Detecting movement of a computer device to effect movement of selected display objects

• US 20080048980A1
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, Nathaniel Dourif, Love, Robert, Reveman, David
• Application Number:
  US11/707,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048980A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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

Abstract

The systems and methods of the invention relate to providing a computer device, having a display unit, with an accelerometer (or other motion sensor) to detect movement of the computer device (and/or an associated display unit) and generate movement data. An accelerometer driver may receive the generated movement data. The generated movement data may be processed and/or interpreted in order to create one or more control signals. The control signals may be sent to a display driver to control movement of one or more selected display objects on one or more display units. The control signals may control movement of selected display objects on a screen display (or between multiple screen displays) associated with the computer device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for user with a computer device having an associated display unit, the computer device including an accelerometer for detecting movement of the computer device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying one or more display objects on a screen of the display unit;

detecting, via the accelerometer, movement of the computer device;

generating movement data based on the detected movement of the computer device;

receiving a selection of one or more display objects to be associated with the movement data;

creating one or more control signals based on the generated movement data; and

controlling the position of the one or more selected display objects on the screen in accordance with the one or more control signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating further comprises processing the detected movements to determine a magnitude of movement, duration of movement, device position, or a number of repeated movements to include in the movement data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises determining whether the magnitude of movement, the duration of movement, or the number of repeat movements reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling further comprises the control signal for controlling movement of one or more selected display objects from the screen of the display unit to a second screen associated with a second display unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a touch screen device and the step of selecting is based on input received from the touch screen device.

6. A computer system including a computer device for controlling movement of one or more display objects based on movements of the computer device, the system comprising:

a computer device;

a display unit associated with the computer device for displaying one or more display objects on a screen of the display unit;

an accelerometer for detecting movement of the computer device;

a generating means for generating movement data based on the detected movement of the computer device;

a selection receiving mechanism for receiving selection of one or more display objects to be associated with the movement data;

an accelerometer driver for creating one or more control signals based on the generated movement data;

a display driver for controlling the position of the one or more selected display objects based on the one or more control signals.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the generating means further comprises means for processing the detected movements to determine a magnitude of movement, duration of movement, device position, or number of repeated movements to include in the movement data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means further comprises determining means for determining whether the magnitude of movement, the duration of movement, or the number of repeat movements reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprises a second display unit for displaying a second screen and the display driver is further operable to control movement of the one or more user selected display objects from the screen of the display unit to the second screen based on the one or more control signals.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the display unit comprises a touch screen device and the selection mechanism is a touch screen device.

11. A computer implemented method for user with a computer device having an associated display unit, the computer device including an accelerometer for detecting movement of the computer device, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying one or more content objects within a display object on a screen of the display unit;

detecting, via the accelerometer, movement of the computer device;

generating movement data based on the detected movement of the computer device;

receiving a selection of one or more content objects within the display object to be associated with the movement data;

creating one or more control signals based on the generated movement data; and

controlling the position of the one or more selected content objects within the display object on the screen in accordance with the one or more control signals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating further comprises processing the detected movements to determine a magnitude of movement, duration of movement, device position, or a number of repeated movements to include in the movement data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of processing further comprises determining whether the magnitude of movement, the duration of movement, or the number of repeat movements reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the display unit comprises a touch screen device and the step of selecting is based on input received from the touch screen device.

15. A computer system including a computer device for controlling movement of one or more display objects based on movements of the computer device, the system comprising:

a computer device;

a display unit associated with the computer device for displaying one or more content objects within a display object on a screen of the display unit;

an accelerometer detecting movement of the computer device;

a generating means for generating movement data based on the detected movement of the computer device;

a selection receiving mechanism for receiving selection of one or more content objects within the display object to be associated with the movement data; and

an accelerometer driver for creating one or more control signals based on the generated movement data;

a display driver for controlling the position of the one or more selected content objects within the display object on the screen in accordance with the one or more control signals.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the generating means further comprises means for processing the detected movements to determine a magnitude of movement, duration of movement, device position, or number of repeated movements to include in the movement data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing means further comprises determining means for determining whether the magnitude of movement, the duration of movement, or the number of repeat movements reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the display unit comprises a touch screen device and the selection mechanism is a touch screen device.