Information communication terminal with acceleration sensor

• US 7,924,656 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshino, Yukiko
• Primary Examiner(s): KAYES, SEAN PHILLIP
• Application Number:
  US12/374,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 368107-109, 368/11, 340/669
• US Class Current: 368/244
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 21/36 Signal repeating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/02 at preselected times, e.g. alarm clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• 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

An information communication terminal with a report function for use in the alarm includes the report function for awakening. However, since an operation required to stop the report function is performed in an operation unit, there is a risk that the user who is not in wakefulness makes an operation error. Using the information communication terminal including a sensor capable of detecting that the information communication terminal is shaken, a notification operation at a set time in the report function is controlled. Also, a control unit of the information communication terminal performs various kinds of control for the notification operation by partitioning vibration information detected by this sensor according to various patterns.

Claims

1. An information communication terminal comprising:

an acceleration detection means unit which detects vibration occurring on the information communication terminal to generate vibration information;

a timer which detects presence or absence of reaching a predetermined time;

a notification means unit which performs a predetermined notification operation at the predetermined time; and

a control means unit which controls the notification means unit by receiving the vibration information;

wherein the control moans unit receiving a notification of reaching the predetermined time from the timing moans timer instructs the notification means unit to perform the notification operation, and stops the notification operation based on the vibration information generated by the acceleration detection means unit during execution of the notification operation,

wherein the information communication terminal further comprises;

a storage unit which stores a setting pattern of the presence or absence of generating the vibration information for each partitioned time, in which the control unit compares a vibration pattern based on the vibration information generated by the acceleration detection unit during execution of the notification operation and the setting pattern stored in the storage unit, and if there is a match, stops the notification operation.

2. The information communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the setting pattern includes a generation duration time of the vibration information.

3. The information communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control means unit transits to a re-notification setting state of repeating the notification operation again after a predetermined time after stopping the notification operation.

4. The information communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the control unit cancels the re-notification setting based on the vibration information and the setting pattern during execution of the re-notification setting.

5. The information communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit and an input unit which sets a vibration input mode of stopping the notification operation based on the vibration information and an operation unit input mode of stopping the notification operation based on the input into the operation unit, in which the control unit detects beforehand the vibration input mode or operation unit input mode in stopping the notification operation, and detects the vibration information from the acceleration detection unit or information from the operation unit based on the detection result.

6. The information communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to stop the notification operation and make the re-notification setting for performing the re-notification operation upon detecting a first vibration information, and cancel the re-notification setting upon detecting a second vibration information.

7. The information communication terminal according to, claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to stop the notification operation upon detecting a third vibration information.

8. A report function control method comprising:

for an information communication terminal with a sensor for detecting vibration occurring on the information communication terminal to generate vibration information, performing a notification operation as a report function when a predetermined time is reached;

stopping the notification operation if a control unit of the information communication terminal detects specific first vibration information during execution of the notification operation; and

stopping the notification operation if there is a match when the control unit compares a vibration pattern based on the vibration information generated during execution of the notification operation and a pre-stored setting pattern.

9. The report function control method according to claim 8, further comprising making the re-notification setting for performing the notification operation again after stopping the notification operation, and canceling the re-notification setting if the control unit detects the second vibration information after stopping the notification operation.

10. The report function control method according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the notification operation in accordance with a period of duration of the vibration information.

11. The report function control method according to claim 10, wherein the control of the notification operation is performed by selecting any of two modes, a vibration input mode using the vibration information detected by the sensor and an operation unit input mode using an operation unit provided for the information communication terminal, whereby the control unit monitors the sensor or the operation unit in accordance with the selected mode.

12. An information communication terminal comprising:

acceleration detection means for detecting vibration occurring on the information communication terminal to generate vibration information;

timing means for detecting presence or absence of reaching a predetermined time;

notification means for performing a predetermined notification operation at the predetermined time; and

control means for controlling the notification means by receiving the vibration information;

wherein the control means receiving a notification of reaching the predetermined time from the timing means instructs the notification means to perform the notification operation, and stops the notification operation based on the vibration information generated by the acceleration detection means during execution of the notification operation,

and wherein the information communication terminal further comprises;

storage means for storing a setting pattern of the presence or absence of generating the vibration information for each partitioned time, in which the control means compares a vibration pattern based on the vibration information generated by the acceleration detection means during execution of the notification operation and the setting pattern stored in the storage means, and if there is a match, stops the notification operation.