Cursor adjustment in ambient light

• US 8,928,578 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schroder, Manuel Alexander, LaManna, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERMANN, KIRK W
• Application Number:
  US12/432,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

A method of assisting discovering a cursor on an electronic display is disclosed. In general, if a cursor moves from one display region to another and there is a difference in ambient light, a cursor adjustment may need to be executed. In another embodiment, the method may look to see if a user is moving the cursor in a fashion to locate the cursor in which case a cursor adjustment should be executed. If three cursor inputs are in successively opposite directions or have opposite acceleration and are received within a brief period of time, the cursor adjustment may be executed.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising a display, a processor, a storage device, a first light sensor, and a second light sensor, the storage device storing information to cause the processor, when executing, to perform a process comprising:

receiving a first light reading from the first light sensor, the first light sensor corresponding to a static first display region of the electronic display;

receiving a second light reading from the second light sensor, the second light sensor corresponding to a static second display region of the electronic display;

monitoring cursor inputs to determine when a cursor has moved from the first display region to the second display region,

when determined that the cursor has moved from the first display region to the second display region;

determining if a difference between the first ambient light reading and the second ambient light reading satisfies a threshold;

when determined that the difference between first ambient light reading and the second ambient light reading satisfies the threshold, automatically adjusting brightness of the cursor relative to brightness of the display.

2. A computing device according to claim 1, the process further comprising determining a classification for the first ambient light reading and a classification for the second ambient light reading;

performing the automatically adjusting based on the classifications.

3. A method comprising:

receiving light readings from a plurality of light sensors arranged in proximity to a display, wherein a computing device performing the method comprises the light sensors and the display displaying a cursor;

determining locations of the cursor on the display, the cursor being moved to the locations according to user input controlling the cursor;

as the cursor is moved by the user, according to the determined locations determining when the cursor has moved between a first region of the display and a second region of the display, the first and second regions fixed relative to the display, and when so determined;

finding a difference between a corresponding light reading for the first region and a corresponding light reading for the second region,

determining that the difference satisfies a threshold, and in response determining to automatically change a brightness of the cursor.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining classifications for the respective differences, and using the classifications to determine whether to change the brightness of the cursor.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the changing of the brightness of the cursor is controlled by a user-settable adjustment level.

6. A method of controlling visibility of a cursor displayed on a display, the method comprising:

receiving first light readings from a first light sensor, receiving second light readings from a second light sensor, receiving third light readings from a third light sensor, and receiving fourth light readings from a fourth light sensor;

obtaining positions of the cursor to determine when the cursor moves between any of four separate fixed regions of the display, a first region corresponding to the first light readings, a second region corresponding to the second light readings, a third region corresponding to the third light readings, and a fourth region corresponding to the fourth light readings;

each time it is determined that the cursor has moved from one of the regions to another of the regions, determining from differences in corresponding light readings whether the cursor has moved from a region of brighter ambient light or has moved to a region of darker ambient light; and

each time that it has been determined that the cursor has moved to a region of darker ambient light, decreasing brightness of the cursor, and each time it has been determined that the cursor has moved to a region of brighter ambient light, increasing brightness of the cursor relative to brightness of the display.