Mobile Device with User Interaction Capability and Method of Operating Same

• US 20130344862A1
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid M., Merrell, Thomas Y., Paitl, Kenneth A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,970,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

In one embodiment a method of operating a mobile device includes sensing either an orientation or a movement of the mobile device, determining a command based on the sensed orientation or sensed movement, sensing a proximity of an object in relation to at least a portion of the mobile device, and executing the command upon the proximity of the object being sensed. In another embodiment, a method of operating a mobile device governs a manner of interaction of the mobile device relative to one or more other mobile devices. In at least some embodiments, at least one of the mobile devices includes an accelerometer and an infrared proximity sensor, and operation of the mobile device is determined based upon signals from those components.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile device having an accelerometer, an infrared proximity sensor, and a processor, wherein each of the accelerometer and the infrared proximity sensor is coupled to the processor, the method comprising:

sensing at least one of an orientation and a movement of the mobile device by way of the accelerometer, the accelerometer providing an accelerometer signal to the processor indicative of the sensed orientation or movement;

selecting a command based on the sensed orientation or sensed movement;

sensing a proximity of an object in relation to at least a portion of the mobile device by way of the infrared proximity sensor, the infrared proximity sensor providing an infrared proximity sensor signal indicative of the proximity of the object; and

executing the command upon the sensing of the proximity of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the orientation or movement includes:

sensing that the mobile device is in a resting orientation; and

sensing a transition of the mobile device from a first resting orientation to a second resting orientation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the orientation or movement includes:

sensing acceleration of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity of the object is sensed as the object passes by the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is repeatedly executed upon repeated sensing of the proximity of either the object or at least one additional object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is determined by comparing the sensed movement to a predefined list of associated commands.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the command relates to at least one of turning of a page of an electronic book, changing a television channel, scrolling through a list, and scrolling through a website.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving additional information from an additional mobile device indicative of an additional orientation of the additional mobile device, and wherein the command pertains to a transfer of data from the mobile device to the additional mobile device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the orientation or movement includes the sensing of the movement, wherein the movement is a twitching motion, and wherein the command that is executed relates either to a turning of a page or causing a pairing of the mobile device with another mobile device.

9. A method of operating a first mobile device in relation to a second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device includes an accelerometer and a processor, and wherein the accelerometer is coupled to the processor, the method comprising:

sensing a first angular orientation of the first mobile device by way of the accelerometer, the accelerometer providing an accelerometer signal to the processor indicative of the sensed first angular orientation;

receiving, from the second mobile device, information concerning a second angular orientation of the second mobile device;

determining whether a first criterion concerning a similarity between the first angular orientation and the second angular orientation has been met; and

transferring first data from the first mobile device for receipt by the second mobile device upon sensing a triggering event, provided that the first criterion has been met.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving and the transferring are achieved by way of at least one of a Bluetooth, an ad hoc, and a peer-to-peer communication link.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

conducting an additional communication between the first mobile device and a third mobile device by which the first mobile device receives additional information concerning a third orientation of the third mobile device;

determining whether the first criterion has been met in relation to the first angular orientation and the third orientation; and

transferring the first data from the first mobile device to the third mobile device upon the sensing of the triggering event, provided that the first criterion was additionally determined to have been met in relation to the first angular orientation and the third orientation.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensing of the triggering event is a sensing that an object is proximate to an infrared proximity sensor of the first mobile device, wherein the infrared proximity sensor is coupled to the processor and provides an infrared proximity sensor signal indicative of the sensing of the object being proximate to the infrared proximity sensor.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first criterion is met when the first angular orientation with respect to a reference orientation and the second angular orientation with respect to the reference orientation are substantially identical.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a third signal to the processor by way of an electronic compass that is coupled to the processor.

15. A method of operating a first mobile device in relation to a second mobile device, wherein the first mobile device includes an accelerometer, an infrared proximity sensor, and a processor, and wherein each of the accelerometer and the infrared proximity sensor is coupled to the processor, the method comprising:

sensing a first angular orientation of the first mobile device by way of the accelerometer, the accelerometer providing an accelerometer signal to the processor indicative of the sensed first angular orientation;

receiving, from the second mobile device, information concerning a second angular orientation of the second mobile device;

upon determining that a first criterion concerning a similarity between the first angular orientation and the second angular orientation has been met, entering a first state in which the processor is prepared to execute a command upon receiving an infrared proximity sensor signal;

providing from the infrared proximity sensor the infrared proximity sensor signal indicating that an object is proximate to the infrared proximity sensor; and

executing the command upon the processor receiving the infrared proximity sensor signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the command relates to transferring first data from the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving and the transferring are achieved by way of at least one of a Bluetooth, an ad hoc, and a peer-to-peer communication link.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first mobile device and second mobile device are paired with one another.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the processor causes repeated execution of the command upon receiving the infrared proximity sensor signal repeatedly.