MULTIFUNCTION BUTTON

• US 20150054733A1
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Inventors: BRIDGES, KEVIN J., PEDERSEN, NICHOLAS, KLEGIN, JILL MARIE
• Granted Patent: US 9,720,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/38 Picture books with additional toy effects, e.g. pop-up or slide displays picture books B42D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1008 Graphical user interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention enable a storage device (e.g., a recordable book, toy, computing device) to be controlled with a single control button that performs multiple functions. Different interactions with the button produce a different control input. In one aspect, the storage device is an audio recording device that can record, lock, unlock, transfer to a separate storage device, or play back one or more audio recordings. These five functions (i.e., recording, locking, unlocking, transferring, and playing back) are initiated or facilitated by depressing a single button located on the audio storage device for different lengths of time or in different patterns. Audio recordings may be played in response to user interactions with the button to help the user interact with the button properly and warn the user of action that is about to be taken.

Claims

1. A method of providing multiple functions through a single button, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a first interaction with a multifunction button;

in response to the first interaction, initiating, at the computing device, a first control function;

receiving, at the computing device, a second interaction with the multifunction button;

in response to the second interaction, initiating, at the computing device, a second control function;

receiving, at the computing device, a third interaction with the multifunction button;

in response to the third interaction, initiating, at the computing device, a third control function, wherein the first interaction, the second interaction, and the third interaction are different, and wherein the first control function, the second control function, and the third control function are different.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interaction is a double tap.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second interaction is a single tap.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third interaction comprises a press satisfying a short duration threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the short duration is two seconds.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises receiving a fourth interaction with the multifunction button and initiating a fourth control function.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fourth interaction comprises a press that satisfies a long duration threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first control function is recording a new audio file or video file, wherein the second control function is playing an existing audio file or video file, wherein the third control function is transferring the existing audio file or video file, and wherein the fourth control function is changing a lock status for a stored file.

9. A storage device comprising:

a multifunction button;

a speaker;

a microphone;

a processor coupled to the multifunction button, the speaker, and the microphone; and

a computer storage media coupled to the processor and containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;

receiving a first interaction with the multifunction button, the first interaction comprising a first press of the multifunction button for a first duration of time;

determining that the first duration exceeds a short duration threshold;

in response to said determining, outputting to the speaker a recording of a first audible announcement explaining a first action to be taken if the first press is discontinued;

determining that the first press has been discontinued prior to the first press exceeding a long duration threshold; and

in response to said determining that the first press has been discontinued, initiating, at the storage device, a first control function.

10. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second interaction with the multifunction button, the second interaction comprising a second press of the multifunction button in a down position for a second duration of time;

determining that the second duration exceeds the long duration threshold;

in response to said determining, outputting to the speaker a recording of a second audible announcement explaining a second action to be taken if the second press is discontinued;

determining that the second press has been discontinued; and

in response to said determining that the second press has been discontinued, initiating, at the storage device, a second control function that is different from the first control function.

11. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the short duration threshold is at least two seconds.

12. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the long duration threshold is at least five seconds.

13. The storage device of claim 9, wherein the long duration threshold is more than two seconds longer than the short duration threshold.

14. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the storage device, a third interaction with the multifunction button comprising a tap, wherein the tap is a contact with the multifunction button lasting less than the short duration threshold;

in response to the third interaction, initiating, at the storage device, a third control function, which is different from the first control function and the second control function.

15. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the multifunction button is an only control input for the storage device.

16. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computer processor, perform a method of controlling audio or visual functions in a media storage device through a single multifunction button, the method comprising:

receiving at a first point in time an activation of a multifunction button, the activation corresponding to depression of the multifunction button;

receiving at a second point in time a deactivation of the multifunction button, the deactivation corresponding to a release of the multifunction button, the activation and the deactivation of the multifunction button forming an interaction with the multifunction button;

determining a duration of time for the interaction as a difference between the first point in time and the second point in time;

classifying, at the media storage device, the interaction as either a tap, a short press, or a long press based on the duration of time, wherein the interaction is the tap when the duration of time is between 0.1 seconds and a short threshold duration, wherein the interaction is the short press when the duration falls between the short threshold duration and a long duration threshold, and wherein the interaction is the long press when the duration exceeds a long duration threshold; and

activating, at the media storage device, a control function that maps to either the tap, the short press, or the long press, wherein a different control function is associated with each of the tap, the short press, and the long press.

17. The media of claim 16, the method further comprising:

at a third point in time between the first point in time and the second point in time, determining that the multifunction button has been activated for a duration longer than the short duration threshold; and

prior to the second point in time, outputting an audible instruction identifying a control function associated with the short press.

18. The media of claim 16, the method further comprising:

at a third point in time between the first point in time and the second point in time, determining that the multifunction button has been activated for a duration longer than the long duration threshold; and

prior to the second point in time, outputting an audible instruction identifying a control function associated with the long press.

19. The media of claim 16, wherein the multifunction button controls all audio controls available on the media storage device.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the all audio controls comprise one or more of recording a new audio file or video file, playing an existing audio file or video file, transferring the existing audio file or video file, or changing a lock status for a stored file.