POWERED PHYSICAL DISPLAYS ON MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20080274769A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Craig L. Linden
• Original Assignee: Craig L. Linden
• Inventors: Linden, Craig L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a mobile electronic apparatus for facilitating live physical communications with a remote person includes a transducer configured to sense a physical gesture performed by a user of the device; a physical display apparatus configured to convert energy into physical movement; a processor operatively connected to the transducer and to the physical display apparatus, the processor configured to generate an output signal corresponding to the physical gesture and to interpret an input signal to determine a physical action associated with an input signal; and a communications interface configured to send output signals to a data network and to receive input signals from said data network. In some embodiments, the physical display system is configured to produce the physical action substantially immediately after the input signal is received.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating live physical communications with a remote person using a mobile telephone terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, on the mobile telephone terminal, a signal generated in response to a physical gesture performed by the remote person;

interpreting the signal to determine a physical action associated with the signal;

supplying energy from an energy source to a physical display system connected to the mobile telephone terminal; and

using the physical display system to produce the physical action substantially immediately after the signal is received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein interpreting the signal to determine a physical action comprises identifying a form of physical output available on the mobile telephone terminal that most nearly corresponds with the physical gesture.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a live voice communications connection with the remote person via the mobile telephone terminal while facilitating live physical communications.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting visual content to a user of the mobile telephone terminal while facilitating live physical communications.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual content is also presented to the remote person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a signal comprises receiving a wireless signal via a receive antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein using the physical display system to produce the physical action comprises causing the mobile telephone terminal to expand.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the physical display system to produce the physical action comprises actuating a transducer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical action comprises a movement that causes a biophysical change of the body or a limb of a user of the mobile telephone terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein supplying energy comprises supplying electrical energy.

11. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed system to process computer-program code by performing the method of claim 1 when such program is executed on the system.

12. A mobile electronic apparatus for facilitating live physical communications with a remote person, the apparatus comprising:

an input transducer configured to sense a physical gesture performed by a user of the device;

a physical display system configured to convert energy into physical movement;

a processor operatively connected to the input transducer and to the physical display system, the processor configured to generate an output signal corresponding to the physical gesture and to interpret an input signal to determine a physical action associated with an input signal; and

a communications interface configured to send the output signal to a data network and to receive the input signal from said data network;

wherein the physical display system is configured to produce the physical action substantially immediately after the input signal is received.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the physical display system comprises an output transducer.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the physical display system is electrically powered.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communications interface comprises a two-way radio.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communications interface is configured to maintain a substantially continuous connection with a remote device for receiving real-time live input signals.

17. A mobile telephone terminal for use in a mobile communication network, comprising:

a wireless interface for establishing a communication link with said network;

a transducer for producing tactile sensation;

a manual input device; and

control circuitry responsive to an input signal from the manual input device during a speech mode of communication for transmitting a transducer-on signal to the network via said interface and responsive to a transducer-on signal received from the network via said interface for activating the transducer to produce said tactile sensation.

18. The mobile telephone terminal of claim 17, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the transducer in response to said input signal from the manual input device.

19. The mobile telephone terminal of claim 17, further comprising a table for mapping a plurality of signaling codes to a plurality of corresponding items of information, wherein said control circuitry is configured to select one of said signaling codes in response to an input signal from said manual input device and transmit said transducer-on signal for indicating the selected signal code.

20. The mobile telephone terminal of claim 17, wherein said control circuitry is responsive to an input signal from the manual input device for transmitting a transducer-off signal to the network via said wireless interface and responsive to said transducer-off signal received from the network via said interface for deactivating the transducer.