SHAKE-BASED FUNCTIONS ON A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20140344764A1
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barnes & Noble College Booksellers LLC (Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nook Digital, LLC (f/k/a Barnesandnoble.com LLC) (Bahwan CyberTek Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Brewer, Dale J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for managing active applications on a mobile computing device, referred to collectively herein as a manage active apps mode. The manage active apps mode may be invoked by shaking the device while pressing the device'"'"'s power button (or while manipulating one or more other user interface control features). The device may include one or more accelerometers, for example, to detect when (and possibly how) the device is being shaken. When invoked, the manage active apps mode may be configured to perform the function of closing, stopping, force stopping, quitting, or deleting of one or more of the device'"'"'s active applications, for example. In some cases, the mode function performed may be determined by the direction the device is being shaken, such as if the device is being shaken from side-to-side or up-and-down.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a display for displaying content to a user;

at least one user interface control feature;

at least one accelerometer for detecting when the device is being shaken; and

a user interface including a manage active apps mode that can be invoked in response to user input, the user input including shaking the device while the at least one user interface control feature is being manipulated, wherein the manage active apps mode is configured to perform a function on one or more active applications.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the manage active apps mode is configured to perform one of closing, stopping, force stopping, quitting, and deleting the one or more active applications.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the user interface control feature comprises at least one of a power button of the device and a touch sensitive point of the device.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the display is a touch screen display.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein an animation is provided when the device is being shaken.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the direction the device is being shaken determines the function performed.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein a confirmation prompt is provided after invoking the manage active apps mode to confirm performance of the function on the one or more active applications.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein feedback is provided after the function has been performed to indicate that the function has been performed, the feedback being visual, auditory, and/or tactile.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the manage active apps mode can only be invoked while an active apps screen is being displayed.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the manage active apps mode is user-configurable.

11. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a display having a touch screen interface and for displaying content to a user;

at least one hardware control feature that can be manipulated;

at least one accelerometer for measuring device acceleration; and

a user interface including a manage active apps mode that can be invoked in response to user input, the user input including a shake input while the at least one hardware control feature is being manipulated, wherein the manage active apps mode is configured to perform one of a close, stop, force stop, quit, and delete function on one or more active applications.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the shake input used to invoke the manage active apps mode exceeds a minimum acceleration threshold.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the hardware control feature is a power button of the device.

14. The device of claim 11 wherein the direction of the shake input determines the function performed on the one or more active applications.

15. A computer program product comprising a plurality of instructions non-transiently encoded thereon to facilitate operation of an electronic device according to the following process, the process comprising:

in response to user input provided to a mobile computing device capable of displaying content, invoke a manage active apps mode in the device, the user input including shaking the device while at least one user interface control feature is being manipulated, wherein the manage active apps mode is configured to perform a function on one or more active applications; and

perform the function on the one or more active applications.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the manage active apps mode is configured to perform one of closing, stopping, force stopping, quitting, and deleting the one or more active applications.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the user interface control feature comprises at least one of a power button of the device and a touch sensitive point of the device.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the mobile computing device is a touch sensitive device including a touch screen.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the direction the device is being shaken determines the function performed.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein feedback is provided after the function has been performed to indicate that the function has been performed, the feedback being visual, auditory, and/or tactile.