INPUT GESTURES USING DEVICE MOVEMENT

• US 20130135203A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: CROUGHWELL, William Joseph III
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 1/1694 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A handheld electronic device has a cursor which is moved by tilting and or accelerating the device, where the cursor movement correlates to a bubble in a bull'"'"'s eye level. Gestures include flicking, shaking, and reversing an acceleration or tilting, to control movement of the cursor, and to execute instructions corresponding to a position of the cursor. These gestures may be combined with touch, speech, buttons, or other known methods of communication between users and devices.

Claims

1. A method of processing an input gesture, comprising:

displaying an indicator upon a display of a handheld electronic device;

moving the indicator across the display in response to a change in one of orientation and position of the handheld electronic device relative to a given plane; and

selecting a graphical object presented on the display in response to the indicator coming into contact with the graphical object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the graphical object is performed responsive to activation of an actuator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in orientation is a change in orientation around at least one axis of rotation of the handheld electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in position is a change in position of the handheld electronic device in an x-y plane that is co-planar to the display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a calibration menu;

moving the indicator to a predefined region of the display independent of a current orientation of the handheld electronic device; and

defining the current orientation of the handheld electronic device as being level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the current orientation is defined as being level in response to activation of an actuator.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the current orientation is defined as being level in response to an amount of time in which the device is substantially in the current orientation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a rate of change in the orientation of the device around a given axis of rotation;

in response to the rate of change in orientation being above a first given threshold in a first direction, moving the indicator across the display based upon the rate of change in orientation that has been measured; and

in response to a change in orientation in a second direction which is substantially opposite the first direction, changing direction of movement of the indicator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a rate of change in orientation of the handheld electronic device in the first direction causes a corresponding rate of change of a position of the indicator in the first direction, and a subsequent rate of change of the device in the second direction opposite to the first direction causes a reduction in a rate of change of a position of the indicator.

10. A handheld electronic device for processing an input gesture, comprising:

a display;

a sensor operative to sense a change in orientation of the handheld electronic device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display, and the sensor, the processor operative to

display an indicator upon the display,

move the indicator across the display in response to the change in orientation of the device relative to a given plane of orientation, and

enable selection of a graphical object presented on the display in response to the indicator coming into contact with the graphical object.

11. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor presents a calibration menu on the display, the processor being further operative to move the indicator to a predefined region of the display independent of a current orientation of the device, and to define the current orientation of the device as being level.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, further comprising an actuator communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein the current orientation is defined as being level in response to the actuator being activated.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the current orientation is defined as being level in response to an amount of time in which the device is in substantially in the current orientation.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to:

measuring a rate of change in the orientation of the device around a given axis of rotation;

in response to the rate of change in orientation being above a first given threshold in a first direction, moving the indicator across the display based upon the rate of change in orientation that has been measured; and

in response to a change in orientation in a second direction which is substantially opposite the first direction, changing direction of movement of the indicator.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 13, wherein a rate of change in orientation of the handheld electronic device in a first direction causes a corresponding rate of change of a position of the indicator in the first direction, and a subsequent rate of change of the device in a second direction opposite to the first direction causes a reduction in a rate of change of a position of the indicator.

16. A handheld electronic device for processing an input gesture, comprising:

a display;

a sensor operative to sense a change in orientation of the handheld electronic device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display, and the sensor and the processor operative to

display an indicator upon the display

move the indicator across the display in response to the change in position in a given plane of orientation, and

measure a rate of change in the orientation of the handheld electronic device in a first direction along a given axis of rotation;

in response to the rate of change in orientation being above a given threshold, move the indicator across the display based upon the rate of change in orientation that has been measured in the first direction in the given plane of orientation; and

in response to the rate of change in orientation being below a given threshold in a second direction in the given plane of orientation, the second direction is substantially opposite the first direction, halting movement of the indicator.

17. The handheld device of claim 16, wherein the change in position in the given plane is a change in position of the handheld electronic device in an x-y plane that is co-planar to the display.