STYLUS ACTIVATED DISPLAY/KEY-LOCK

• US 20080036747A1
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: HOPE, Julian Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• 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 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials

Abstract

A device may include an instrument-enabled user interface. The device may also include a switch to at least partially enable operations associated with user input via the user interface. Triggering of the switch may be based on a relative positioning of the instrument.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a housing;

a user input device;

a stylus to interface the user input device; and

logic to prevent operation of the user input device when the stylus is in a first position.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to allow operation of the user input device when the stylus is in a second position.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the first position and the second position comprise contact between the stylus and the housing.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the first position and the second position comprise no contact between the stylus and the housing.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the first position comprises contact between the stylus and the housing and the second position comprises no contact between the stylus and the housing.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to allow operation of the user input device when the stylus is displaced from the first position.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the logic is further configured to allow operation of the user input device for a predetermined amount of time following replacement of the stylus to the first position.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising a keypad, wherein the keypad is operable when the stylus is in the first position.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch to allow operation of the user input device regardless of whether the stylus is in the first position.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the user input device is a touchscreen enabled display.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the user input device comprises at least one of a pressure-sensitive display, an acoustically-sensitive display, an electrically-sensitive display, or a photo-sensitive display.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the logic is further configured to allow operation of the user input device based on at least one of an amount of time the stylus is in the second position or an amount of time since the stylus has been used with the user input device.

13. In a communication device including a display configured to be operated using a pointer, a method comprising:

activating a display lock based on a stowed position of the pointer; and

deactivating the display lock by displacing the pointer from the stowed position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the activating the display lock comprises engaging, by the pointer, a switch associated with the communication device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the activating the display lock disables operability of at least a portion of the display.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising overriding the display lock using another display lock provided on the communication device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the displacing the pointer comprises removing the pointer from a holder in the communication device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising reactivating the display lock by placing the pointer in another position.

19. A device comprising:

display means for receiving user input;

instrument means for operating the display means;

retainer means for releasably securing the instrument means to the device;

means for detecting the presence of the instrument means relative to the retainer means; and

means for disabling activation of at least one function via the display means based on the detected presence of the instrument means.

20. The device of claim 19, further comprising:

means for overriding the means for disabling when the instrument means is secured by the retainer means.

21. A device comprising:

an instrument-enabled user interface; and

a switch to at least partially enable operations associated with user input via the user interface, wherein operation of the switch is based on a relative positioning of the instrument.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the positioning of the instrument includes a stowed position and a non-stowed position associated with the device, wherein the user interface is at least partially disabled when the instrument is in the stowed position.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the switch comprises logic to detect the positioning of the instrument.

24. The device of claim 21, further comprising:

logic to allow predetermined operations associated with user input via the user interface regardless of the relative positioning of the instrument.