ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20090195959A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: FYKE, Steven H., LADOUCEUR, Norman M.
• Application Number:
  US12/023,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20090195959A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/283.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a housing, a display device exposed by the housing, an input device for receiving user-input, a plurality of sensors on the housing for detecting touches on the portable electronic device, and functional components housed in the housing. The functional components include a memory device and a processor operably connected to the sensors, the display device the input device, and the memory device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a portable electronic device, comprising:

detecting touches at respective touch locations on a portable electronic device;

determining a mode associated with the touch locations; and

changing to the mode associated with the touch locations.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising associating the touches at respective touch locations with the mode in response to user input.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising associating the touches at respective touch locations with the mode based on prior use of the portable electronic device in the mode.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising detecting applied pressure on the portable electronic device prior to determining and wherein determining comprises determining the mode associated with the applied pressure.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein detecting applied pressure comprises measuring pressure at more than one location at the portable electronic device.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein detecting applied pressure comprises measuring pressure proximal each of four corners of the portable electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein changing to the mode comprises changing a graphical user interface of the portable electronic device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining a mode comprises determining an application and changing to the mode comprises changing applications at the portable electronic device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein changing to the mode comprises one of changing a graphical user interface, changing to an associated application, locking the portable electronic device, entering a sleep mode, and waking the portable electronic device from the sleep mode.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein changing to the mode comprises changing from one of a landscape mode and a portrait mode to an other of the landscape mode and the portrait mode.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for execution by a processor for detecting touches at respective touch locations on a portable electronic device, determining a mode associated with the touch locations, and changing to the mode associated with the touch locations.

12. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a display device exposed by the housing;

an input device for receiving user-input;

a plurality of sensors on the housing for detecting touches on the portable electronic device; and

functional components housed in the housing comprising a memory device and a processor operably connected to the sensors, the display device the input device, and the memory device.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the functional components comprise a controller connected to the sensors and to the processor.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of touch sensors comprise a plurality of capacitive touch sensors disposed on the housing.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of touch sensors comprise at least one touch sensor on each one of a pair of opposing sidewalls of the housing.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of touch sensors comprise at least one touch sensor on each sidewall of the housing

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of touch sensors comprise at least one touch sensor on a base of the housing.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, comprising at least one pressure sensor for determining an applied pressure to the portable electronic device.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 18, comprising a plurality of pressure sensors for determining applied pressure to the portable electronic device.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 19, wherein respective ones of said pressure sensors are located at each of four corners of the housing.

21. The portable electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the pressure sensors comprise strain gauges.

22. The portable electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the pressure sensors comprise capacitive sensors.