Orientation based application launch system

• US 8,854,299 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bender, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOHLMAN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US13/188,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device may include multiple faces, an application launch input element, a memory that stores multiple applications, and a processor that accesses the memory. In response to a detected trigger of the application launch input element, the processor determines the orientation of the device. For example, the processor may determine which face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction. Based on the determined orientation of the device, the processor selects and activates a specific application from the multiple available applications.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first face;

a second face;

an application launch input element;

a memory configured to store a plurality of applications; and

a processor coupled with the memory and configured to identify, in response to a trigger of the application launch input element, whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction;

wherein the processor is configured to activate a different application of the plurality of applications when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered, and

wherein the processor is configured to;

display, on a display device of the electronic device, a user interface displaying a list including names of a first face direction orientation corresponding to the first face, a first application of the plurality of applications linked to the first face direction orientation, a second face direction orientation corresponding to the second face, and a second application of the plurality of applications linked to the second face orientation;

display, in the user interface, an indication of a current face direction orientation of the electronic device adjacent a name of the first face direction orientation that is the current face direction orientations;

detect a change of the current face direction orientation from the first face direction orientation to the second face direction orientation; and

cause the indication to move, in the displayed list, from adjacent the name of the first face direction orientation to adjacent a name of the second face direction orientation after detecting the change of the current face direction orientation.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an enablement element configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

wherein the processor is configured to enable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state, and wherein the processor is configured to disable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to activate an application selection program in response to the trigger of the application launch input element, and wherein the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate a predetermined application of the plurality of applications based on a face direction orientation determined by the application selection program.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the application selection program comprises a first predetermined link between the first face direction orientation corresponding to the first face and the first application;

wherein the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate the first application based on the first predetermined link when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered;

wherein the application selection program comprises a second predetermined link between the second face direction orientation corresponding to the second face and the second application; and

wherein the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to activate the second application based on the second predetermined link when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the application selection program is configured to cause the processor to render the user interface on the display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface, and wherein the user interface comprises a user input field that allows creation of a link between at least one of the first or the second face direction orientation of the electronic device and at least one of the first or the second application.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a third face, a fourth face, a fifth face, and a sixth face;

wherein the processor is configured to identify one of the first face, the second face, the third face, the fourth face, the fifth face, or the sixth face as pointing in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered; and

wherein the processor is configured to activate an application of the plurality of applications that comprises a predetermined link with the identified face.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the processor is configured to identify whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

an orientation determination processor configured to determine, in response to a trigger of an application launch input element of the electronic device, whether a first face, a second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction; and

an application selection processor coupled with the orientation determination processor and configured to activate a different application when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered,

wherein at least one of the orientation determination processor or the application selection processor is configured to;

display, on a display device of the electronic device, a user interface displaying a list including names of a first face direction orientation corresponding to the first face, a first application of the plurality of applications linked to the first face direction orientation, a second face direction orientation corresponding to the second face, and a second application of the plurality of applications linked to the second face orientation;

display, in the user interface, an indication of a current face direction orientation of the electronic device adjacent a name of the first face direction orientation that is the current face direction orientation;

detect a change of the current face direction orientation from the first face direction orientation to the second face direction orientation; and

cause the indication to move, in the displayed list, from adjacent the name of the first face direction orientation to adjacent a name of the second face direction orientation after detecting the change of the current face direction orientation.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising an enablement element configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

wherein the application selection processor is configured to enable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state, and wherein the application selection processor is configured to disable face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the application selection processor is configured to render the user interface on the display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface, and wherein the user interface comprises a user input field that allows creation of a link between at least one of the first or the second face direction orientation of the electronic device and at least one of the first or the second application to be launched when the application launch input element is triggered.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the orientation determination processor is configured to identify whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.

12. A method, comprising:

detecting a trigger of an application launch input element of an electronic device;

determining whether a first face, a second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in a predetermined direction in response to the trigger of the application launch input element; and

activating, by a processor, a different application when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered than when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered,

displaying, on a display device of the electronic device, a user interface displaying a list including names of a first face direction orientation corresponding to the first face, a first application of the plurality of applications linked to the first face direction orientation, a second face direction orientation corresponding to the second face, and a second application of the plurality of applications linked to the second face orientation;

displaying, in the user interface, an indication of a current face direction orientation of the electronic device along with adjacent a name of the first face direction orientation that is the current face direction orientation;

detecting a change of the current face direction orientation from the first face direction orientation to the second face direction orientation; and

causing the indication to move, in the displayed list, from adjacent the name of the first face direction orientation to adjacent a name of the second face direction orientation after detecting the change of the current face direction orientation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a state of an enablement element of the electronic device, wherein the enablement element is configured to switch between an active state and a non-active state;

enabling face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the active state; and

disabling face direction orientation based application activation while the enablement element is in the non-active state.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of determining comprises:

activating an application selection program in response to the trigger of the application launch input element; and

obtaining face direction orientation data by the application selection program from an orientation sensor of the electronic device after activation of the application selection program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the application selection program comprises a first predetermined link between the first face direction orientation corresponding to the first face and the first application, wherein the application selection program comprises a second predetermined link between the second face direction orientation corresponding to the second face and the second application, and wherein the step of activating comprises:

activating the first application based on the first predetermined link when the first face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered; and

activating the second application based on the second predetermined link when the second face is pointed in the predetermined direction when the application launch input element is triggered.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the user interface on the display device of the electronic device in response to a user input request for the user interface; and

creating a link between at least one of the first or the second face direction orientation of the electronic device and at least one of the first or the second application identified by a user interacting with a user input field of the user interface.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of determining comprises:

receiving orientation information from an accelerometer of the electronic device; and

identifying whether the first face, the second face, or another face of the electronic device is pointed in the predetermined direction based on an output from the accelerometer.