Modifying device functionality based on device orientation

• US 9,160,915 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davies, Joshua Paul, Liljegren, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US13/737,755
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 345/659
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

An orientation associated with an electronic device may be identified. The orientation may correspond to a first orientation or a second orientation, which may each correspond to any orientation within respective ranges of orientations. The device may include an adjustment element for adjusting an operational parameter associated with the device. If the identified orientation corresponds to the first orientation, a first adjustment of the operational parameter may be associated with actuation of a first portion of the adjustment element and a second adjustment of the operational parameter may be associated with actuation of a second portion of the adjustment element. If the identified orientation corresponds to the second orientation, the second adjustment of the operational parameter may be associated with actuation of the first portion and the first adjustment of the operational parameter may be associated with actuation of the second portion.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that responsive to execution by at least one processor configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

determining that an electronic device is positioned in a first orientation, wherein the electronic device comprises an adjustment element for adjusting a volume level associated with the electronic device;

based at least in part on determining that the electronic device is positioned in the first orientation, increasing the volume level responsive to actuation of a first portion of the adjustment element and decreasing the volume level responsive to actuation of a second portion of the adjustment element;

determining that the electronic device is repositioned from the first orientation to a second orientation that is different from the first orientation; and

reversing respective functions associated with the first portion and the second portion of the adjustment element based at least in part on determining that the electronic device is positioned in the second orientation, wherein reversing the respective functions comprises decreasing the volume level responsive to actuation of the first portion of the adjustment element and increasing the volume level responsive to actuation of the second portion of the adjustment element.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving a first signal and a second signal from one or more sensing elements associated with the electronic device,

wherein it is determined that the electronic device is positioned in the first orientation based at least in part on the first signal and it is determined that the electronic device is positioned in the second orientation based at least in part on the second signal, and wherein the first signal deviates from the second signal by more than a threshold value.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensing elements comprise an accelerometer.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first orientation corresponds to a landscape orientation of the electronic device and the second orientation corresponds to a portrait orientation of the device.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the adjustment element comprises one or more switches comprising one or more mechanical components.

6. A method, comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that an electronic device is oriented in a first orientation, wherein the electronic device comprises an adjustment element for adjusting a parameter associated with the electronic device;

associating, by the one or more processors and based at least in part on determining that the electronic device is oriented in the first orientation, a first adjustment of the parameter with actuation of a first portion of the adjustment element and associating a second adjustment of the parameter with actuation of a second portion of the adjustment element;

determining, by the one or more processors, that the electronic device has been reoriented to a second orientation that is different from the first orientation; and

reversing, by the one or more processors and based at least in part on determining that the electronic device is oriented in the second orientation, directional adjustments of the parameter associated with actuation of the adjustment element, wherein reversing the directional adjustments comprises associating the second adjustment of the parameter with actuation of the first portion of the adjustment element and associating the first adjustment of the parameter with actuation of the second portion of the adjustment element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter comprises at least one of:

i) a volume level of audio information output by or input to the electronic device, ii) a magnification level of an image capturing device associated with the electronic device, or iii) a display parameter associated with a display of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first adjustment of the parameter comprises an increase in a value associated with the parameter and the second adjustment of the parameter comprises a decrease in the value associated with the parameter.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

adjusting, by the one or more processors while the electronic device is oriented in the first orientation, the parameter in accordance with the first adjustment responsive to actuation of the first portion of the adjustment element and adjusting, by the one or more processors, the parameter in accordance with the second adjustment responsive to actuation of the second portion of the adjustment element.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adjusting, by the one or more processors while the electronic device is oriented in the second orientation, the parameter in accordance with the second adjustment responsive to actuation of the first portion of the adjustment element and adjusting the parameter in accordance with the first adjustment responsive to actuation of the second portion of the adjustment element.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein an orientation of the electronic device is determined upon or subsequent to actuation of the first portion or the second portion of the adjustment element.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the adjustment element comprises a softkey configured to adjust a plurality of different parameters associated with the electronic device, wherein the parameter is included in the plurality of different parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of different parameters comprises at least two of:

i) a volume level of audio information output by the electronic device,

ii) a volume level of audio information input to the electronic device,

iii) a magnification level of an image capturing device associated with the electronic device, or

iv) a display parameter associated with a display of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, the parameter from among the plurality of different parameters based at least in part on one or more device settings.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more device settings comprise at least one of:

i) a device setting specified by a user of the electronic device, or

ii) a device setting having a predetermined association with an application executing on the electronic device.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor; and

an adjustment element configured to adjust an operational parameter associated with the electronic device,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

determine that the electronic device is positioned in a first orientation;

increase a value associated with the operational parameter based at least in part on the determination that the electronic device is positioned in the first orientation and responsive to actuation of a first portion of the adjustment element;

determine that the electronic device is repositioned in a second orientation different from the first orientation;

reverse directional adjustments of the operational parameter associated with actuation of the adjustment element based at least in part on the determination that the electronic device is repositioned in the second orientation; and

decrease the value associated with the operational parameter responsive to actuation of the first portion of the adjustment element.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

decrease the value associated with the operational parameter responsive to actuation of a second portion of the adjustment element while the electronic device is oriented in the first orientation; and

increase the value associated with the operational parameter responsive to actuation of the second portion of the adjustment element while the electronic device is oriented in the second orientation.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising:

an accelerometer,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

determine that the electronic device is positioned in the first orientation based at least in part on a first signal received from the accelerometer; and

determine that the electronic device is repositioned in the second orientation based at least in part on a second signal received from the accelerometer,

wherein a respective value associated with each of the first signal and the second signal falls within a respective corresponding range of values.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the adjustment element comprises one of:

i) a rocker switch,

ii) a rotary switch, or

iii) a plurality of push button switches.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

identify, based at least in part on one or more device settings, the operational parameter from a plurality of different operational parameters that the adjustment element is configured to adjust.

21. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor;

a first device component associated with a first function; and

a second device component associated with a second function,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

determine that an orientation associated with the electronic device is modified by more than a threshold amount, and

reverse functionality associated with the first device component and the second device component by associating the second function with the first device component and associating the first function with the second device component.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the first device component is a first stereo speaker and the second device component is a second stereo speaker, wherein the first function associated with the first stereo speaker comprises outputting of first audio information using a first audio channel and the second function associated with the second stereo speaker comprises outputting of second audio information using a second audio channel.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to reverse functionality associated with the first stereo speaker and the second stereo speaker by executing the computer-executable instructions to associate the first stereo speaker with the second audio channel and associate the second stereo speaker with the first audio channel.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein a directionality associated with information output by the electronic device is maintained upon reversal of functionality associated with the first device component and the second device component.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the information output by the electronic device comprises audio information.

26. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the threshold amount corresponds to rotation of the electronic device with respect to at least one axis by about 180 degrees.