Wireless telephone handset with internet browsing capability

• US 20070202914A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Maaloe, Bjarre
• Application Number:
  US11/363,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202914A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A wireless handset having the capability of browsing full Internet web pages is disclosed. The handset includes a position sensing device, such as an optical sensor or a mouse ball and rollers, at its bottom surface. In an Internet browsing operating mode, a portion of a web page is displayed on a graphics display of the handset. Movement of the handset along a solid surface, similar to the movement of a computer mouse, will change the portion of the web page displayed. A cursor is displayed over the web page, and handset keys correspond to “left-click” and “right-click” functions in this mode. In a text entry mode, a portion of a keyboard layout is displayed, so that selection of characters using the cursor and movement of the handset is effected.

Claims

1. An Internet-capable wireless handset, comprising:

a housing;

a graphics display disposed at a first surface of the housing;

a position sensing device disposed at a second surface of the housing, so that the graphics display is visible when the position sensing device is in contact with a surface;

communications circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals, the radio signals including signals corresponding to Internet communications; and

circuitry for controlling the graphics display to display a portion of an Internet web page corresponding to signals received by the communications circuitry, and for changing the displayed portion of the Internet web page responsive to movement of the handset detected by the position sensing device.

2. The handset of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker;

audio codec circuitry for receiving audio signals from the microphone and outputting audio signals to the speaker;

wherein the communications circuitry is coupled to the audio codec circuitry, and is also for transmitting and receiving radio signals corresponding to cellular telephone communications.

3. The handset of claim 2, wherein the controlling circuitry comprises a processor device.

4. The handset of claim 2, further comprising:

numeric keys disposed at the first surface of the housing; and

multifunction keys disposed at the first surface of the housing, the multifunction keys coupled to the controlling circuitry to serve as pointing device buttons relative to the displayed portion of the Internet web page;

wherein the housing is in the form of a block form factor, so that the position sensing device is on an opposite side of the housing from the graphics display and the numeric and multifunction keys.

5. The handset of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises:

a first portion, having a bottom surface at which the position sensing device is disposed;

a second portion, having a top surface at which the graphics display is disposed;

a hinge coupling the first and second portions to one another;

numeric keys disposed at a top surface of the first portion of the housing; and

multifunction keys disposed at the top surface of the first portion of the housing, the multifunction keys coupled to the controlling circuitry to serve as pointing device buttons relative to the displayed portion of the Internet web page;

6. The handset of claim 1, wherein the position sensing device comprises:

a light-emitting diode; and

a photosensor.

7. The handset of claim 1, wherein the position sensing device comprises:

a mouse ball; and

mechanical sensors for sensing rotational translation of the mouse ball.

8. The handset of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for controlling the graphics display displays a cursor pattern overlying the displayed portion of the Internet web page, the cursor pattern remaining fixed in position within the graphics display responsive to movement of the handset detected by the position sensing device.

9. The handset of claim 8, wherein the circuitry for controlling the graphics display displays the cursor pattern in an Internet browsing mode;

wherein the circuitry for controlling the graphics display displays at least a portion of a keyboard pattern in a text entry mode and displays a cursor pattern overlying the keyboard pattern in the text entry mode;

and further comprising;

processing circuitry for sensing a character, in the text entry mode, corresponding to the position of the cursor pattern overlying the keyboard pattern, responsive to a press of one of the multifunction keys, the processing circuitry coupled to the communications circuitry, so that the communications circuitry transmits signals corresponding to the sensed character.

10. The handset of claim 9, wherein the circuitry for controlling the graphics display displays a different portion of the keyboard pattern responsive to movement of the handset sensed by the position sensing device in the text entry mode.

11. The handset of claim 9, wherein a processor device comprises the circuitry for controlling the graphics display and the processing circuitry.

12. A method of operating a wireless handset for Internet browsing, comprising the steps of:

initiating a wireless Internet session to receive wireless signals corresponding to an Internet web page;

in a full screen browsing mode, displaying a portion of the web page on a graphics display of the wireless handset;

sensing movement of the wireless handset along a solid surface; and

responsive to the sensing of movement of the wireless handset along the solid surface, changing the displayed portion of the web page on the graphics display.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a cursor at a fixed location of the graphics display; and

responsive to a press of a multifunction key of the wireless handset and the cursor overlying an active link of the displayed portion of the web page, transmitting radio signals corresponding to activation of the link.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to invoking a text entry mode, displaying at least a portion of a keyboard layout on the graphics display and displaying the cursor at a location overlying the displayed keyboard layout; and

responsive to a press of a multifunction key of the wireless handset and the cursor overlying a character of the displayed keyboard layout, transmitting radio signals corresponding to the character.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

responsive to the sensing of movement of the wireless handset along the solid surface in the text entry mode, displaying a different portion of the keyboard layout on the graphics display.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of invoking the text entry mode comprises:

sensing a press of a multifunction key of the wireless handset and the cursor overlying a text box of the displayed portion of the web page.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

sensing a press of a multifunction key of the wireless handset and the cursor overlying a text box of the displayed portion of the web page; and

transmitting radio signals, corresponding to text characters, the text characters corresponding to presses of numeric keys of the wireless handset.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of sensing movement of the wireless handset along a solid surface comprises:

receiving signals from a photosensor at a bottom surface of the wireless handset.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of sensing movement of the wireless handset along a solid surface comprises:

receiving signals from mechanical sensors sensing rotational translation of a mouse ball disposed at a bottom surface of the wireless handset.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

exiting the Internet session; and

initiating a cellular telephone communications session with the wireless handset.