Orientation Based Application Launch System

• US 20130021236A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bender, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/0346 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device may include multiple faces, an application launch input element, a memory that stores multiple applications, and a processor that accesses the memory. In response to a detected trigger of the application launch input element, the processor determines the orientation of the device. For example, the processor may determine which face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction. Based on the determined orientation of the device, the processor selects and activates a specific application from the multiple available applications.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first face;

a second face;

an application launch input element;

a memory configured to store a plurality of applications; and

a processor coupled with the memory and configured to identify, in response to a trigger of the application launch input element, whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction;

where the processor is configured to activate a different application of the plurality of applications when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an enablement element configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

where the processor is configured to enable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state, and where the processor is configured to disable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, where the processor is configured to activate an application selection program in response to the trigger of the application launch input element, and where the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate a predetermined application of the plurality of applications based on a face direction orientation determined by the application selection program.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, where the application selection program comprises a first predetermined link between the first face and a first application of the plurality of applications;

where the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate the first application based on the first predetermined link when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered;

where the application selection program comprises a second predetermined link between the second face and a second application of the plurality of applications; and

where the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate the second application based on the second predetermined link when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, where the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to render a user interface on a display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface, and where the user interface comprises a user input field that allows creation of a link between a face direction orientation of the electronic device and an application of the plurality of applications.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, where the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to display an indication of a current face direction orientation of the electronic device while the user interface is displayed on the display device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a third face, a fourth face, a fifth face, and a sixth face;

where the processor is configured to identify one of the first face, the second face, the third face, the fourth face, the fifth face, or the sixth face as pointing in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered; and

where the processor is configured to activate an application of the plurality of applications that comprises a predetermined link with the identified face.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer, where the processor is configured to identify whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

an orientation determination processor configured to determine, in response to a trigger of an application launch input element of the electronic device, whether a first face, a second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction; and

an application selection processor coupled with the orientation determination processor and configured to activate a different application when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising an enablement element configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

where the application selection processor is configured to enable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state, and where the application selection processor is configured to disable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, where the application selection processor is configured to render a user interface on a display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface, and where the user interface comprises a user input field that allows creation of a link between a face direction orientation of the electronic device and an application to be launched when the electronic device is in the face direction orientation and the application launch input element is triggered.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, where the user interface identifies which face direction orientation is a current face direction orientation of the electronic device while the user interface is displayed on the display device.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising an accelerometer, where the orientation determination processor is configured to identify whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.

14. A method, comprising:

detecting a trigger of an application launch input element of an electronic device;

determining whether a first face, a second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction in response to the trigger of the application launch input element; and

activating, by a processor, a different application when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting a state of an enablement element of the electronic device, where the enablement element is configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

enabling face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state; and

disabling face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

16. The method of claim 14, where the step of determining comprises:

activating an application selection program in response to the trigger of the application launch input element; and

obtaining face direction orientation data by the application selection program from an orientation sensor of the electronic device after activation of the application selection program.

17. The method of claim 16, where the application selection program comprises a first predetermined link between the first face and a first application, where the application selection program comprises a second predetermined link between the second face and a second application, and where the step of activating comprises:

activating the first application based on the first predetermined link when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered; and

activating the second application based on the second predetermined link when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a user interface on a display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface; and

creating a link between a face direction orientation of the electronic device and an application identified by a user interacting with a user input field of the user interface.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying an indication of a current face direction orientation of the electronic device while the user interface is displayed on the display device.

20. The method of claim 14, where the step of determining comprises:

receiving orientation information from an accelerometer of the electronic device; and

identifying whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.