METHOD AND PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR ACTIVATING A MULTI-USER MODE BETWEEN MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20160174059A1
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: MORIN, Thomas, LEROY, Bertrand, GENDRON, David
• Application Number:
  US14/968,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20160174059A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention describes equipment for activating a multi-user mode between mobile devices arranged within at least one network. The processing equipment includes an interface of communication configured to receive multi-user mode notifications from at least a first and a further mobile devices connected to the processing equipment. A multi-user mode module is configured to activate a multi-user mode between at least the first and further mobile devices when, the positions of the first and further mobile devices meet a position criterion; or the orientations of the first and further mobile devices meet an orientation criterion.

Claims

1. A method for activating a multi-user mode, at a processing equipment configured to be located in at least one network, between mobile devices configured to be arranged within said at least one network,

said method comprising, at the processing equipment:

receiving, from a first mobile device connected to the processing equipment, a first multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the first mobile device is motionless;

a position of the first mobile device;

an orientation of the first mobile device;

receiving, from a further mobile device connected to the processing equipment, a further multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the further mobile device is motionless;

a position of the further mobile device;

an orientation of the further mobile device;

activating a multi-user mode, at the processing equipment, between at least the first and further mobile devices when;

the positions of the first and further mobile devices meet a position criterion; and

the orientations of the first and further mobile devices meet an orientation criterion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reception of the first multi-user mode notification triggers a timer at the processing equipment, so that the multi-user mode between the first and further mobile devices is activated when the further multi-user mode notification is received before the end of a time period associated with said timer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the position criterion is met when a difference between the position of the first mobile device with the position of the further mobile device is equal or lower than a position threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the orientation criterion is met when a difference between the orientation of the first mobile device with the orientation of the further mobile device is equal or lower than an orientation threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

sending of acknowledgment notifications to the first and further mobile devices once the multi-user mode is activated between said mobile devices.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the acknowledgment notifications comprise an identifier of each mobile device for which the multi-user mode is activated.

7. A processing equipment configured for activating a multi-user mode between mobile devices adapted to be arranged within at least one network, said processing equipment comprising:

an interface of communication configured to receive multi-user mode notifications from at least a first and a further mobile devices connected to the processing equipment, each multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the corresponding mobile device is motionless;

a position of the corresponding mobile device;

an orientation of the corresponding mobile device;

a multi-user mode module configured to activate a multi-user mode between at least the first and further mobile devices when;

the positions of the first and further mobile devices meet a position criterion;

the orientations of the first and further mobile devices meet an orientation criterion.

8. The processing equipment according to claim 7, wherein the multi-user mode module further comprises a timer which is triggered upon receipt of a first multi-user mode notification from the first mobile device,

so that the multi-user mode between the first and further mobile devices is activated when a further multi-user mode notification from said further mobile device is received before the end of a time period associated with the timer.

9. The processing equipment according to claim 7, wherein the multi-user module further comprises a position comparator configured to determine the difference between the position of the first mobile device with the position of the further mobile device and to compare the determined difference of positions with a position threshold,

so that the position criterion is met when the determined difference of positions is equal or lower than the position threshold.

10. The processing equipment according to claim 7, wherein the multi-user module further comprises an orientation comparator configured to determine the difference between the orientation of the first mobile device with the orientation of the further mobile device and to compare the determined difference of orientations with an orientation threshold,

so that the orientation criterion is met when the determined difference of orientations is equal or lower than the orientation threshold.

11. The processing equipment according to claim 7, wherein the multi-user module is further configured to send acknowledgment notifications to the first and further mobile devices once the multi-user mode is activated between said mobile devices.

12. The processing equipment according to claim 11, wherein the acknowledgment notifications comprise an identifier of each mobile device for which the multi-user mode is activated.

14. The processing equipment according to claim 7, corresponds to one of the mobile devices.

13. A processing equipment for activating a multi-user mode between mobile devices configured to be arranged within at least one network, said processing equipment comprising one or several processors configured to:

receive, from a first mobile device connected to the processing equipment, a first multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the first mobile device is motionless;

a position of the first mobile device;

an orientation of the first mobile device;

receive (S3), from a further mobile device connected to the processing equipment (E), a further multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the further mobile device is motionless;

a position of the further mobile device;

an orientation of the further mobile device;

activate a multi-user mode between at least the first and further mobile devices when;

the positions of the first and further mobile devices meet a position criterion; and

the orientations of the first and further mobile devices meet an orientation criterion.

15. Computer program product downloadable from a communication network and/or recorded on a medium readable by computer and/or executable by a processor, comprising program code instructions for implementing a method for activating a multi-user mode, at a processing equipment configured to be located in at least one network, between mobile devices configured to be arranged within said network,

said method comprising:

receiving, from a first mobile device connected to the processing equipment, a first multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the first mobile device is motionless;

a position of the first mobile device;

an orientation of the first mobile device;

receiving, from a further mobile device connected to the processing equipment, a further multi-user mode notification indicating that;

the further mobile device is motionless;

a position of the further mobile device;

an orientation of the further mobile device;

activating a multi-user mode, at the processing equipment, between at least the first and further mobile devices when;

the positions of the first and further mobile devices meet a position criterion; and

the orientations of the first and further mobile devices meet an orientation criterion.