Light activated hold switch
First Claim
1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
- a control mechanism that provides an input mode and a hold mode for the portable electronic device;
one or more input devices for inputting into the portable electronic device; and
one or more sensors that provide cues for initiating an automatic hold feature, the automatic hold feature including switching between the input and hold modes based on the sensor output, the input devices being enabled when the portable electronic device is in the input mode, the input devices being disabled when the device is in the hold mode, wherein the one or more sensors is configured to monitor an outer surface of the portable electronic device to determine whether a user'"'"'s hand is contacting the outer surface of the device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic hold switch is disclosed. The automatic hold switch provides a means for automatically switching a hold feature on and off. When the hold feature is on, one or more input devices of a portable electronic device are disabled or prevented from providing input signals. When the hold feature is off, one or more input devices of a portable electronic device are enabled or allowed to provide input signals. Because the user no longer has to manually control the hold feature, the number of actions that need to be taken by the user is reduced. In one example, the automatic hold switch is embodied with light sensors that detect when the device is in a dark environment and when the device is in a light environment. A dark environment indicates to the portable electronic device that the user wishes not to input and therefore the hold feature is turned on. A lighted environment indicates to the portable electronic device that the user wishes to input and therefore the hold feature is turned off.
117 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
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a control mechanism that provides an input mode and a hold mode for the portable electronic device; one or more input devices for inputting into the portable electronic device; and one or more sensors that provide cues for initiating an automatic hold feature, the automatic hold feature including switching between the input and hold modes based on the sensor output, the input devices being enabled when the portable electronic device is in the input mode, the input devices being disabled when the device is in the hold mode, wherein the one or more sensors is configured to monitor an outer surface of the portable electronic device to determine whether a user'"'"'s hand is contacting the outer surface of the device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 21)
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6. A method of operating a portable electronic device, comprising:
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monitoring environmental conditions, wherein monitoring includes monitoring an outer surface of the portable electronic device to determine whether a user'"'"'s hand is contacting the outer surface of the device; determining whether a triggering event should be initiated based on the environmental conditions; and changing the portable electronic device from a first mode to a second mode when the triggering event is initiated. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 22)
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9. A method of operating a portable electronic device, comprising:
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monitoring environmental conditions, wherein the step of monitoring includes monitoring ambient light surrounding the portable electronic device; determining whether a triggering event should be initiated based on the environmental conditions, wherein the step of determining includes initiating the triggering event when the ambient light level reaches a certain level or when the ambient light level changes a certain amount; and changing the portable electronic device from a first mode to a second mode when the triggering event is initiated, wherein the step of changing the modes of the portable electronic device includes automatically switching between an input mode where all or a select number of input devices are unlocked and a hold mode where all or a select number of input devices are locked based on the ambient light level. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method performed on a hand-held media player, comprising:
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determining if an auto hold feature is activated; measuring ambient light surrounding the hand-held media player; enabling one or more input devices of the hand-held media player when the ambient light level is high and the auto hold feature is activated; and disabling the one or more input device of the hand-held media player when the ambient light level is low and the auto hold feature is activated. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A portable hand held device, comprising:
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input devices for making inputs into the portable handheld device; output devices for outputting information from the portable handheld device; a plurality of sensors that provides information or cues that help predict the future use of the portable hand held device or anticipate the user'"'"'s needs associated with the portable handheld device so that the portable hand held device can be configured accordingly, each of the sensors being configured to measure different environmental conditions at the portable handheld device; and a control system operatively coupled to the input devices, output devices and sensors, the control system including a situational awareness module that obtains sensor data from the sensors and extracts control information from the sensor data, the situational awareness module including a mechanism that maps various functions to sensor events pulled from the sensor data, the functions being implemented when the sensor event or events associated therewith are performed. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification