METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING SENSORY INFORMATION TO DEVICES AND PERIPHERALS

• US 20110273475A1
• Filed: 07/19/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dan Keen, Scott Herz, Wayne Carl Westerman
• Original Assignee: Dan Keen, Scott Herz, Wayne Carl Westerman
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Keen, Dan, Herz, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

Peripherals and data processing systems are disclosed which can be configured to interact based upon sensor data. In at least certain embodiments, a method for sensing motion and orientation information for a device includes receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device. The method further includes determining an orientation for a display of the device. The method further includes determining whether the device is currently moving. The method further includes determining whether the device moves within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period. The method further includes switching the orientation of the display of the device if the device moves in excess of the angle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device;

determining an orientation of the device;

determining whether the device is currently moving;

determining whether the device moves within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period; and

switching the orientation of a display of the device if the device moves in excess of the angle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the device moves within the angle for at least the first time period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the currently moving device moves for a second time period;

determining if a default orientation was portrait if the device is not moving or if the device moves for at least the second time period; and

switching the orientation if the default orientation was not portrait.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

waiting for a new motion event from at least one sensor located in a device if the device moves for less than the second time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the device moves occurs based on a current position changing in comparison to a last position of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity, a sound, a light, and a motion sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the orientation comprises one of a portrait, landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved in excess of the angle occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the time period occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein switching the orientation if the device orientation was not portrait occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

11. A machine readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device;

determining an orientation for the device;

determining whether the device is currently moving;

determining whether the device moves within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period; and

switching the orientation if the device moves in excess of the angle.

12. The medium of claim 11, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the device moves within the angle for at least the time period.

13. The medium of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the currently moving device moves for a second time period;

determining if a default orientation was portrait if the device is not moving or if the device moves for at least the second time period; and

switching the orientation if the orientation was not portrait.

14. The medium of claim 13, further comprising:

waiting for a new motion event from at least one sensor located in a device if the device moves for less than the second time period.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein determining whether the device moves occurs based on a current position changing in comparison to a last position of the device.

16. The medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity, a sound, a light, and a motion sensor.

17. The medium of claim 11, wherein the orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

18. The medium of claim 11, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved in excess of the angle occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

19. The medium of claim 11, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the time period occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

20. The medium of claim 11, wherein switching the orientation if the device orientation was not portrait occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

21. A data processing system, comprising:

at least one sensor to sense whether the data processing system moves within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period; and

a processor coupled to the at least one sensor, the processor configured to respond to data received from the at least one sensor by switching an orientation of the data processing system if the data processing system moves in excess of the angle.

22. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to switch the orientation if the device moves within the angle for at least the first time period in response to data from the at least one sensor.

23. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured in response to data from the at least one sensor to determine the orientation for the data processing system, determine whether the data processing system moves, determine whether the data processing system moves for a time period, determine if the orientation is portrait if the data processing system is not moving or if the data processing system moves for at least the second time period, and switch the orientation if the data processing system orientation was not portrait.

24. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein determining whether the data processing system moves occurs based on a current position changing in comparison to a last position of the data processing system.

25. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity, a sound, a light, and a motion sensor.

26. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device;

means for determining an orientation for the device;

means for determining whether the device is currently moving;

means for determining whether the device moves within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period; and

means for switching the orientation if the device moves in excess of the angle.

28. A method comprising:

receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device;

determining a current orientation for the device;

determining whether the device is currently moving; and

determining if the current orientation matches a default orientation based on the device not currently moving.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the current orientation does not match the default orientation.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

determining whether the device moved within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period if the current orientation matches the default orientation; and

switching the orientation of a display of the device if the device moved in excess of the angle.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the first time period.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

determining whether the currently moving device moves for a second time period; and

determining if the current orientation is the same as the default orientation if the device moves for at least the second time period.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

waiting for a new motion event from at least one sensor located in a device if the device moves for less than the second time period.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein determining whether the device moves occurs based on a current position changing in comparison to a last position of the device.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the current orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the default orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved in excess of the angle occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the first time period occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein switching the orientation if the current orientation does not match the default orientation occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

40. A machine readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a motion event from at least one sensor located in a device;

determining a current orientation for the device;

determining whether the device is currently moving; and

determining if the current orientation matches a default orientation based on the device not currently moving.

41. The medium of claim 40, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the current orientation does not match the default orientation.

42. The medium of claim 40, further comprising:

determining whether the device moved within an angle with respect to a ground reference for a first time period if the current orientation matches the default orientation; and

switching the orientation of a display of the device if the device moved in excess of the angle.

43. The medium of claim 42, further comprising:

switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the first time period.

44. The medium of claim 40, further comprising:

determining whether the currently moving device moves for a second time period; and

determining if the current orientation is the same as the default oriention if the device moves for at least the second time period.

45. The medium of claim 44, further comprising:

waiting for a new motion event from at least one sensor located in a device if the device moves for less than the second time period.

46. The medium of claim 40, wherein determining whether the device moves occurs based on a current position changing in comparison to a last position of the device.

47. The medium of claim 40, wherein the current orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

48. The medium of claim 40, wherein the default orientation comprises one of a portrait, a landscape counterclockwise, a landscape clockwise, an upside down, a face up, a face down, and an ambiguous orientation.

49. The medium of claim 40, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved in excess of the angle occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

50. The medium of claim 40, wherein switching the orientation if the device moved within the angle for at least the first time period occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.

51. The medium of claim 40, wherein switching the orientation if the current orientation does not match the default orientation occurs based on the motion event being predictably caused by an intentional user action.