Dual module portable devices

• US 8,121,640 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Russ, V. Kevin, Snavely, John A., Burtner, Edwin R., Sands, Ian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh
• Application Number:
  US12/407,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 455/455.1, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 345/173
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• 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: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A dual module portable device may be provided. A motion of a first module of the dual module portable device may be detected. Based at least in part on the detected motion, a position of the first module may be determined relative to the second module of the portable device. Once the relative position of the first module has been determined, a portion of a user interface associated with the relative position may be displayed at the first module.

Claims

1. A dual module portable device comprising:

a first module having a first display, the first module being operative to;

detect a first motion of the first module,

determine a first location relative to a second module based at least in part on the detected first motion,

determine a first operation associated with at least one of;

the first location and the first motion, and

execute the first operation on at least one of;

the first module and the second module; and

the second module having a second display, the second module being operative to;

detect a second motion of the second module,

determine a second location relative to the first module based at least in part on the detected second motion,

determine a second operation associated with at least one of;

the second location and the second motion, and

execute the second operation on at least one of;

the first module and the second module.

2. The dual module portable device of claim 1, wherein the first module is further operative to provide at least a first portion of voice and data services operative to communicate a video stream, and

wherein the second module is further operative to provide at least a second portion of the voice and data services operative to communicate an audio stream.

3. The dual module portable device of claim 1, wherein the first module comprises at least one first accelerometer and is further operative to:

receive a first reading from the at least one first accelerometer, and

communicate wirelessly the received first reading to the second module, and

wherein the second module comprises at least one second accelerometer is further operative to;

receive a second reading from the at least one second accelerometer, and

communicate wirelessly the received second reading to the first module.

4. The dual module portable device of claim 3, wherein the first module is further operative to:

receive wirelessly the second reading from second first module, and

calculate a proximity to the second module based at least in part on the received second reading and the first location, and

wherein the second module is further operative to;

receive wirelessly the first reading from the first module, and

calculate the proximity to the first module based at least in part on the received first reading and the second location.

5. The dual module portable device of claim 4, wherein the first module is operative to determine the first operation based on the calculated proximity to the second module, and

wherein the second module is operative to determine the second operation based on the calculated proximity to the first module.

6. The dual module portable device of claim 4, wherein the first module is further operative to display at least a first portion of a user interface based on at least one of:

the calculated proximity and the first location, and

wherein the second module is further operative to display at least a second portion of the user interface based on at least one of;

the calculated proximity and the second location.

7. The dual module portable device of claim 1, wherein the first module and the second module are designed to be physically combined with each other in order to form a combined module via magnetic attraction.

8. The dual module portable device of claim 7, wherein the combined module forms a continuous display comprised of the first display and the second display.

9. The dual module portable device of claim 7, wherein the combined module comprises the first display on a front side of the combined module and the second display on a backside of the combined module.

10. The dual module portable device of claim 7, wherein the first module is further operative to display at least one object, and wherein the second module is operative to display contextual data relevant to the at least one object.

11. A method for operating a dual module device, the method comprising:

determining a location of the dual module device;

displaying a user interface associated with the location, the user interface comprising a first display at a first module of the dual module device and a second display at a second module of the dual module device;

determining a first position of the first module of the dual module device relative to the second module of the dual module portable device;

modifying the first display of the user interface to provide a first segment of the user interface associated with the first position;

determining a second position of the second module of the dual module device relative to the first module of the dual module portable device; and

modifying the second display of the user interface to provide a second segment of the user interface associated with the second position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the user interface associated with the location comprises displaying an interactive map associated with the location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the first position of the first module of the dual module device relative to the second module of the dual module device and determining the second position of the second module of the dual module device relative to the first module of the dual module device comprise:

receiving a first accelerometer reading from the first module of the dual module device,

receiving a second accelerometer reading from the second module of the dual module device, and

calculating a proximity from the first module of the dual module device to the second module of the dual module device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a motion of the first module of the dual module device relative to the second module of the dual module device; and

manipulating, in response to detecting the motion, the first display of the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein manipulating, in response to detecting the motion, the first display of the user interface comprises at least one of the following:

zooming into first display of the user interface,

zooming out of the first display of the user interface, and

rotating the first display of the user interface.