Handheld computing device with external notification system

• US 6,374,276 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vong, William, Schwitters, Chad
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Christopher B.
• Application Number:
  US09/767,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20010002122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 708/112, 708/135, 710/48.51, 710/260-266, 713/300-324, 324/309-571
• US Class Current: 708/112
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications

Abstract

A portable handheld computing device has a notification system that alerts a user of an event regardless of whether the device is on or off. The notification system has a notification mechanism that is activated upon occurrence of the event and remains active until the user acknowledges the activated mechanism. In one implementation, the notification mechanism is a light emitting diode (LED) mounted externally on the handheld computing device. The LED is visible to the user when the lid is closed onto the base (i.e., the device is off) or when the lid is open (i.e., the device is on). The notification mechanism also has a deactivation button mounted externally of the handheld computing device. The user depresses the deactivation button to deactivate the LED. The LED and deactivation button may be integrated as a single component.

Claims

1. In a portable handheld computing device having an operating system that provides a graphical user interface environment capable of presenting at least one graphical window on a display and an external notification mechanism, a notification program executing on the operating system, comprising:

a graphical user interface which enables a user to set notification options;

a notification manager to manage one or more events, the notification manager generating a command to set a time when an event is scheduled;

an alarm manager to receive the set time command from the notification manager and to generate a set alarm command which informs a clock to set an alarm at the time of the event; and

an interrupt manager to receive an interrupt from the clock when the time of the event arrives and the pass interrupt to the notification manager so that the notification manager can activate the external notification mechanism.

2. A portable handheld computing device comprising:

a processor;

a display;

an operating system executing on the processor to provide a graphical user interface environment capable of presenting at least one graphical window on the display;

at least one application running on the operating system; and

a notification system that is callable by the application to alert a user of an event, the notification system having a sensory perceptible notification mechanism that is activated as a result of the event to notify the user.

3. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism comprises a light.

4. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism comprises a dialog box presented on the display.

5. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism comprises an audio generator.

6. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism comprises a vibration device.

7. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification system also has a deactivation mechanism to deactivate the notification mechanism.

8. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism comprises a light emitting diode (LED) and the notification system further comprises a button integrated with the LED to deactivate the LED.

9. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein the notification system supports a graphical user interface which enables a user to set notification options specifying how the notification mechanism is to operate.

10. A portable handheld computing device as recited in claim 2 wherein:

the graphical user interface provided by the operating system has a taskbar and the event relates to the application; and

the notification system places a taskbar annunciator in the taskbar, which upon actuation, starts the application responsible for the event.