Method and apparatus for composing an illumination pattern

• US 6,897,787 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bye, Roger, Colorado, Rafael
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk, Samuel J.
• Application Number:
  US10/329,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20040119601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.4, 340/7.51, 340/7.55, 340/309.2, 340/307.5, 340/7.54, 315/131, 315/132, 315/133, 349/61, 349/69, 349/83, 455/566, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 340/815.4
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/224 Paging receivers with visible signalling details
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/039 Selective or different modes of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

A method and apparatus for composing an illumination pattern includes a user interface (102) capable of receiving input commands (106), wherein the input commands (106) are directed to the selection of at least one illumination region (148, 150, 152 and 154). The method and apparatus further includes a processor (104) coupled to the user interface (102) to receive the user input (106) and thereupon generate input signals (108), which provided to the processor (104). The processor (104), in response to the input signals (108) thereupon generates an illumination pattern, wherein illumination pattern includes a plurality of illumination commands for a selected region (240), a selected color (244) for the selected region (240), and a timing (246) for the illumination of the selected region (240) at the selected color (244).

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a user interface capable of receiving a user input, wherein the user input is directed to the selection of one of a plurality of illumination regions and selected illumination timing for each selected illumination region and the user interface thereupon generates an input signal; and

a processor operably coupled to receive the input signal and thereupon generate an illumination pattern among the selected illumination regions, wherein the illumination pattern is associated with one portable device action.

2. The portable device of claim 1 farther comprising:

a memory capable of storing at least one illumination pattern, wherein the illumination pattern defines at least one region color and an illumination frequency; and

the plurality of illumination regions.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the user defined illumination pattern includes at least a plurality of region indicators, at least one color indicator and at least one timing indicator for each selected illumination region.

4. The portable device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of illumination regions include at least one of the following:

a perimeter region, a display region, a keypad region and a navigation button region.

5. The portable device of claim 1 further comprising:

a central processor capable of associating at least one of the plurality of illumination patterns with a portable device action, wherein the portable device action includes at least one of the following;

receiving an incoming message, receiving an incoming call, detecting external sound.

6. The portable device of claim 1 wherein the illumination region includes at least one light emitting diode capable of producing a plurality of colors in response to the region color.

26. The portable device of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to generate the illumination pattern during the portable device action.

7. A method for composing an illumination pattern comprising:

receiving at least one region indicator to indicate a plurality of selected illumination regions;

receiving at least one color indicator;

receiving at least one timing indicator for each selected illumination region; and

generating an illumination pattern for a portable device action based on the at least one region indicator, the at least one color indicator and the at least one timing indicator.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising

receiving an inter-region indicator;

and

generating the illumination pattern including the inter-region indicator.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

storing the illumination pattern within a memory device.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

associating the illumination pattern with a portable device activity.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the illumination pattern may be transmittable with communication information.

12. An apparatus for composing an illumination pattern comprising:

a display device such that the display device displays an illumination pattern composer menu;

a plurality of illumination regions; and

an input device capable of receiving a user input including selected illumination timing through the illumination pattern composer menu to create an illumination pattern providing for the selective illumination among at least one of the plurality of illumination regions according to one portable device action.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a memory capable of storing the illumination pattern; and

a processor operably coupled to the memory such that the processor may provide for the display of the illumination pattern.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the illumination pattern composer menu requests a first input selection for a first selected region which includes at least one of the plurality of illumination regions, the illumination pattern composer requests a second input selection for a color of the first selected region and a third input selection for a threshold of the first selected region.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the illumination pattern composer menu requests a fourth input selection for selecting a second selected region which includes at least one of the plurality of illumination regions and the illumination pattern composer menu requests a fifth input selection for selecting a threshold between the first selected region an the second selected region.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the display device and input device are disposed within a portable device.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein illumination regions include at least one of the following:

a perimeter region, a display region, a keypad region and a navigation button region.

18. An apparatus for composing an illumination pattern comprising:

a user interface capable of receiving at least one input command;

a memory device storing executable instructions; and

a processor that composes the illumination pattern associated with one portable device activity, wherein the processor, in response to the executable instructions;

receives a first input of a first selected region which includes at least one of a plurality of illumination regions;

receives a second input of a color for the first selected region; and

receives a third input of a timing indicator for the first selected region.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processor, in response to the executable instructions:

receives a fourth input of a second selected region which includes at least one of the plurality of illumination regions;

receives a fifth input of a color for the second selected region;

receives a sixth input of a timing for the second selected region; and

receives a seventh input of an inter-region timing between the first selected region and the second selected region.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the user interface, the memory device and the processor are disposed within a portable device and once the illumination pattern has been composed, the processor, in response to the executable instructions:

associates the illumination pattern with the portable device activity.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:

a transmitter operable coupled to the processor such that the composed illumination pattern may be transmitted with communication information.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the at least three illumination regions include at least one of the following:

a perimeter region, a display region, a keypad region and a navigation button region.

23. A portable device comprising:

a user interface capable of receiving a user input, wherein the user input is directed to the selection of one of a plurality of illumination regions including at least one of;

a perimeter region, a display region, a keypad region and a navigation button region, and selected illumination timing for each selected illumination region and in response, the user interface thereupon generates an input signal; and

a processor operably coupled to receive the input signal and thereupon generate an illumination pattern to selectively illuminate, according to the selected illumination timing, the selected illumination regions, wherein the illumination pattern is associated with one portable device action.

24. The portable device of claim 23 wherein the portable device action includes at least one of the following:

receiving an incoming message, receiving an incoming call, detecting external sound.

25. The portable device of claim 23 wherein the processor is operable to generate the illumination pattern during the portable device action.