MOTION ACTIVATED CELL PHONE LIGHTING

• US 20090036156A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carmen Rapisarda
• Original Assignee: Carmen Rapisarda
• Inventors: RAPISARDA, CARMEN
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A cell phone includes at least one motion switch and circuitry to control cell phone functions when the cell phone is moved. In one embodiment, the motion switch activates keyboard backlighting. A single motion switch may be used or two motion switches may be positioned approximately orthogonally, for example, a first motion switch to activate on motion along the cell phone'"'"'s length, and a second motion switch to activate on motion along the cell phone'"'"'s width. One simple and inexpensive motion switch is a cantilevered spring, another is to monitor current produced by a vibrator motor already present in a cell phone. The cell phone according to the present invention with lighting activated by cell phone motion is particularly useful for locating a dropped cell phone, and even more useful for a vehicle operator searching for a dropped cell phone.

Claims

1. A hand held communications device comprising:

a case;

a keypad residing on a surface of the case for controlling device functions;

an electronic circuit inside the case receiving inputs from the keypad and performing the communications functions;

a battery electrically connected to the circuit for providing power to the circuit; and

a motion switch responsive to motion of the case, the motion switch electrically connected to the electronic circuit to control at least one of the device functions.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion switches comprise a spring and a contact proximal to a distal end of the spring, wherein sufficient motion of the case causes the spring to translate and the distal end of the spring to make an electrical connection with the contact.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein

the keys comprise a cell phone keypad having keys laid out in rows and in columns;

and

the motion switch comprises a first motion switch aligned to respond to motion along the columns of the keypad.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein

the keys comprise a cell phone keypad having keys laid out in rows and in columns;

and

the motion switch comprises a second motion switch aligned to respond to motion along the rows of the keypad;

5. The device of claim 1, wherein

the keys comprise a cell phone keypad having keys laid out in rows and in columns;

and

the motion switch comprises;

a first motion switch aligned to respond to motion along the columns of the keypad; and

a second motion switch aligned to respond to motion along the rows of the keypad;

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the motion switches comprise a spring and contact proximal to a distal end of the spring, wherein sufficient motion of the case causes the spring to translate and the distal end of the spring to make an electrical connection with the contact.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the motion switches comprise at least one generator having an off-center mass attached to a generator shaft.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein one of the at least one generators comprises a vibrator motor provided for alerting a user to an incoming call, and a current output of the vibrator motor is monitored by the electronic circuit to detect motion of the case.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device functions include lighting for facilitating viewing of the device in low light environments and the motion switch is electrically connected to the electronic circuit to activate and to re-activate the lighting.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the lighting is keypad backlighting and the motion switch electrically connected to the circuit to activate and to re-activate the keypad backlighting.

11. A cell phone comprising:

a case;

keys residing on a surface of the case for controlling communications functions and initiating phone calls;

an electronic circuit inside the case for receiving inputs from the keys and for performing the communications functions;

a battery electrically connected to the electronic circuit for providing power to the electronic circuit;

keypad backlighting for facilitating viewing of the keypad in low light environments;

a vibrator motor for alerting a user to an incoming call, the vibrator motor including a motor shaft and an off-center mass attached to the motor shaft, and

an electrical signal sensing circuit connected to the vibrator motor and sensing current produced by the vibrator motor when the case is moved and activating cell phone functions following the motion of the case.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein activating cell phone functions comprises activating the keypad backlighting for a period of time following the motion of the case.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the cell phone includes a backlit display and activating cell phone functions comprises activating the backlit display for a period of time following the motion of the case.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the cell phone includes external lighting and activating cell phone functions comprises activating the external lighting for a period of time following the motion of the case.

15. A cell phone comprising:

a case;

a keypad residing on a surface of the case for controlling communications functions and initiating phone calls, the keypad including keys laid out in rows and in columns;

an electronic circuit inside the case receiving inputs from the keypad and performing the communications functions;

a battery electrically connected to the circuit for providing power to the circuit;

lighting connected to the cell phone for facilitating viewing of the cell phone in low light environments;

at least one motion switch attached to the cell phone for sensing motion of the cell phone, and

an electrical signal sensing circuit connected to the motion switch and sensing a signal from the motion switch when the cell phone is moved, the electrical signal sensing circuit activating the lighting for a period of time following the motion of the cell phone.

16. The cell phone of claim 15, wherein the lighting is keypad backlighting.

17. The cell phone of claim 15, wherein the lighting is external backlighting.

18. The cell phone of claim 15, wherein the lighting is a backlit display.

19. A hand held communications device comprising:

a case;

a keypad residing on a surface of the case for controlling communications functions;

an electronic circuit inside the case receiving inputs from the keypad and performing the communications functions;

a battery electrically connected to the circuit for providing power to the circuit;

lighting for facilitating viewing of the device in low light environments;

a base disposed within the case;

an inertially responsive spring-mass system having a fixed end attached to the base and a free end opposite the fixed end for electrically connecting the lighting during a movement in response to a force acting on the device, wherein the free end moves with respect to the base in response to a force acting on the device and makes an electrical connection switching on the lighting for a period of time.

20. The cell phone of claim 19, wherein the inertially responsive spring-mass system programably activates additional cell phone functions in response to motion of the cell phone.