MOTION ON COMPUTER

• US 20130212416A1
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: CRISAN, ADRIAN
• Application Number:
  US13/370,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212416A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• 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 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices

Abstract

The processor of a computer in the form or a slate or clamshell can reconfigure a computer from a full power wake mode to a low power sleep mode or vice versa by using any combination of criteria that includes input and motion within a threshold period as detected by motion sensors such as a gyroscope, a shock sensor, and an accelerometer.

Claims

1. Computer comprising:

housing;

processor in the housing;

display on the housing controlled by the processor;

motion sensor associated with the housing and providing signals to the processor representing motion of the housing; and

computer readable medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to automatically reconfigure the computer from a wake mode, in which at least the display is energized, to a sleep mode, in which at least the display is deenergized, responsive to a determination that the housing has not moved for a period at least equal to a first threshold period.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the processor automatically reconfigures the computer from the wake mode to the sleep mode only responsive to a determination that the housing has not moved for a period at least equal to the first threshold period and responsive to a determination that processor has not received user input for a period at least equal to a second threshold period, and otherwise does not automatically reconfigure the computer from the wake mode to the sleep mode.

3. The computer of claim 2, wherein the first threshold period is equal to the second threshold period.

4. The computer of claim 2, wherein the first threshold period is not equal to the second threshold period.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is a slate computer.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is a clamshell computer.

7. Computer comprising:

housing;

processor in the housing;

display on the housing controlled by the processor;

motion sensor associated with the housing and providing signals to the processor representing motion of the housing; and

computer readable medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to automatically reconfigure the computer from a wake mode, in which at least the display is energized, to a sleep mode, in which at least the display is deenergized, responsive to a determination that the housing is in a horizontal orientation and that downward motion of the housing has stopped suddenly.

8. The computer of claim 7, wherein the instructions executable by the processor cause the processor to automatically reconfigure the computer from the wake mode to the sleep mode responsive to a determination that the housing has not moved for a period at least equal to a first threshold period.

9. The computer of claim 7, wherein the computer is a slate computer.

10. The computer of claim 7, wherein the computer is a clamshell computer.

11. Computer comprising:

housing;

processor in the housing;

display on the housing controlled by the processor;

motion sensor associated with the housing and providing signals to the processor representing motion of the housing; and

computer readable medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to automatically reconfigure the computer from a sleep mode, in which at least the display is deenergized, to a wake mode, in which at least the display is energized, responsive to a determination that the housing is in motion.

12. The computer of claim 11, wherein the motion sensor is a first motion sensor and the computer comprises a second motion sensor, and the processor automatically reconfigures the computer from the sleep mode to the wake mode only responsive to a determination that signals from both first and second sensors indicate that the housing is in motion.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the first sensor includes an accelerometer indicating that the housing has been lifted and the second sensor includes an orientation sensor indicating that he housing has been turned.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein the second sensor includes a gyro sensor.

15. The computer of claim 11, wherein the computer is a slate computer.

16. The computer of claim 11, wherein the computer is a clamshell computer.

17. The computer of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable by the processor cause the processor to automatically reconfigure the computer from the sleep mode to the wake mode responsive to a determination that the housing has not moved for a period at least equal to a first threshold period.

18. The computer of claim 17, wherein the processor automatically reconfigures the computer from the wake mode to the sleep mode only responsive to a determination that the housing has not moved for a period at least equal to the first threshold period and responsive to a determination that processor has not received user input for a period at least equal to a second threshold period, and otherwise does not automatically reconfigure the computer from the wake mode to the sleep mode.

19. The computer of claim 18, wherein the first threshold period is equal to the second threshold period.

20. The computer of claim 18, wherein the first threshold period is not equal to the second threshold period.