Handheld electronic device having gesture-based control and a method of using same

• US 8,810,541 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Dods, Jeffrey Alton Hugh, Griffin, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US13/974,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 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: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a handheld electronic device having a gesture-based control and a method of using the same. In one embodiment, there is provided a method, comprising: determining from a motion signal a movement type associated with a movement of the electronic device from a number predetermined types of movement; determining whether a cadence parameter is greater than or equal to a first cadence reference level, wherein the cadence parameter is dependent on the movement type; performing a first command when the cadence parameter is greater than or equal to the first cadence reference level; and performing a second command is performed when the cadence parameter is less than the first cadence reference level.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining from a motion signal a movement type associated with a movement of an electronic device from a number predetermined types of movement, the movement type being determined to be a repetitive movement;

determining whether a cadence parameter is greater than or equal to a first cadence reference level, the cadence parameter being an average duration of a period between repetitive movements; and

performing a first command when the cadence parameter is greater than or equal to the first cadence reference level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the repetitive movement comprises shaking in any direction, wherein when the cadence parameter equals or exceeds the first cadence reference level, a fast shaking repetitive movement is determined.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the repetitive movement comprises shaking in a particular direction, wherein when the cadence parameter equals or exceeds the first cadence reference level, a fast shaking repetitive movement is determined.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a second command is performed when the cadence parameter is greater than or equal to a second cadence reference level but less than the first cadence reference level, and a third command is performed when the cadence parameter is less than the second cadence reference level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a second command when the cadence parameter is less than the first cadence reference level.

6. A method, comprising:

determining, from a motion signal, when a repetitive movement of an electronic device has occurred;

determining a cadence parameter associated with the repetitive movement, the cadence parameter being an average duration of a period between repetitive movements;

performing a first command when the cadence parameter is greater than or equal to a first threshold; and

performing a second command when the cadence parameter is less than the first threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing a third command when the cadence parameter is greater than or equal to the first threshold but less than a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the repetitive movement comprises shaking in any direction.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the repetitive movement comprises shaking in a particular direction.

10. A method, comprising:

determining a rate of repetitive movement of an electronic device by determining an average duration of a period between repetitive movements;

increasing a rate of reproduction of media when the rate of movement is greater than or equal to a first threshold; and

decreasing the rate of reproduction of media when the rate of movement is less than the first threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the media is audio, video or a series of digital images.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the difference between the rate of movement and the first threshold; and

varying the rate of reproduction by an amount proportional to the difference between the rate of movement and the first threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

returning the rate of reproduction of media to a default rate when the rate of movement is greater than or equal to the first threshold but less than a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the rate of movement is a rate of shaking the electronic device in any direction.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the rate of movement is a rate of shaking the electronic device in a particular direction.