APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20120229447A1
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ronkainen, Sami Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 9,035,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

In one or more embodiments described herein, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code and at least one memory being configured to, when run on the at least one processor, perform detection of physical tilting of a display. The display is configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application. The at least one running application also has a virtual keyboard associated therewith provided on the display. The computer program code and at least one memory are also configured to, when run on the at least one processor, provide, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of a display to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code and at least one memory being configured to, when run on the at least one processor, perform:

detection of physical tilting of a display, the display being configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application, and wherein the at least one running application has a virtual keyboard associated therewith provided on the display; and

provide, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of a display to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the corresponding graphical tilting comprises tilting an onscreen area of a display past the virtual keyboard to reveal a user input display area associated with the running application.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the user visual output associated with the at least one running application is provided as a first virtual layer on the display, and the virtual keyboard is provided as a second virtual layer on the display and on top of the first virtual layer, and wherein the corresponding graphical tilting comprises tilting the first virtual layer only to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application on the first virtual layer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the user visual output associated with the at least one running application is provided as a first virtual layer on the display, and the virtual keyboard is provided as a second virtual layer on the display and on top of the first virtual layer, and wherein the corresponding graphical tilting comprises tilting the first and second virtual layers to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application on the first virtual layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second virtual layer is substantially coplanar with the plane of the first virtual layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second virtual layer is in a plane that is substantially displaced relative to the plane of the first virtual layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second virtual layer is in a plane that is substantially displaced relative to the plane of the first virtual layer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of a display reveals a user input display area not previously viewable using an original viewing angle of the display.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein physical tilting of the display is detected by one or more of:

indirect detection of tilting of a device comprising the display; and

direct detection of tilting of the display itself.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the running application is one or more of the following applications:

address book application, contacts application, memo pad application, diary application, notebook application, word processing application, spreadsheet application, or online application.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one or more of the following:

a portable electronic device, a portable radiotelephone device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, or a module for one of these devices.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code and computer readable medium being configured to, when run on at least one processor, perform at least the steps of:

detecting physical tilting of a display, the display being configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application, and wherein the at least one running application has a virtual keyboard associated therewith provided on the display; and

providing, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of a display to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application.

13. A method comprising:

detecting physical tilting of a display, the display being configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application, and wherein the at least one running application has a virtual keyboard associated therewith provided on the display; and

providing, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of a display to reveal a previously off-screen area of the user visual output associated with the at least one running application.

14. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code and at least one memory being configured to, when run on the at least one processor, perform:

detection of physical tilting of a display, the display configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application and at least one background process; and

provide, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of the display associated with the at least one running application to reveal a previously off-screen area of the display, wherein said off-screen area provides a visual indication of the progress of one of said at least one background process.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the running application is one or more of the following applications:

a download manager, an upload manager, taskbar, application controller, or an application start bar.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one background process is associated with at least one background application running in addition to the running application.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the at least one background process is associated with the at least one running application.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured such that a plurality of off-screen areas are provided in different directions from the onscreen area of the display, and graphical tilting comprises tilting of an onscreen area of the display to reveal one of the off-screen areas of the display corresponding to the direction of graphical tilting.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code and computer readable medium being configured to, when run on at least one processor, perform at least the steps of:

detecting physical tilting of a display, the display configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application and at least one background process; and

providing, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of the display associated with the at least one running application to reveal a previously off-screen area of the display, wherein said off-screen area provides a visual indication of the progress of one of said at least one background process.

20. A method comprising:

detecting physical tilting of a display, the display configured to provide user visual output associated with at least one running application and at least one background process; and

providing, in response to detection of said physical tilting of said display, corresponding graphical tilting of an onscreen area of the display associated with the at least one running application to reveal a previously off-screen area of the display, wherein said off-screen area provides a visual indication of the progress of one of said at least one background process.