Systems and Methods for Interacting with Portable Electronic Devices

• US 20130316690A1
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Wildner, Bernhard, Angle, William Travis, Jacob, Rochus Emanuel, Fitzgerald, Gary, Nam, Gene Woo
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Systems and methods for interacting with a portable electronic device are provided. In this regard, a representative system includes: a cover sized and shaped for removable attachment to an exterior of the portable electronic device; a first antenna disposed on the cover; and a first wireless controller coupled to the first antenna and disposed on the cover and configured for transmitting a first data from the cover to the portable electronic device via the first antenna to identify the cover to the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for interacting with a portable electronic device comprising:

a cover sized and shaped for removable attachment to the portable electronic device;

a first antenna disposed on the cover; and

a first wireless controller coupled to the first antenna and disposed on the cover and configured to provide a first data via the first antenna to be wirelessly received by the portable electronic device for triggering a function of the portable electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is movable between a first position in which the first data is wirelessly received by the portable electronic device, and a second position in which the first data is not wirelessly received by the portable electronic device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the cover has a movable component attached to an exterior thereof; and

the first antenna and the first wireless controller are carried by the movable component to either the first position or the second position

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless controller is a near field communication (NFC) controller.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising the portable electronic device comprising a second wireless controller, a processing unit coupled to the second wireless controller for triggering the function of the portable electronic device when second wireless controller wirelessly receiving the first data, a second antenna coupled to the second wireless controller and a sensor coupled to the processing unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the function is triggered by enable the sensor and executing an corresponding application for controlling the sensor when the processing unit receives the first data via the second wireless controller and the second antenna from the first wireless controller of the cover.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a second storage unit coupled to the processing unit for storing at least one set of data, wherein each set of data comprises a pre-built identification code and a corresponding pre-assigned instruction associated with the pre-built identification code.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit triggers the function in response to the pre-assigned instruction associated with pre-built identification code when the received first data matches to the pre-built identification code.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor is an image sensor.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the cover further comprises a moveable component having a first end and a second end, and the first wireless controller and the first antenna are disposed on the first end and when the moveable component is moved to a first position, the second wireless controller receives the first data via the second antenna from the first antenna and when the moveable component is moved to a second position, the wireless controller does not receive the first data via the second antenna from the first antenna and the second end of the moveable component is configured to block a light entering the sensor.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the cover further comprises a first storage unit coupled to the first wireless controller and storing the first data.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises a remote content source;

and the portable electronic device further comprises a wireless module coupled to the processing unit and configured to communicate with the remote content source to retrieve information corresponding to the first data received by the portable electronic device.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a switch coupled to the processing unit and generating a trigger signal and the processing unit receives the trigger signal and enables a first function when the portable electronic device receives the first data and the processing unit receives the trigger signal and enables a second function when the portable electronic device does not receives the first data.

14. A method for interacting with a cover and a portable electronic device comprising a processing unit, the method comprising:

detecting, by the portable electronic device, first information stored in the cover attached to the portable electronic device; and

enabling a corresponding application of the portable electronic device in response to detection of the first information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the cover has a first antenna movable with respect to the cover between a first position and a second position; and

detecting comprises detecting the first antenna in a first position but not in the second position.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein enabling a corresponding application further comprises changing functionality associated with a switch of the portable electronic device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein changing functionality associated with a switch comprises capturing an image from an image sensor on the portable electronic device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising writing second information from the portable electronic device to the cover.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprises storing at least one set of data in the portable electronic device in advance, wherein each set of data comprises a pre-built identification code and a corresponding pre-assigned instruction, and the pre-assigned instruction instructs the processing unit to enable or disable a corresponding application.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein when the information is obtained from the cover, searching for the at least one set of data to check whether the information matches to the pre-built identification code;

and when the information matches to the pre-built identification code, automatically executing the corresponding pre-assigned instruction.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein executing the corresponding pre-assigned instruction further comprises enabling a camera function.

22. A portable electronic device having a tag reader system operative to alter operation of the portable electronic device responsive to detection of a tag carried by a cover of the portable electronic device.

23. The portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein:

the portable electronic device has an antenna; and

tag reader system is operative to detect the tag responsive to the tag being placed in proximity to the antenna.