ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT WITH KEYLOCK FUNCTION USING MOTION AND METHOD

• US 20070259685A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Schack, Goran, Engblom, Goran, Tillerkvist, Tony, Hylen, Carl-Magnus, Nerman, Johan
• Application Number:
  US11/422,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• 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 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Electronic equipment, such as a mobile phone, PDA or other device, is operative to turn on and to turn off keylock function or another function or to alter a characteristic of such function in response to shaking or other movement of the electronic equipment, e.g., when the mobile equipment is shaken at a given frequency and amplitude, according to a given code, in a given direction, e.g., twisting/twirling and/or in an arcuate path or linear path. The electronic equipment includes a motion transducer providing motion signals representing motion and a comparator that compares motion signals to determine whether they match predetermined or programmed motion signals.

A method of turning on or off or altering a function or a characteristic of a function of electronic equipment includes detecting occurrence of motion and in response thereto carrying out the turning on, turning off and/or altering if that motion matches a predetermined or programmed motion. The method may include shaking the electronic equipment in a hand, moving the electronic equipment linearly, in an arc, in a rotation, etc. The electronic equipment may be programmed with the predetermined motion.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment, comprising

a transducer, wherein the transducer is operable to detect motion of the electronic equipment,

the electronic equipment having at least one operational function, and wherein the operational function or a characteristic of the operational function is responsive to detected motion at least one of to be turned on, to be turned off or to be altered.

2. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the operational function is keylock, and wherein if the keylock function off detected motion turns on the keylock function and if the keylock function is on detected motion turns off the keylock function.

3. The electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the electronic equipment is a mobile phone.

4. The electronic equipment of claim 3, wherein the electronic equipment includes a setup function operable to set up a prescribed motion detectable to turn on or to turn off the keylock function of the mobile phone.

5. An electronic equipment, comprising

a transducer, wherein the transducer is operable to detect motion of the electronic equipment,

a keylock, wherein the keylock turns on or turns off an operational function of the electronic equipment in response to the detected motion.

6. The electronic equipment of claim 5, wherein the transducer is responsive to a predetermined motion, and the keylock is operational to turn on or to turn off the operational function of the equipment only in response to such predetermined motion being detected.

7. The electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein said electronic equipment is a mobile phone.

8. The electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein said electronic equipment is at least one of a mobile phone and a PDA.

9. The electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein the transducer is operable to detect shaking.

10. The electronic equipment of claim 5, said transducer comprising an accelerometer.

11. The electronic equipment of claim 5, said transducer comprising a signal conditioning circuit to filter out signals representing motion not representative of intended motion of the electronic equipment.

12. The electronic equipment of claim 11, said signal conditioning circuit comprising a low pass filter.

13. The electronic equipment of claim 5, said transducer comprising a signal variation detector.

14. The electronic equipment of claim 5, further comprising programmable device responsive to a motion input, whereby a determined motion of the electronic equipment may be used to establish the detectable motion required to be detected to turn on or to turn off the operational function.

15. A method of activating and deactivating a function of electronic equipment, comprising

moving an electronic equipment, detecting such moving, and in response to said moving at least one of turning on, turning off or altering a characteristic of the function.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting the character of movement of such electronic equipment, comparing such movement with an already determined character of movement, and in response to such movements being at least substantially the same turning on, turning off or altering a characteristic of the function.

17. The method of claim 16, said moving comprising manually shaking.

18. The method of claim 16, said turning, turning off or altering a characteristic of the function comprises turning on, turning off or altering a characteristic of keylock of a mobile phone.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of setting up the electronic equipment to establish the determined character of movement to which subsequent movement may be compared to determine whether to turn on, to turn off or to alter a characteristic of the function.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting for variations in signals produced by two electronic equipment for use in determining whether to establish communication therebetween.

21. A method for programming electronic equipment to be responsive to motion to at least one of turn on, turn off or to alter a function or a characteristic of a function, comprising moving the electronic equipment in a desired manner to establish the determined character of movement to which subsequent movement may be compared to determine whether at least one of to turn on, to turn off or to alter a function or a characteristic of the function.

22. A computer program operable in electronic equipment, comprising

code to operate the electronic equipment to detect the character of motion of such electronic equipment,

code to cause comparing of the character of motion of such electronic equipment with a determined motion signal representing determined motion, and

code for causing at least one of turning on, turning off or altering of a function of the electronic equipment when the character of motion of such electronic equipment and such determined motion signal represent substantially the same motion.