INTELLIGENT CONTROL OF USER INTERFACE ACCORDING TO MOVEMENT

• US 20080280642A1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Denman, Gary, Coxhill, Robert Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/751,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20080280642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• 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 3/017 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
• 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 telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A device and method of controlling a user interface of an electronic device. The method includes detecting the occurrence of an event for which a user response is desired, moving the electronic device, detecting such moving, and in response to said moving of a prescribed character, controlling the user interface of the electronic device. The controlling includes substituting an automated response for a user response.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a user interface;

a transducer operable to detect motion of the electronic device; and

a control circuit;

wherein the control circuit is operative to detect an occurrence of an event for which a user response is desired; and

wherein the control circuit, in response to detected motion, substitutes an automated response for the desired user response to thereby control the user interface.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, said transducer comprising an accelerometer, a velocimeter or a signal detector.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, said transducer operable to detect at least one of acceleration, position, rotation or proximity.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the event includes at least one of a call, a text message, an email, an advertisement, a calendar reminder, or an alarm.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, portable electronic device is operative to receive at least one of a call, a text message, an email, or an advertisement.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is operable to activate an alert when motion of the electronic device is detected after a prescribed period of time of no motion being detected.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is user configurable to control the manner in which the control circuit controls the user interface in response to detected motion of the electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is operative to substitute an automated response effective to answer an incoming call, display a message, silence a ringer, display an advertisement, or activate an alert.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a display, and wherein the automated response initiates the display of information on the display.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an audible alert, and wherein the automated response operates to silence the audible alert.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said electronic device is a mobile phone.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said electronic device is at least one of a personal audio device, a personal video device or a personal digital assistant.

13. A method of controlling a user interface of an electronic device display, comprising:

detecting the occurrence of an event for which a user response is desired;

moving the electronic device;

detecting such moving; and

in response to said moving of a prescribed character, substituting an automated response for the desired user response to thereby control a user interface of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, said prescribed character including at least one of acceleration, velocity, direction, directional change or rotation.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising enabling or disabling motion detection via a user input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein enabling or disabling motion detection via a user input includes pressing and holding a key of the mobile phone to enable motion detection.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the automated response includes answering an incoming call, displaying a message, silencing a ringer, displaying an advertisement, or activating an alert.

18. A computer program operable in electronic device, said electronic device including a user interface, comprising:

code to operate the electronic device to detect the character of motion of such electronic device; and

code for controlling the user interface corresponding to the detected character of motion, wherein said controlling includes at least one of activating an alert or displaying information on a display of the electronic device.