Wireless handheld device and method with remote GUI control

• US 8,049,723 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Simon, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOYD, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/306,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20070139373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,142 Days
• Field of Search: 345163-166, 455/41.2, 4555501-566
• US Class Current: 345/163
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A wireless handheld device is disclosed that includes a device housing, a wireless transmitter, such as a short range wireless transmitter, a local display and a housing motion detector that is operative to detect motion of the housing, for example, relative to a surface or other reference point, and outputs graphic user interface control information for transmission by the wireless transmitter to an external device. In one embodiment, a wireless pointing device is operably coupled with a wireless handheld device such as a cell phone or any other suitable wireless handheld device that includes a short range wireless transmitter and/or transceiver to remotely control operation of a graphic user interface for an external device. The housing motion detector utilizes the battery power of the wireless handheld device as its sole source of power or as an auxiliary source of power.

Claims

1. A wireless handheld device comprising:

a device comprising a wireless transmitter, a battery, a device connector and a local display; and

a housing structure adapted to hold the device and comprising a housing motion detector and a connector adapted to couple to the device connector, the housing motion detector operative to obtain power from the battery via the connector and the device connector, to detect motion of the device and to provide graphic user interface control information to the wireless transmitter via the connector and the device connector for transmission to an external device,

wherein the housing structure further includes a flip arm comprising at least one select button operative to provide graphic user interface control information associated with the housing motion detector.

2. The wireless handheld device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises wireless telephone circuitry.

3. The wireless handheld device of claim 1, the device further comprising a display pointing device operatively coupled to provide graphic user interface control information for the local display.

4. The wireless handheld device of claim 1 wherein the housing motion detector includes at least one of an infrared pointing device and a non-infrared pointing device.

5. The wireless handheld device of claim 1 wherein the housing structure comprises a base underlying said device and wherein said flip arm has a first position overlying said device and a second position flipped away from said device.

6. The wireless handheld device of claim 5 wherein the housing structure further includes a plurality of sidewalls having portions adapted to engage with the device.

7. The wireless handheld device of claim 6 wherein said flip arm is hinged to one of said plurality of side walls.

8. The wireless handheld device of claim 5 wherein said flip arm is located so as to overlie said local display when in said first position.

9. The wireless handheld device of claim 5 wherein said select button is positioned on said flip arm such that, when said flip arm is in said first position, said select button faces away from said local display.

10. The wireless handheld device of claim 1 wherein the housing structure further includes an endwall containing said connector.

11. The wireless handheld device of claim 1 including at least one hotkey operative to enable a user to switch between a mouse mode that transmits graphic user interface control information based on the housing motion detector and a non-mouse mode.

12. A method for providing graphic user interface control information comprising:

obtaining power for a housing motion detector from a battery of a handheld device via a connector operatively coupled to the housing motion detector and to a device connector of the handheld device;

detecting motion of the handheld device by the housing motion detector and activation of at least one select button on a flip arm of a housing structure supporting the housing motion detector to provide graphic user interface control information; and

providing the graphic user interface control information from the housing motion detector to a wireless transmitter of the handheld device via the connector and the device connector for transmission of the graphic user interface control information to a device that is remote from the handheld device.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

switching between a mouse mode that transmits the graphic user interface control information and a non-mouse mode.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the handheld device includes cell phone circuitry and wherein the non-mouse mode is a cell phone mode.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising switching between a display pointing device located within the handheld device and the housing motion detector based on whether the handheld device is in a remote mouse mode or a non-remote mouse mode.

16. A pointing device comprising:

a housing structure adapted to hold a handheld device therein, the housing structure further comprising a motion detector operative to provide graphic user interface control information, a connector operative to electrically couple with a device connector of the handheld device to obtain battery power therefrom and to provide the graphic user interface control information to a wireless transmitter of the handheld device, and a flip arm having at least one select button operative to provide the graphic user interface control information.

17. The pointing device of claim 16 wherein the housing structure comprises a base for underlying said device and wherein said flip arm has a first position overlying said base and a second position flipped away from said base.

18. The pointing device of claim 17 wherein said select button is located on said flip arm such that when said flip arm is in said first position, said select button faces away from said base.

19. The pointing device of claim 17 wherein said base portion contains the motion detector and wherein the structure adapted to hold the handheld device further comprises:

a plurality of sidewalls, in operative connection with the base portion, having portions adapted to engage with the handheld device.

20. The pointing device of claim 19 wherein the flip arm is hinged to one of said plurality of side walls.

21. The pointing device of claim 16 wherein the housing structure further includes an endwall and wherein said endwall contains said connector.

22. The pointing device of claim 16 wherein the housing motion detector includes at least one of an infrared pointing device and a non-infrared pointing device.