SIMPLIFIED CONTROL INPUT TO A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110151929A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmehl, Ian C., Cansler, James Leonard, White, Scott Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method and system for operating a mobile device includes interpreting a user-defined pattern detected by at least one of a touch interface and a motion sensor included with the mobile device. The user-defined pattern may be interpreted as at least one of: a polygon, an ellipse, a curve, a line segment, an alphanumeric character, and a movement of the mobile device. The user-defined pattern may be a two-dimensional pattern traced by the user on the touch interface. When the user-defined pattern is recognized, a wireless communication command may be executed by the mobile device. The wireless communication command may be a telephone command or a remote control command for a remote-controlled device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a mobile device having a wireless telephony interface, comprising:

interpreting first user input indicative of a two-dimensional pattern received through a touch interface of the mobile device; and

executing a wireless communication command corresponding to the interpreted two-dimensional pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional pattern is interpretable as at least one of:

a polygon, an ellipse, a curve, and a line segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the two-dimensional pattern is interpretable as an alphanumeric character.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication command comprises dialing a telephone number using the wireless telephony interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the two-dimensional pattern is associated with the telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication command comprises a remote control command for a remote-controlled device via a remote control interface included in the mobile device, and wherein the two-dimensional pattern is associated with the remote control command.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving second user input, associating the wireless communication command with the two-dimensional pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting third user input indicative of a motion detected by a motion sensor of the mobile device; and

executing a wireless communication command corresponding to the detected motion.

9. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless transceiver;

a touch interface; and

memory media accessible to the processor, including instructions executable by the processor to;

detect a pattern traced by a user on the touch interface; and

execute, using the wireless transceiver, a first wireless communication command corresponding to the detected pattern.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the traced pattern includes at least one of:

a polygon, an ellipse, a curve, a line segment, an alphanumeric character, and handwriting of the user.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a mobile telephone and further comprising:

a telephony interface.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, further comprising:

a motion sensor,

wherein the memory media further include processor instructions executable to;

detect, using the motion sensor, a motion pattern of the mobile device; and

execute a second wireless communication command corresponding to the detected motion pattern.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a remote control interface, and wherein at least one of the first wireless communication command and the second wireless communication command comprises a remote control command for a remote-controlled device via the remote control interface.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a wireless telephony interface, and wherein at least one of the first wireless communication command and the second wireless communication command comprises dialing a telephone number using the wireless telephony interface.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first user input and the second user input is associated with the telephone number.

16. The mobile device of claim 9, further comprising:

a display device,

wherein the memory media further include processor instructions executable to;

display the traced pattern on the display device.

17. Computer-readable memory media, including instructions for operating a mobile device, said instructions executable to:

interpret a user-defined pattern detected by at least one of a touch interface and a motion sensor included with the mobile device; and

execute a wireless communication command corresponding to the user-defined pattern,

wherein the user-defined pattern is interpretable as at least one of;

a polygon, an ellipse, a curve, a line segment, an alphanumeric character, user handwriting, and a movement of the mobile device.

18. The memory media of claim 17, wherein the user-defined pattern comprises a two-dimensional pattern traced by the user on the touch interface, and further comprising instructions executable to:

display the two-dimensional pattern using a display device included with the mobile device.

19. The memory media of claim 17, further comprising instructions executable to:

responsive to receiving user input, associate the wireless communication command with the user-defined pattern.

20. The memory media of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication command comprises dialing a telephone number using a wireless telephony interface included with the mobile device, and wherein the user-defined pattern is associated with the telephone number.