Interfacing a Mobile Device with a Computer

• US 20110105103A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Ullrich, Christopher J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,588,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• 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

Systems and methods for interfacing a mobile device and a host computer are described in the present disclosure. In one embodiment, among several, an interfacing system comprises a mobile device, which has a sensor, and a host computer. The sensor of the mobile device detects gestures that are translated to cursor control commands for a display of the host computer.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile telephone comprising at least one sensor that detects movement of a user and that generates a signal based on the detected movement; and

a host computer, interfaced to the mobile device, that receives the generated signal from the mobile device and that translates the generated signal to a command that controls a cursor for a display of the host computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a touch screen that detects movement of a finger of the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an accelerometer, a gyroscope or a proximity sensor that detects movement of the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone is interfaced to the host computer via a docking station.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone is interfaced to the host computer via a wireless communication protocol.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a personal area network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the personal area network comprises a Bluetooth protocol or a Wi-Fi protocol.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the docking station is wirelessly interfaced to the host computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone further comprises a memory that stores preferences of the user, wherein the mobile telephone provides the preferences to the host computer, wherein the preferences correspond to at least one setting on the host computer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the preferences correspond to a custom view on the host computer preferred by the user, and wherein the host computer generates the custom view based on the preferences.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the host computer is incorporated into a vehicle, and wherein the preferences comprise a climate control setting, a radio control setting, a seat position control setting, or a mirror control setting.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a fingerprint scanner.

13. A mobile device comprising:

at least one transceiver that provides wireless communications to and from the mobile device;

a touch screen that detects movement of a finger of a user relative to the mobile device and that displays control widgets; and

a processor that receives information from a host computer interfaced to the mobile device via the at least one transceiver, that generates a graphical user interface on the touch screen based on the received information, that receives the detected movement of the user, that generates a signal based on the received detected movement, that provides the generated signal to the host computer, and that receives cursor control commands from the host computer in response to the generated signal.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the information comprises context-dependent or state-dependent information.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising a presence detector that detects when mobile device is brought within range of the host computer thereby enabling short range communication between the mobile device and host computer.