ELECTRONIC TERMINALS AND CONTROL METHODS THEREOF

• US 20140220959A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mao, Xingzhong, Lin, Lvming, Xie, Wei, Zhou, Zhiqiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,204,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic terminal includes at least one input and output unit. The electronic terminal further includes: a communication detection unit configured to detect whether a communication event exists, so as to obtain a first detection result; a condition sensing unit configured to detect whether a prohibition condition for prohibiting an input and output function of the at least one input and output unit is satisfied, so as to obtain a second detection result; a prohibition unit configured to prohibit a part of the input and output function of the at least one input and output unit which is unrelated to the communication event, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. An electronic terminal comprising at least one input and output unit, the electronic terminal further comprising:

a communication detection unit configured to detect whether a communication event exists, so as to obtain a first detection result;

a condition sensing unit configured to detect whether a prohibition condition for prohibiting an input and output function of the at least one input and output unit is satisfied, so as to obtain a second detection result;

a prohibition unit configured to prohibit a part of the input and output function of the at least one input and output unit which is unrelated to the communication event, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

2. The electronic terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one input and output unit comprises a touch sensing unit having a touch sensing region, and

wherein the condition sensing unit detects whether a prohibition condition for prohibiting an input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied, so as to obtain the second detection result;

and

the prohibition unit prohibits the input function of the touch sensing unit, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

3. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

an approach sensing unit having a detection region which at least partly overlaps with the touch sensing region, the approach sensing unit configured to detect whether there is an object located in the detection region;

a first generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the approach sensing unit detects that there is the object located in the detection region.

4. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

a brightness sensing unit configured to detect whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

a second generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold; and

a time determination unit configured to detect whether a current time period belongs to a preset time period;

wherein the second generation unit is further configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold, and the time determination unit determines that the current time period belongs to the preset time period.

6. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

a hold sensing unit configured to detect whether the electronic terminal is held;

a third generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the hold sensing unit detects that the electronic terminal is not held.

7. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

a hold sensing unit configured to detect whether the electronic terminal is held;

a brightness sensing unit configured to detect whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

a fourth generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the hold sensing unit detects that the electronic terminal is not held and the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold.

8. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

a processing unit configured to perform a corresponding touch-control instruction according to a touch input detected by the touch sensing unit;

wherein the prohibition unit is further configured to prohibit the input function of the touch sensing unit by prohibiting the touch sensing unit from detecting the touch input and/or prohibiting the processing unit from executing the touch-control instruction, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

9. The electronic terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

an enablement unit configured to enable the input function of the touch sensing unit, when the second detection result is switched from indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied to indicating that the prohibition condition is not satisfied.

10. The electronic terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one input and output unit comprises a display screen having a display region;

the condition sensing unit detects whether a prohibition condition for disabling backlight of the display screen is satisfied, so as to obtain the second detection result; and

the prohibition unit is configured to disable the backlight of the display screen, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

11. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

an approach sensing unit having a detection region which at least partly overlaps with the touch sensing region, the approach sensing unit configured to detect whether there is an object located in the detection region;

a first generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the approach sensing unit detects that there is the object located in the detection region.

12. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

a brightness sensing unit configured to detect whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

a second generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold; and

a time determination unit configured to detect whether a current time period belongs to a preset time period;

wherein the second generation unit is further configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold, and the time determination unit determines that the current time period belongs to the preset time period.

14. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, wherein the condition sensing unit comprises:

a hold sensing unit configured to detect whether the electronic terminal is held;

a third generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the hold sensing unit detects that the electronic terminal is not held.

15. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, wherein, the condition sensing unit comprises:

a hold sensing unit configured to detect whether the electronic terminal is held;

a brightness sensing unit configured to detect whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

a fourth generation unit configured to obtain the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the hold sensing unit detects that the electronic terminal is not held and the brightness sensing unit detects that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold.

16. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, further comprising:

a prompt unit configured to output prompt information when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

17. The electronic terminal according to claim 10, further comprising:

an enablement unit configured to enable the backlight of the display screen, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result is switched from indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied to indicating that the prohibition condition is not satisfied.

5. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

18. A control method used in an electronic terminal, the electronic terminal comprising at least one input and output unit, the method comprising steps of:

detecting whether a communication event exists, so as to obtain a first detection result;

detecting whether a prohibition condition for prohibiting an input and output function of the at least one input and output unit is satisfied, so as to obtain a second detection result;

prohibiting a part of the input and output function of the at least one input and output unit which is unrelated to the communication event, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the at least one input and output unit comprises a touch sensing unit having a touch sensing region, the method comprising:

detecting whether a prohibition condition for prohibiting an input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied, so as to obtain the second detection result; and

prohibiting the input function of the touch sensing unit, when the first detection result indicates that the communication event exists and the second detection result indicates that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the step of detecting whether the prohibition condition for prohibiting the input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied so as to obtain the second detection result comprises:

detecting whether there is an object located in the detection region which at least partly overlaps with the touch sensing region;

obtaining the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when it is detected that there is the object located in the detection region;

wherein the step of detecting whether the prohibition condition for prohibiting the input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied so as to obtain the second detection result comprises;

detecting whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

obtaining the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when it is detected that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold.

22. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the step of detecting whether the prohibition condition for prohibiting the input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied so as to obtain the second detection result comprises:

detecting whether surrounding brightness is lower than a preset threshold;

detecting whether a current time period belongs to a preset time period, when it is detected that the surrounding brightness is lower than the preset threshold;

obtaining the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when the current time period belongs to the preset time period.

23. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the step of detecting whether the prohibition condition for prohibiting the input function of the touch sensing unit is satisfied so as to obtain the second detection result comprises:

detecting whether the electronic terminal is held;

obtaining the second detection result indicating that the prohibition condition is satisfied, when it is detected that the electronic terminal is not held.

21. (canceled)

24-33. -33. (canceled)