Function control method, and terminal device

• US 7,702,402 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone KK (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kusuda, Hirohisa, Yamazaki, Jun, Tsujino, Daisuke, Nishide, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US11/785,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/90, 700/76, 700/122, 700/29, 700/7, 700/56, 702/123, 702/173, 702/122, 702/177, 702/119, 345/184, 345/355, 345/169, 348/14.15, 348/199, 455/550.1, 455/566
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• 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 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

When, from a standby screen of a terminal device, a user depresses a motion key (S11) and performs a registered movement (S13), a sensor unit observes the movement of the terminal device, and a movement parameter calculation unit calculates a movement parameter. A movement parameter change decision unit decides (S15 and S16) whether or not a change of the movement parameter which is calculated, and a change of the movement parameter corresponding to a predetermined function registered in advance, agrees with one another. If the result of this decision is affirmative, a function control unit starts the corresponding function (S17). As a result, it is possible to set the terminal device to a state in which the predetermined function can be employed, with a simple and easily remembered actuation.

Claims

1. A function control method for controlling the function of a terminal device, comprising:

a movement parameter calculation process of calculating the value of a movement parameter of said terminal device, based upon a value detected by a sensor which detects a state of movement of said terminal device, wherein values of accelerations in the X direction and the Y direction, and values of magnetic fields in the X, Y and Z directions are detected by the sensor and a roll angle, a pitch angle, an X direction acceleration and a Y direction acceleration are calculated using the values detected;

a movement parameter decision process of deciding whether or not the value of the movement parameter calculated by said movement parameter calculation process corresponds to an allocated motion shortcut, wherein Dynamic Programming Matching is carried out to determine if the value of the movement parameter corresponds to the allocated motion shortcut; and

a function setting process of, if an affirmative decision is reached in said movement parameter decision process, setting a predetermined function which corresponds to said allocated motion shortcut to a state in which it can be utilized.

2. A function control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that said movement parameter is parameters including an acceleration and an attitude angle of said terminal device.

3. A function control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that said motion shortcut is determined by combining at least one movement with another movement which are determined in advance.

4. A function control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that said predetermined function is a function which can be set to a state in which it can be used, by command input from an operation unit of said terminal device.

5. A function control method as described in claim 4, characterized in that a command input for releasing security is included in the command input from said operation unit.

6. A terminal device, comprising:

a sensor unit which acquires information necessary for calculating the value of a movement parameter;

a movement parameter calculation unit which calculates a value of the movement parameter from the value detected by said sensor unit;

a movement parameter decision unit which decides whether or not the value of said movement parameter which has been calculated corresponds to an allocate d motion shortcut; and

a function control unit which, if an affirmative decision is reached by said movement parameter decision unit, sets a predetermined function which corresponds to said allocated motion shortcut to a state in which it can be utilized, wherein

values of accelerations in the X direction and the Y direction, and values of magnetic fields in the X, Y and Z directions are detected by the sensor unit and a roll angle, a pitch angle, an X direction acceleration and a Y direction acceleration are calculated by the movement parameter calculation unit using the values detected; and

Dynamic Programming Matching is carried out to determine if the value of the movement parameter corresponds to said allocated motion shortcut.

7. A terminal device as described in claim 6, characterized by further comprising an operation unit, and in that said predetermined function is set to a state in which it can be used, by command input from said operation unit.

8. A terminal device as described in claim 6, characterized by further comprising a wireless communication unit for communicating with a base station of a mobile communication net.