Dual module portable devices

• US 8,798,669 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• 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 C
• Application Number:
  US13/396,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120139939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/41.2, 345/173
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• 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 telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

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 mobile communications device comprising:

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

receive a first accelerometer reading from a second separated module,

determine a proximity to the second separated module based at least in part on the second accelerometer reading,

determine a first portion of a user interface based at least in part on the first proximity, and

display the first portion of the user interface to the first display;

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

receive a second accelerometer reading from the first separated module,

determine the proximity to the first separated module based at least in part on the second accelerometer reading,

determine a second portion of the user interface based at least in part on the second proximity, and

display the second portion of the user interface to the second display.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first separated module is configured to combine with the second separated module to form a combined module.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 2, wherein the combined module forms a continuous display comprised of the first display and the second display, the continuous display being operative to allow a drag-and-drop objects from the first display to the second display.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 2, wherein the first separated module and the second separated module are designed to be physically combined with each other in order to form the combined module via magnetic attraction.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 2, 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.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first separated module is further operative to:

determine a first operation based on the first accelerometer reading, and

execute the first operation on at least one of;

the first separated module and the second separated module, and

wherein the second separated module is further operative to;

determine a second operation based on the second accelerometer reading, and

execute the second operation on at least one of;

the first separated module and the second separated module.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 6, wherein the first operation and the second operation are further operative to manipulate a representation of at least one of:

the first portion of the user interface and the second portion of the user interface.

8. The mobile communications device of claim 7, wherein the first operation and the second operation are further operative to manipulate a representation of at least one of:

the first portion of the user interface and the second portion of the user interface by at least one of the following;

zooming into at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface,

zooming out of at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface, and

rotating at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first separated module is further operative to display at least one data object.

10. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the second separated module is operative to display contextual information associated with the at least one data object.

11. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the first separated 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 separated module is further operative to provide at least a second portion of the voice and data services operative to communicate an audio stream.

12. A mobile communications device having two independent modules, the mobile device comprising:

a first separated module having a first multi-touch display, the first separated module being operative to;

communicate a first accelerometer reading to a second separated module,

receive a second accelerometer reading from the second separated module,

determine a proximity to the second separated module based at least in part on the first accelerometer reading and the second accelerometer reading,

determine a first portion of a user interface based at least in part on the first proximity,

display the first portion of the user interface to the first multi-touch display, and

combine with the second separated module to form a combined module; and

the second separated module having a second multi-touch display, the second separated module being operative to;

communicate the second accelerometer reading to the first separated module,

receive the first accelerometer reading from the first separated module,

determine the proximity to the first separated module based at least in part on the first accelerometer reading and the second accelerometer reading,

determine a second portion of the user interface based at least in part on the second proximity,

display the second portion of the user interface to the second multi-touch display, and

combine with the second separated module to form a combined module.

13. The mobile communications device of claim 12, wherein the first separated module is further operative to:

determine a first operation based on the first accelerometer reading, and

execute the first operation on at least one of;

the first separated module and the second separated module, and

wherein the second separated module is further operative to;

determine a second operation based on the second accelerometer reading, and

execute the second operation on at least one of;

the first separated module and the second separated module.

14. The mobile communications device of claim 12, wherein the first operation and the second operation are further operative to manipulate a representation of at least one of:

the first portion of the user interface and the second portion of the user interface by at least one of the following;

zooming into at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface,

zooming out of at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface, and

rotating at least one of;

the first portion the user interface and the second portion of the user interface.

15. The mobile communications device of claim 12, wherein the first separated module is further operative to display at least one data object, and wherein the second separated module is operative to display contextual information associated with the at least one data object.

16. The mobile communications device of claim 12, wherein the combined module forms a continuous display comprised of the first multi-touch display and the second multi-touch display, the continuous display being operative to allow a drag-and-drop objects from the first multi-touch display to the second multi-touch display.