Method for entering commands and/or characters for a portable communication device equipped with a tilt sensor

• US 7,562,459 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fourquin, Xavier, Balley, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): BENNETT, GEORGE B
• Application Number:
  US11/649,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 3336611-36627, 340/689, 702/85, 702/87, 702/94, 702/150, 702/151, 702/154
• US Class Current: 33/366.11
• 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 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: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for entering commands and/or characters for a portable communication device equipped with an input device comprising a tilt sensor, including the steps of determining a motion of the portable communication device through measurements of the tilt sensor calculated in reference to a neutral position of said tilt sensor; and deducing from said motion an associated command and/or character. According to the disclosure, the method further includes a preliminary calibration step triggered by a user of the portable communication device, consisting in defining the neutral position as being the current position of the sensor at the time of triggering the calibration step.

Claims

1. A method for entering commands and/or characters for a portable communication device equipped with an input device comprising a tilt sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a motion of said portable communication device through measurements of said tilt sensor calculated in reference to a neutral position of said tilt sensor;

deducing from said motion an associated command and/or character,

said method being characterized in that it further comprises a preliminary calibration step triggered by a user of said portable communication device, consisting in defining said neutral position as being the current position of the sensor at the time of triggering said calibration step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said preliminary calibration step is triggered by the user upon actuation of a key.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said preliminary calibration step is triggered by the user upon predetermined gesture of the user detected by said tilt sensor.

4. The method according to any of claims 1, 2, and 3, further comprising a step of displaying on a screen of said portable communication device, a first visual indication of said neutral position, and a second visual indication of any further current position of the device.