Input command

• US 8,694,702 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, John, Briden, John
• Primary Examiner(s): SUN, SCOTT C
• Application Number:
  US13/387,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for detecting an input command including configuring a sensor to determine whether a user is within a proximity of a computing machine, configuring an input device to detect an input command entered by the user when the user is within the proximity of the computing machine, and transmitting the input command for the computing machine to process.

Claims

1. A method for processing an input command comprising:

configuring a sensor to determine whether a user is within a proximity of a computing machine;

configuring an input device to detect an input command entered by the user when the user is within the proximity of the computing machine;

transmitting the input command for the computing machine to process; and

configuring the input device to reject another input command detected when the user is not within the proximity of the computing machine.

2. The method for detecting an input command of claim 1 further comprising configuring the computing machine to enter a low power state when the sensor does not detect the user within the proximity of the computing machine after a predefined period of time.

3. The method for detecting an input command of claim 2 further comprising configuring the computing machine to enter a high power state in response to the sensor detecting the user within the proximity of the computing machine.

4. The method for detecting an input command of claim 2 further comprising power off a digital display coupled to the computing machine and the input device when the computing machine enters the low power state.

5. A computing machine comprising:

a processor;

a sensor configured to determine whether a user is within a proximity of the computing machine;

an input device configured to receive an input from the user;

an input application executed by the processor from computer readable memory and configured to configure the input device to reject input received in response to the sensor determining that the user is not within the proximity of the computing machine.

6. The computing machine of claim 5 further comprising a digital display device and the sensor is coupled to the digital display device.

7. The computing machine of claim 5 wherein the sensor includes at least one from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, and an image capturing device.

8. The computing machine of claim 5 wherein the input device includes at least one from the group consisting of a touch display device, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, and an image capturing device.

9. The computing machine of claim 7 wherein the input application additionally utilizes facial detection technology when configuring the sensor to determine whether the user is within the proximity of the computing machine.

10. The computing machine of claim 5 wherein the computing machine includes a low power state and the sensor is configured to receive power from the computing machine while the computing machine is in the low power state.

11. The computing machine of claim 10 wherein the input device is configured to reject an input command received from the user while the computing machine is in the low power state.

12. A computer-readable program in a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

an input application configured to utilize a sensor to determine whether a user is within a proximity of a computing machine;

wherein the input application is additionally configured to receive and process an input command received from an input device in response to the sensor determining that the user is within the proximity of the computing machine; and

wherein the input application is further configured to configure the input device to reject the input command when the sensor determines that the user is not within the proximity of the computing machine.

13. The computer-readable program in a non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein determining whether a user is within a proximity of the computing machine includes configuring the sensor to scan for at least one object in an environment of the computing machine and determining whether the object is a user.

14. The computer-readable program in a non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein determining whether a user is within a proximity of the computing machine includes configuring the sensor to identify a distance of the user from the computing machine.