Apparatus and method for automatic enablement of a rear-face entry in a mobile device

• US 8,922,493 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2010
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christine Hana Kim
• Original Assignee: Christine Hana Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Christine Hana
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ritchie, Darlene M
• Application Number:
  US12/885,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,563 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173, 348/14.08, 348/115, 341 22- 34, 3404071-4072, 250/208.1, 455/550.1, 235/375, 708/100, 361/679.27, 361/679.01, 400/472, 715/702, 382/117
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• 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 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

The present invention discloses one or more embodiments of a mobile device capable of automatic enablement of a rear-face data entry. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile device can automatically detect and determine that a rear-face data entry interface is either facing up or facing the user'"'"'s line of sight, which prompts activation of the rear-face data interface for immediate enablement of data entry (e.g. typing). If the rear-face data entry interface is either facing down or away from the user'"'"'s line of sight, the mobile device disables the rear-face data interface for data entry to minimize accidental and undesirable data entry via the rear-face data interface. The preferred embodiment of the invention also incorporates a primary frontal touch-screen display, a secondary rear touch-screen display, a QWERTY keyboard, and display elevation guards on both displays.

Claims

1. A mobile device capable of automatic enablement of a rear-face data entry, the mobile device comprising:

a CPU and a memory unit operatively connected to the CPU;

a graphics unit operatively connected to the CPU;

a non-transparent front display unit operatively connected to the graphics unit;

a non-transparent rear display unit operatively connected to the graphics unit;

a dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface incorporating a physical keyboard;

an automatic rear-face data entry interface enable/disable module comprising a gyroscopic sensor and an eye movement tracking program executed on the CPU, wherein the gyroscopic sensor determines whether the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface is facing-up, and the eye movement tracking program in association with a camera lens determines whether a user'"'"'s eyes are aligned to the physical keyboard on the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface, so that the automatic rear-face data entry interface enable/disable module prevents an accidental user input into the physical keyboard on the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface by automatically disabling the physical keyboard from the accidental user input, when and if the gyroscopic sensor determines the physical keyboard on the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface to be not facing-up, while the eye movement tracking program, in a simultaneous timeframe of a rear-face face-up position determination from the gyroscopic sensor, synchronously determines that the user'"'"'s eyes are not aligned to the physical keyboard on the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface; and

a rear cover sensor that detects whether the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface is currently docked into a main body of the mobile device, wherein the rear cover sensor requests the CPU to activate the automatic rear-face data entry interface enable/disable module only when the dockable and removable rear-face entry interface is currently docked, and wherein the rear cover sensor requests the CPU to deactivate the automatic rear-face data entry interface enable/disable module when the dockable and removable rear-face entry interface is not currently docked in the main body of the mobile device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more front display elevation guards attached to a front surface of the mobile device, wherein the one or more front display elevation guards elevate the non-transparent front display unit from a flat surface when the non-transparent rear display unit is facing up.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising one or more rear display elevation guards attached to the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface, the non-transparent rear display unit, and/or a portion of a rear surface of the mobile device, wherein the one or more rear display elevation guards elevate the non-transparent rear display unit from a flat surface when the non-transparent front display unit is facing up.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a power management unit, a peripheral device and/or external communication input/output interface, and a power source.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the physical keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the dockable and removable rear-face data entry interface incorporates a touchpad, a pointer stick, a mouse, or another mouse pointer-operating device.