PHYSICAL FEEDBACK TO INDICATE OBJECT DIRECTIONAL SLIDE

• US 20120244914A1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: LUNDY, MICHAEL T., VAN ORDEN, MATHEW JAY
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• 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 device, medium, and method are provided for enabling a user to control a mobile communications device that includes a vibration component. One embodiment of the method includes presenting an object on a touchscreen display of the mobile communications device; enabling the object to be moveable on the touchscreen by way of a touch interaction; in real time, continuously varying an output of the vibration component to cause a vibrational response of the mobile communications device, such that movement of the object in a first direction causes a first continuous vibrational output, and movement of the object in a second direction causes a second continuous vibrational output.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a radio that facilitates wireless communication with a telecommunications network;

a vibration component that creates a vibrational response of the mobile communications device;

a touchscreen that receives input by way of a touch action; and

a processor coupled to the vibration component and to the touchscreen, wherein the processor is configured to help coordinate the vibrational response to a movement of an object within a first portion of the touchscreen such that

A) a movement of the object in a first direction results in a first real-time vibrational output that continuously varies in frequency with the movement of the object in the first direction, until the object moves into a second portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the first direction within the second portion of the touchscreen results in a second real-time vibrational output having a different rate of change in frequency than the first real-time vibrational output, and that

B) a movement of the object in a second direction results in a third real-time vibrational output that continuously varies in frequency with the movement of the object in the second direction differently than the first real-time vibrational output, until the object moves into a third portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the second direction within the third portion of the touchscreen results in a fourth real-time vibrational output having a different rate of change in frequency than the third real-time vibrational output.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the object is an informational element that includes information about an event that gave rise to a presentation of the object.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first real-time vibrational output increases in frequency as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 3, wherein the first real-time vibrational output monotonically increases in frequency as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 4, wherein the first real-time vibrational output monotonically increases in frequency as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction until the object is moved in the first direction beyond a threshold distance from a starting position, wherein thereafter, the frequency of the first real-time vibrational output is no longer monotonically increasing.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the third real-time vibrational output decreases in frequency as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 6, wherein the frequency of the third real-time vibrational output monotonically decreases as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction.

8. The mobile communications device of claim 7, wherein the frequency of the third real-time vibrational output monotonically decreases as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction until the object is moved in the second direction beyond a threshold distance from a starting position, wherein thereafter, the frequency of the third real-time vibrational output is no longer monotonically decreasing.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first real-time vibrational output is a dynamically created vibrational response that is created based on the movement of the object.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of enabling a user to control a mobile communications device that includes a vibration component, the method comprising:

varying a vibrational response to a movement of an object within a first portion of a touchscreen such that

A) a movement of the object in a first direction results in a first real-time vibrational output that continuously varies with the movement of the object in the first direction, until the object moves into a second portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the first direction within the second portion of the touchscreen results in a second real-time vibrational output that varies with a different rate of change than the first real-time vibrational output, and that

B) a movement of the object in a second direction results in a third real-time vibrational output that continuously varies with the movement of the object in the second direction differently than the first real-time vibrational output, until the object moves into a third portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the second direction within the third portion of the touchscreen results in a fourth real-time vibrational output that varies with a different rate of change than the third real-time vibrational output.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the object is an informational element that includes information about an event that gave rise to a presentation of the object.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the first real-time vibrational output varies in at least one of frequency or magnitude as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the first real-time vibrational output varies monotonically as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein the first real-time vibrational output increases as the object is progressively more displaced in the first direction until the object is moved in the first direction beyond a threshold distance from a starting position, wherein thereafter, the first real-time vibrational output is no longer increasing.

15. The media of claim 10, wherein the third real-time vibrational output varies in at least one of frequency or magnitude as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the third real-time vibrational output varies monotonically as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein the third real-time vibrational output decreases as the object is progressively more displaced in the second direction until the object is moved in the second direction beyond a threshold distance from a starting position, wherein thereafter, the third real-time vibrational output is no longer decreasing.

18. The media of claim 10, wherein the first real-time vibrational output is a dynamically created vibrational response that is created based on the movement of the object.

19. A method of enabling a user to control a mobile communications device that includes a vibration component, the method comprising:

varying a vibrational response to a movement of an object within a first portion of a touchscreen such that

A) a movement of the object in a first direction results in a first real-time vibrational output that continuously varies in frequency with the movement of the object in the first direction, until the object moves into a second portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the first direction within the second portion of the touchscreen results in a second real-time vibrational output having a different rate of change in frequency than the first real-time vibrational output, and that

B) a movement of the object in a second direction results in a third real-time vibrational output that continuously varies in frequency with the movement of the object in the second direction differently than the first real-time vibrational output, until the object moves into a third portion of the touchscreen, wherein movement of the object in the second direction within the third portion of the touchscreen results in a fourth real-time vibrational output having a different rate of change in frequency than the third real-time vibrational output.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the object is an informational element that includes information about an event that gave rise to a presentation of the object.