Method and apparatus for controlling a computing system

• US 8,502,775 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elite Gaming Tech LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Orchard, John T., Uhlik, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M
• Application Number:
  US12/701,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 345/60, 345/76, 345/87, 345156-158, 345164-166, 345/169, 345901-903, 345173-179, 700/17, 700/28, 700/46, 700/83, 379/433.04, 382/276, 702150-151
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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: 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 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A handheld computing device is introduced comprising a motion detection sensor(s) and a motion control agent. The motion detection sensor(s) detect motion of the computing device in one or more of six (6) fields of motion and generate an indication of such motion. The motion control agent, responsive to the indications of motion received from the motion sensors, generate control signals to modify, one or more of the operating state and/or the displayed content of the computing device based, at least in part, on the received indications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sensing a combination motion of a device by a motion detection device;

generating, in response to said combination motion, a first control signal substantially related to said combination motion to modify content being displayed by the device;

receiving input related to a position of a pointer on a display screen from a pointing device;

generating, in response to the received input, a second control signal; and

controlling the display screen in response to the first control signal or the second control signal;

wherein said combination motion includes an initial motion in an initial direction sequentially followed by a complementary motion in a complementary direction;

wherein the initial motion or the complementary motion comprise motion in at least one of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion about x, y, or z planes or rotational motion about x, y, or z axes;

wherein sensing the combination motion further comprises;

sensing that the initial motion exceeds an initial motion threshold; and

sensing that the complementary motion exceeds a complementary motion threshold; and

wherein sensing the complementary motion further comprises sensing the complementary motion in a reverse direction to the initial direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes a touch screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first control signal includes generating a control signal to move a highlighted region from one icon to another icon on the display screen in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first control signal includes generating a control signal to invoke an application associated with an icon denoted by a highlight in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first control signal includes generating a control signal to display a subsequent page of content in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first control signal includes generating a control signal to scroll displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first control signal includes generating a control signal to zoom displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion detection device and the pointing device are simultaneously enabled.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion detection device is within the device.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

means for sensing a combination motion of a device;

means for generating, in response to said combination motion, at least one first control signal substantially related to said combination motion to modify content being displayed by the device;

means for receiving input related to a position of a pointer on a display screen from a pointing device;

means for generating, in response to the received input, at least one second control signal; and

means for controlling the display screen in response to the at least one first control signal or the at least one second control signal;

wherein said combination motion includes an initial motion in an initial direction and a complementary motion in a complementary direction;

wherein the initial motion or the complementary motion comprise motion in at least one of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion about x, y, or z planes or rotational motion about x, y, or z axes;

wherein the means for sensing said combination motion comprise;

means for sensing the initial motion exceeding an initial motion threshold; and

means for sensing the complementary motion exceeding a complementary motion threshold; and

wherein the means for sensing the complementary motion includes means for sensing the complementary motion in a reverse direction to the initial direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pointing device comprises a touch screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the at least one first control signal includes means for generating a control signal to move a highlighted region from one icon to another icon on the display screen in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the at least one first control signal includes means for generating a control signal to invoke an application associated with an icon denoted by a highlight in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the at least one first control signal includes means for generating a control signal to display a subsequent page of content in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the at least one first control signal includes means for generating a control signal to scroll displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the at least one first control signal includes means for generating a control signal to zoom displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for sensing said combination motion and the means for pointing are simultaneously enabled.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for sensing said combination motion are integral to the device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

sensing a combination motion of a device;

generating, in response to said combination motion, at least one first control signal substantially related to said combination motion to modify content being displayed by the device;

receiving, from a pointing device, input related to a position on a display screen pointed to by a pointer;

generating, in response to the received input, at least one second control signal; and

controlling the display screen in response to the at least one first control signal or the at least one second control signal;

wherein said combination motion includes an initial motion in an initial direction and a complementary motion in a complementary direction;

wherein the initial or complementary motions comprise motion in at least one of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion about x, y, or z planes or rotational motion about x, y, or z axes;

wherein sensing the combination motion comprises;

sensing that the initial motion exceeds an initial motion threshold; and

sensing that the complementary motion exceeds a complementary motion threshold; and

wherein the sensing the complementary motion includes sensing the complementary motion in a reverse direction to the initial direction.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating a control signal to move a highlighted region from one icon to another icon on the display screen in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating a control signal to invoke an application associated with an icon denoted by a highlight in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating a control signal to display a subsequent page of content in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating a control signal to scroll displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating a control signal to zoom displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the device and the pointing device are simultaneously enabled.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a motion detector configured to detect a combination motion of a device;

a position detector configured to generate a position signal by detecting a position on a display selected by a pointing device;

a controller configured to;

generate, in response to said combination motion, at least one first control signal substantially related to said combination motion to modify content being displayed by the device;

generate, in response to the position signal, at least one second control signal; and

control the display in response to the at least one first control signal or the at least one second control signal;

wherein said combination motion includes an initial motion in an initial direction and a complementary motion in a complementary direction that is reverse to the initial direction;

wherein the initial or complementary motions comprise motion in at least one of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion about x, y, or z planes or rotational motion about x, y, or z axes;

wherein the motion detector is further configured to;

sense the initial motion exceeding an initial motion threshold; and

sense the complementary motion exceeding a complementary motion threshold.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the position detector includes a touch screen.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a control signal to move a highlighted region from one icon to another icon on the display in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a control signal to invoke an application associated with an icon denoted by a highlight in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a control signal to display a subsequent page of content in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a control signal to scroll displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a control signal to zoom displayed content of an application in response to the initial motion and the complementary motion.

33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the motion detector and the position detector are simultaneously enabled.

34. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the motion detector is included in the device.

35. A method for controlling a computer device, the method comprising:

sensing a combination motion of said computer-device by a motion detection device;

generating, in response to said combination motion, at least one first control signal substantially related to said combination motion for modifying content being displayed by the device;

receiving, from a pointing device, a position of a pointer on a display screen;

generating, in response to the position, at least one second control signal; and

controlling the display screen in response to the at least one first control signal or the at least one second control signal;

wherein said combination motion includes an initial motion in an initial direction and a complementary motion in a complementary direction reverse of the initial direction;

wherein the initial or complementary motions comprise motion in at least one of at least six fields of motion including lateral motion about x, y, or z planes or rotational motion about x, y, or z axes; and

wherein sensing the combination motion comprises;

sensing that the initial motion exceeds an initial motion threshold; and

sensing that the complementary motion exceeds a complementary motion threshold.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the pointing device is a touch screen.