Handheld device with tract input function

• US 6,991,162 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qisda Corporation
• Original Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Tso-Chia
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US11/001,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 235/440, 235/472, 235/439, 235/470, 235/462.01, 235/462.45, 235/462.49
• US Class Current: 235/440
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A handheld device with tract input function, which allows a user to move the whole handheld device for generating input data for the handheld device itself. The handheld device includes a sensor disposed on the handheld device for detecting the movement of the handheld device to output a displacement signal; a micro-controller coupled to the sensor to generate a tract signal in response to the displacement signal; an identifier coupled to the micro-controller to identify the tract signal for outputting at least a corresponding symbol for the user to select as the input data; a display device disposed on the handheld device; and a memory for storing the input data. The display device displays at least the corresponding symbol for the user to select as the input data corresponding to a desired symbol.

Claims

1. A handheld device with tract input function, the handheld device comprising:

an optical sensor disposed on the handheld device for detecting the movement of the handheld device to output a displacement signal when the handheld device is set for generating input data according to the movement of the handheld device by a user;

a micro-controller coupled to the optical sensor to generate a tract signal in response to the displacement signal;

an identifier coupled to the micro-controller to selectively identify the tract signal for outputting at least a corresponding symbol according to the tract signal for the user to select as the input data;

a display device disposed on the handheld device and coupled to the micro-controller; and

a memory for storing the input data;

wherein when the handheld device is in a text mode and the whole handheld device is moved in a way corresponding to a desired symbol, the identifier outputs said at least the corresponding symbol and the display device displays said at least the corresponding symbol for the user to select as the input data corresponding to the desired symbol;

whereby the handheld device selectively serves as an input device for the handheld device through the movement of the whole handheld device by the user.

2. The handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor generates the displacement signal in response to reflections from a plane when the handheld device moves thereon parallelly.

3. The handheld device according to claim 1, further comprising a recognition button, wherein when the user presses the recognition button, the micro-controller generates the tract signal, and when the user releases the recognition button, the micro-controller stops outputting the tract signal.

4. The handheld device according to claim 1, further comprising a control interface for controlling the display, wherein if the identifier fails to identify the tract signal, a plurality of symbols possibly corresponding to the tract signal is shown on the display for the user to select.

5. The handheld device according to claim 1, wherein when the handheld device is in a graphic mode, the tract signal corresponding to the movement of the handheld is stored in the memory as a graph file.

6. A tract input method utilizing a handheld device with tract input function comprising:

an optical sensor disposed on the handheld device for detecting the movement of the handheld device to output a displacement signal when the handheld device is set for generating input data according to the movement of the handheld device by a user, a micro-controller coupled to the optical sensor to generate a tract signal in response to the displacement signal;

an identifier coupled to the micro-controller to selectively identify the tract signal for outputting at least a corresponding symbol according to the tract signal for the user to select as the input data, a display device disposed on the handheld and coupled to the micro-controller, a memory for storing the input data, wherein when the handheld device is in a text mode and the whole handheld device is moved in a way corresponding to a desired symbol, the identifier outputs said at least the corresponding a symbol and the display device displays said at least the corresponding symbol for the user to select as the input data corresponding to the desired symbol, whereby the handheld device selectively serves as an input device for the handheld device through the movement of the whole handheld device by the user, the method comprising;

a. moving the optical sensor of the handheld device so as to generate a tract signal to display on the display instantly;

b. outputting at least one corresponding symbol by identifying the tract signal, proceeding to step c if more than one symbol is identified, otherwise, proceeding to step d;

c. if the symbols comprising a desired symbol, proceeding to step c1, otherwise, proceeding to step a;

c1. selecting the desired symbol from the symbols as the input data, saving the desired symbol and ending the method; and

d. saving the symbol as the input data if the symbol is the desired symbol.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein step b further comprises the following step:

Identifying the at least one symbol according to a tract signal list.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the symbol is a graph.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the symbol is a character.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the following steps:

setting an operation mode to be a text mode or a graphic mode, sequentially performing step a and step b if the text mode is adopted, and sequentially performing step a and step e if the graphic mode is adopted; and

e. saving the tract signal as a graph file.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the graph file is compressed and saved.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the graph file is compressed according to TIFF format.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the graph file is compressed according to JPEG format.

14. A handheld device with tract input function, the handheld device comprising:

an acceleration sensor disposed on the handheld device for detecting the movement of the handheld device to output a displacement signal when the handheld device is set for generating input data according to the movement of the handheld device by a user;

a micro-controller coupled to the acceleration sensor to generate a tract signal in response to the displacement signal;

an identifier coupled to the micro-controller to selectively identify the tract signal for outputting at least a corresponding symbol according to the tract signal for the user to select as the input data;

a display device disposed on the handheld device and coupled to the micro-controller; and

a memory for storing the input data;

wherein when the handheld device is in a text mode and the whole handheld device is moved in a way corresponding to a desired symbol, the identifier outputs said at least the corresponding symbol and the display device displays said at least the corresponding symbol for the user to select as the input data corresponding to the desired symbol;

whereby the handheld device selectively serves as an input device for the handheld device through the movement of the whole handheld device by the user.

15. The handheld device according to claim 14, further comprising a recognition button, wherein when the user presses the recognition button, the micro-controller generates the tract signal, and when the user releases the recognition button, the micro-controller stops outputting the tract signal.

16. The handheld device according to claim 14, wherein the displacement signal comprises a direction signal and an acceleration signal, the micro-controller determines extending direction of the tract signal according to the direction signal and determines extending length of the tract signal according to the acceleration signal.

17. The handheld device according to claim 14, further comprising a control interface for controlling the display device, wherein if the identifier fails to identify the tract signal, a plurality of symbols possibly corresponding to the tract signal are shown on the display via the control interface for the user to select.

18. The handheld device according to claim 14, wherein the acceleration sensor is the Dual Axis iMEMS®

Accelerometers of the Analog Device Company.

19. The handheld device according to claim 14, wherein the identifier identifies English letters according to the Graffiti®

transcription input method.

20. The handheld device according to claim 14, wherein when the handheld device is in a graphic mode, the tract signal corresponding to the movement of the handheld is stored in the memory as a graph file.