding contact over a series of first features or over a series of second features and can be interpreted as one of more navigational inputs to the processor. The exemplary contact can also be in the nature of a touching or tapping contact or other contact with the case.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device of a type comprising a case, an input apparatus, and a processor apparatus, the input apparatus and the processor apparatus being disposed on the case, the input apparatus comprising a vibrational sensor, the processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory having stored therein at least a first routine that is executable on the processor, the method comprising:

sensing a vibrational result of a contact by a user with a surface of the case; and

interpreting the contact as an input to the processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing a representation of at least a portion of the vibrational result with each of a number of reference vibrational results.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying a particular reference vibrational result as having a degree of correspondence with the representation of at least a portion of the vibrational result.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying as the particular reference vibrational result a reference vibrational result having a degree of correspondence with the representation of at least a portion of the vibrational result that is at least one of a relatively greatest degree of correspondence and a degree of correspondence above a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising inputting to the processor a predetermined input corresponding with the particular reference vibrational result.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing as the vibrational result at least one of an acoustic result of the contact and a vibration of the case resulting from the contact.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sensing at least a portion of the acoustic result with a microphone of the input apparatus.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising sensing at least a portion of the vibration of the case with an accelerometer of the input apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing as at least a portion of the vibrational result a series of vibrational pulses.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising interpreting at least a portion of the series of vibrational pulses as a predetermined input to the processor.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising sensing a temporal distribution of at least a portion of the series of vibrational pulses.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising comparing a representation of at least a portion of the temporal distribution with each of a number of reference temporal distributions.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising comparing a representation of at least a portion of the temporal distribution with at least one of a first reference temporal distribution and a second reference temporal distribution, the first reference temporal distribution and the second reference temporal distribution being opposite one another.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising interpreting the contact as one of a first navigational input corresponding with the first reference temporal distribution and a second navigational input corresponding with the second reference temporal distribution, the first and second navigational inputs being directionally opposite one another.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising interpreting the contact as one of a navigational input in a predetermined direction and another navigational input in the predetermined direction, the navigational input and the another navigational input being different than one another in at least one of speed and distance.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing as the vibrational result at least one of a vibrational result of a tapping contact by the user with the surface of the case and a vibrational result of a sliding contact by the user with the surface of the case.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising sensing as the vibrational result of a sliding contact a vibrational result of a contact by the user with a series of features disposed on the case.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting the contact as at least one of a selection input and a navigational input to the processor.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting the contact as an input terminating at least one of an audible output and a visible output.

20. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a case;

an input apparatus disposed on the case and comprising a vibrational sensor structured to sense a vibrational result of a contact by a user with a surface of the case;

an output apparatus; and

a processor apparatus disposed on the case and comprising a processor and a memory having stored therein a routine that is executable on the processor and that is structured to interpret the contact as an input to the processor.

21. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the memory has stored therein a number of reference vibrational results, the routine being structured to compare a representation of at least a portion of the vibrational result with at least some of the reference vibrational results and to identify a particular reference vibrational result as having a degree of correspondence with the representation of at least a portion of the vibrational result.

22. The handheld electronic device of claim 21 wherein the number of reference vibrational results comprise a number of first reference vibrational results representative of a tapping contact by the user with the case and a number of second reference vibrational results representative of a sliding contact by the user with the case.

23. The handheld electronic device of claim 22 wherein the case comprises a series of features disposed thereon, the vibrational sensor being structured to sense as the vibrational result a series of vibrational pulses resulting from a sliding contact by the user with at least some of the features.

24. The handheld electronic device of claim 23 wherein a first adjacent pair of the features are spaced apart a first distance, and wherein a second adjacent pair of the features are spaced apart a second distance, the first and second distances being unequal.

25. The handheld electronic device of claim 23 wherein at least some of the features each comprise a protrusion extending outwardly from an adjacent portion of the case and an indentation extending inwardly from an adjacent portion of the case.

26. The handheld electronic device of claim 21 wherein the reference vibrational results comprise a reference vibrational result having a reference temporal distribution and another reference vibrational result having another reference temporal distribution, the reference temporal distribution and the another reference temporal distribution being opposite one another, and wherein the vibrational sensor is structured to sense as the vibrational result a series of vibrational pulses having a temporal distribution and to compare a representation of at least a portion of the temporal distribution with at least one of the reference temporal distribution and the another reference temporal distribution.

27. The handheld electronic device of claim 26 wherein a first navigational input corresponds with the reference temporal distribution, and wherein a second navigational input corresponds with the another reference temporal distribution, the first and second navigational inputs being directionally opposite one another.

28. The handheld electronic device of claim 21 wherein at least some of the reference vibrational results each correspond with one of a selection input and a navigational input.

29. The handheld electronic device of claim 21 wherein the case is of a first thickness at a first location and is of a second thickness at a second location, wherein the memory has stored therein a reference vibrational result representative of a tapping contact by the user at the first location, and wherein the memory has stored therein another reference vibrational result representative of a tapping contact by the user at the second location.

30. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the vibrational sensor is a microphone structured to sense as the vibrational result an acoustic result of the contact by the user with the surface of the case.

31. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the vibrational sensor is an accelerometer structured to sense as the vibrational result a vibration of the case resulting from the contact by the user with the surface of the case.

32. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the case comprises a housing and a display, the routine being structured to interpret a vibrational result of a sliding contact on the case along a first axis with respect to the display as a navigational input on the display in a direction generally parallel with the first axis, the routine being structured to interpret a vibrational result of a sliding contact on the case in along second axis with respect to the display as a navigational input on the display in a direction generally parallel with the second axis, the first axis and the second axis being nonparallel.

33. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the case comprises a series of first features disposed thereon and a series of second features disposed thereon, the series of first features being spaced apart from one another along an axis, the series of second features being spaced apart from one another along another axis, the axis and the another axis being nonparallel, the routine being structured to interpret a vibrational result of a sliding contact along at least some of the first features as a navigational input in a first direction on the display, the routine being structured to interpret a vibrational result of a sliding contact along at least some of the second features as a navigational input in a second direction on the display, the first direction and the second direction being different.

34. The handheld electronic device of claim 33 wherein the series of first features are spaced apart from one another along and adjacent a first side of the display, and wherein the series of second features are spaced apart from one another along and adjacent a second side of the display, the first side and the first direction being oriented substantially parallel with one another, the second side and the second direction being oriented substantially parallel with one another.