METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INPUT STATUS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE SUPPORTING THE SAME

• US 20150049036A1
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Kyungtae, KIM, Seungnyun, JUNG, Hyejeon, CHUN, Jaewoong
• Application Number:
  US14/461,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049036A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

A method for controlling an input state and an electronic device supporting the same are provided. The method includes receiving a specific event generation, generating a vibration having a predetermined pattern according to the specific event generation, collecting a current vibration feedback signal according to the vibration, comparing the current vibration feedback signal with a reference vibration feedback signal, and controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to an input-disabled state or an input-enabled state according to a device disposition state corresponding to the current vibration feedback signal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an input state, the method comprising:

receiving a specific event generation;

generating a vibration having a predetermined pattern according to the specific event generation;

collecting a current vibration feedback signal according to the vibration;

comparing the current vibration feedback signal with a reference vibration feedback signal; and

controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to one of an input-disabled state and an input-enabled state according to a device disposition state corresponding to the current vibration feedback signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a specific event generation comprises at least one of:

receiving a communication connection request event;

receiving a message event;

receiving a music play completion event;

receiving an alarm event of a scheduled appointment;

receiving a download completion event;

receiving a physical force event indicating a physical force applied to the input unit corresponding to a button press requesting a signal generation; and

receiving a touch input event requesting for an activation of the input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing the current vibration feedback signal with a reference vibration feedback signal comprises:

comparing a specific vector of the current vibration feedback signal with a specific vector of the reference vibration feedback signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device comprises at least one of:

identifying whether the device disposition state is a stored state; and

identifying whether the device disposition state is a handheld state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device comprises;

controlling to set the input state of the input device to an input-enabled state if the device disposition state is a handheld state; and

controlling to set the input state of the input device to an input-disabled state if the device disposition state is a non-handheld state.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

driving a timer if the device disposition state is a non-handheld state,

wherein the controlling to set the input state of the at least one input device further comprises;

controlling to set the input state of the input device to the input-enabled state if the timer is expired.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching a non-handheld state to a handheld state,

wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device further comprises;

switching the input device from the input-disabled state to the input-enabled state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to the input-disabled state comprises:

setting a display device operating as a touch input device to the input-disabled state; and

setting the input device operating with a button press to the input-enabled state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to the input-disabled state comprises:

setting the input device operating with a button press so that only a subset of buttons are enabled to input.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the controlling to set the input state of at least one input device further comprises:

switching the input device to the input-enabled state if one of the subset of buttons enabled to input is pressed.

11. An electronic device for controlling an input state, the electronic device comprising:

a vibrator configured to generate a vibration having a predetermined pattern according to a generation of a specific event;

a control unit configured to collect a current vibration feedback signal corresponding to the vibration, to compare the current vibration feedback signal with a reference vibration feedback signal, and controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to one of an input-disabled state and an input-enabled state according to a device disposition state corresponding to the current vibration feedback signal; and

an input device configured to have one of an input-enabled state and an input-disabled state according to the control of the control unit.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the specific event comprises at least one of a communication connection request event, a message event, a music play completion event, an alarm event of a scheduled appointment, a download completion event, a physical force event indicating a physical force applied to the input unit corresponding to a button press requesting a signal generation, and a touch input event requesting for an activation of the input device.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit identifies a reference vibration feedback signal similar to the current vibration feedback signal by comparing a specific vector of the current vibration feedback signal with a specific vector of the reference vibration feedback signal.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit identifies whether the device disposition state is a stored state in a specific location or a handheld state through the comparison of the vibration feedback signals.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit controls to set the input state of the input device to the input-enabled state if the device disposition state is a handheld state, and to the input-disabled state if the device disposition state is a non-handheld state.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising:

a timer configured to operate when the device disposition state is a non-handheld state,

wherein the control unit sets the input device to the input-enabled state when the timer is expired.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit switches the input device from the input-disabled state to the input-enabled state when the device disposition state changes from a non-handheld state to a handheld state.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit sets a display unit operating as a touch input device to the input-disabled state and the input device operating with a button press to the input-enabled state when controlling to set the input state of at least one input device to the input-disabled state.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit controls to set the input state of a only a subset of buttons of the input device operating with a button press to the input-enabled state when controlling to set the input state of at least one the input device to the input-disabled state.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the control unit switches the input device to the input-enabled state if one of the subset of the buttons enabled to input is pressed.