Scrolling system of a display image

• US 6,433,793 B1
• Filed: 04/15/1999
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ootsuka, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, CAM Y T
• Application Number:
  US09/291,310
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825, 345/156, 345/157, 345/184, 345/672, 345/684, 345/685, 345/687, 345/158
• US Class Current: 345/684
• 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 1/1694 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

Abstract

A system of scrolling displayed letters of a portable terminal device which is markedly improved in scrolling operations. Letters displayed in the display unit are scrolled upon shaking the portable telephone in the shaking direction detected by a shake movement detection device.

Claims

1. A portable telephone terminal device equipped with a display unit having a screen comprising:

first and second shake movement detectors each for detecting the direction of shaking said terminal device parallel to or perpendicular to one axis of said screen,

wherein said first and second shake movement detectors detect the shaking direction upon shaking of said portable telephone terminal device by a user, and

wherein said display unit has a driving circuit which scrolls an image displayed on the screen along the shaking direction,

wherein each of said first and second shake movement detectors comprise;

a cylinder,

an electrically conductive cylindrical member received within said cylinder with both ends of the same being retained by elastic members,

first and second electrode pairs directly fixed to both ends of the cylinder, and

a signal generation circuit providing a shake movement detection signal for each of said first and second electrode pairs.

2. The portable telephone terminal device as defined in claim 1, which further comprises:

a timer for controlling electric power of said display unit to turn off upon detecting that there is neither shake movement detected by any of said first and second shake movement detectors nor operation of a scrolling button during a predetermined period of time.

3. The portable telephone terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein upon halting said device immediately after shaking said device in one direction, said electrically conductive cylinder member is electrically connected at first to said first electrode pair disposed opposite to the direction of said shaking, and then connected to the second electrode pair to output said shake movement detection signals.

4. The portable telephone terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said signal generation circuit outputs said shake movement detection signal only for the first shaking direction even when said electrically conductive member repeatedly comes into contact wig said first and second electrode pairs.

5. A scroll controlling system, comprising:

a display for displaying an image on a portable terminal device;

a shake movement detector for detecting a shaking direction of said portable terminal device upon shaking of said portable terminal device; and

control means for scrolling the display image, wherein a scroll direction is dependent on the shaking direction,

wherein said shake movement detector comprises;

a cylinder;

an electrically conductive cylindrical member received within said cylinder with both ends of said electrically conductive cylindrical member being retained by elastic members;

a first and second pair of electrodes fixed to first and second ends of the cylinder, respectively; and

a signal generation circuit providing a shake movement detection signal for each electrode pair when said portable terminal device is shaken and said electrically conductive cylindrical member slides within said cylinder and makes contact with one of said first and second pairs of electrodes.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein upon halting said portable terminal device immediately after shaking in one direction, said electrically conductive member is electrically connected at first to said first pair of electrodes positioned opposite to the direction of said shaking, and Then moved by said elastic members to be connected to said second electrode pair to output said shake movement detection signals.

7. The system as defined in claim 5 wherein the signal generation circuit only detects a first shaking direction during a period of time even when said electrically conductive member repeatedly comes into contact with said first or second pairs of electrodes.

8. A communication device comprising:

a hand-held display for displaying information;

a vertical motion detector positioned in said communication device parallel with a vertical axis of said display for outputting a shake signal when said display is shaken in a vertical direction;

a horizontal motion detector positioned in said communication device parallel with a horizontal axis of said display outputting a shake signal when said display is shaken in a horizontal direction;

a direction analyzing circuit for receiving said shake signals from said vertical motion detector and said horizontal motion detector for outputting a scroll direction signal; and

display driving means for scrolling said information displayed on said display in a direction according to said scroll direction signal,

wherein each of said vertical and horizontal motion detectors comprise;

a hollow cylinder having a first and a second end;

a first pair of contacts at said first end and a second pair of contacts at said second end;

a slidable member elastically biased near a center position within said hollow cylinder,

wherein when said display is shaken in a direction parallel to a central axis of said hollow cylinder said slidable member slides to one of said first and second ends to make contact with one of said first and second pair of contacts to output said shake signal.

9. A communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein said direction analyzing circuit output only one scroll direction during a predetermined time period even if said slidable member again slides into one of said first and second ends.

10. A communication device as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a timer circuit for cutting power from said display if neither horizontal motion detector or vertical motion detector detect that said display has been shaken for a predetermined period of time.