Garment for controlling an electronic device

• US 7,684,755 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pierce, William S, Oswald, Gary J
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan; Yuwen
• Application Number:
  US11/467,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20080056508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 290/5, 2 9/6, 381/301, 381/333, 381/388
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2200/20 Hoods
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/023 Transducers incorporated in garment, rucksacks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/905 Electric

Abstract

Disclosed is a garment (102) made of a particular type of material, the garment can include a garment appendage (104, 108, 110, 112) and a sensor (114, 116) coupled to the garment appendage with the sensor configured to detect activation of the garment appendage. The garment can further include a controller (126) coupled to the sensor, with the controller configured to control a function of an electronic device based on activation of the garment appendage when sensed by the sensor. Also disclosed is a method of a garment as described above, the method including activating the garment appendage so that the sensor detects the activation, and processing a signal from the sensor by the controller to that the controller controls a function of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A garment made of a particular type of material, the garment comprising:

a garment appendage comprising substantially the same type of material as the garment as a whole, the garment appendage includes at least one drawstring;

a sensor coupled to the garment appendage, the sensor being configured to detect movement of the garment appendage; and

a controller coupled to the sensor;

the controller is configured to control a function of an electronic device based on movement of the garment appendage when sensed by the sensor, the electronic device includes volume control and the function includes controlling volume by operation of at least one drawstring.

2. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment appendage includes a hood and wherein the garment further comprises at least one speaker coupled to the hood.

3. The garment of claim 2 wherein the function comprises suppressing audio output of the at least one speaker.

4. The garment of claim 2 wherein the electronic device includes an audio storage and playback device and the function is further includes initiating audio playback through the speaker.

5. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment appendage further includes a flap.

6. The garment of claim 1 wherein the electronic device further includes a microphone coupled to the garment appendage and the function further includes activating the microphone.

7. The garment of claim 1 wherein the garment is a sweatshirt.

8. The garment of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a Bluetooth accessory and the function is communicating with a different electronic device.

9. A sweatshirt comprising:

a sweatshirt body;

a sweatshirt hood coupled to the sweatshirt body;

at least one speaker coupled to the sweatshirt hood;

at least one sensor coupled to the hood, the sensor configured to detect activation of the hood; and

a controller coupled to the sensor, the controller configured to control an audio function based on the activation of the hood.

10. The sweatshirt according to claim 9, wherein:

the sensor is further configured to detect activation of the hood by detecting an up position and a down position of the hood, and

the controller controls an audio function based on the position of the hood.

11. The sweatshirt according to claim 10, wherein the audio function comprises at least one of a mute function and a cellular communication send function.

12. The sweatshirt according to claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor comprises two sensors, wherein the two sensors detect an activation of the hood based on a detected distance between the sensors.

13. The sweatshirt according to claim 9, wherein the hood includes drawstrings coupled to the hood, and

wherein the sensor detects activation of the hood by detecting operation of the drawstrings.

14. The sweatshirt according to claim 13, wherein the audio function comprises a volume control.

15. The sweatshirt according to claim 9, wherein the controller includes a Bluetooth module configured to send and receive short range wireless communication signals.

16. The sweatshirt according to claim 9, further comprises a microphone coupled to the controller.

17. A method of a garment made of a particular type of material, the garment having at least one garment appendage comprising substantially the same type of material as the garment as a whole, the garment appendage comprising a sensor, the garment comprising a controller coupled to the sensor and an electronic device, the method comprising:

activating the garment appendage including at least one drawstring, so that the sensor detects the activation; and

processing a signal from the sensor by the controller so that the controller controls a function of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes volume control and the function includes controlling volume by operation of at least one drawstring.

18. A method of claim 17 wherein the function of the electronic device comprises:

communicating via a Bluetooth protocol with a different electronic device.