PORTABLE TERMINAL, METHOD, AND PROGRAM OF CHANGING USER INTERFACE

• US 20120154108A1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optim LLC
• Original Assignee: Optim LLC
• Inventors: SUGAYA, Shunji
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/34 Context aware guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57

Abstract

A user can automatically change a user interface of a portable terminal into a user interface of an electronic appliance suitable for user'"'"'s intention. A portable terminal recognizes a circumferentially existing electronic appliance based on a photographic image or a radio signal, and allows one or more applications having a user interface varying by electronic appliance to start and then be resident in a memory of the portable terminal. Then, when the portable terminal recognizes a predetermined electronic appliance, the portable terminal changes a user interface displayed on a display unit and an input unit of the portable terminal into a user interface of an application associated with the predetermined electronic appliance to enable a user to view the user interface. When a user puts the portable terminal to a predetermined direction, the portable terminal recognizes an electronic appliance existing in the direction and displays the corresponding user interface.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a recognizer recognizing a circumferentially existing electronic appliance based on a photographic image or a radio signal;

an application controller allowing one or more applications related to the electronic appliance to start and then be resident in a memory, the application having a user interface varying by electronic appliance, and

an interface changer, when the recognizer recognizes a predetermined electronic appliance, changing a user interface displayed on a display unit and an input unit of the portable terminal into a user interface of an application associated with the recognized predetermined electronic appliance, among the applications being resident in the memory, so as to enable a user to view the user interface using the portable terminal.

2. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the recognizer recognizes the electronic appliance by receiving at least one of a GPS radio signal, an SSID radio signal, and a short distance radio signal.

3. The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory storing the physical location of the electronic appliance as location information;

a first detector detecting the direction to which the upper face of the portable terminal points;

a positioning determinator determining the physical location of the portable terminal, and

a object determinator determining an electronic appliance existing in a path being an extension of the direction of the upper face of the portable terminal, among electronic appliances, the location information of which is stored, wherein

the interface changer changes the user interface of the portable terminal into a user interface of an application associated with an electronic appliance determined by the object determinator.

4. The portable terminal according to claim 3, wherein the first detector detects the direction to which the upper face of the portable terminal points from the difference in location information contents, each of which is detected by two or more location detectors respectively.

5. The portable terminal according to claim 3, wherein the first detector detects the direction to which the upper face of the portable terminal points by at least one of an electronic compass and an inclination sensor.

6. The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprises a second detector detecting SSID or an access point by receiving a radio signal, wherein only when the second detector detects a predetermined SSID, the recognizer performs a process recognizing an electronic appliance based on a short distance radio signal output from the predetermined electronic appliance.

7. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the recognizer recognizes the electronic appliance based on a photographic image obtained by taking an image of the electronic appliance with a camera provided on the upper face of the portable terminal.

8. The portable terminal according to claim 7, wherein the recognizer recognizes a photographic image obtained by taking an image of a marker attached to the electronic appliance when the recognizer recognizes the electronic appliance with a camera of the portable terminal.

9. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the recognizer transmits an SSID detected by the second detector to a communicatably connected server and receives data associated with the SSID so as to perform recognition of the electronic appliance, and the data is for recognizing an electronic appliance based on a photographic image or a radio signal.

10. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the recognizer recognizes two or more electronic appliances, the interface changer changes the user interface of the portable terminal to the user interface of an application associated with one of the predetermined electronic appliances based on a date of recognition.

11. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the recognizer recognizes two or more electronic appliances, the interface changer changes the user interface of the portable terminal to the user interface of an application associated with one of the predetermined electronic appliances based on a predetermined priority order.

12. A method comprising the steps of:

recognizing a circumferentially existing electronic appliance based on a photographic image or a radio signal;

allowing one or more applications related to the electronic appliance to start and then be resident in a memory, the application having a user interface varying by electronic appliance; and

changing a user interface displayed on a display unit and an input unit of the portable terminal, when the portable terminal recognizes a predetermined electronic appliance, into a user interface of an application associated with the predetermined electronic appliance recognized, among the applications being resident in the memory, so as to enable a user to view the user interface using the portable terminal.

13. A computer program product for use in a portable terminal, comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable medium having a set of instructions physically embodied therein;

the set of instructions including;

computer readable program code causing a recognizer to recognize a circumferentially existing electronic appliance based on a photographic image or a radio signal;

computer readable program code causing an application controller to allow one or more applications related to electronic appliances to start and then be resident in a memory, the application having a user interface varying by electronic appliance; and

computer readable program code causing, when the portable terminal recognizes a predetermined electronic appliance, the portable terminal to change a user interface displayed on a display unit and an input unit of the portable terminal into a user interface of an application associated with the predetermined electronic appliance, recognized among the applications being resident in the memory, so as to enable a user to view the user interface using the portable terminal.