Device for detecting a carrying case

• US 9,389,638 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Abdelsamie, Ahmed, Meunier, Marc Elis, Barake, Omar George Joseph, Lill, Steven Anthony, Zhang, Guowei
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US13/911,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/505, 340/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A device for detecting a carrying case, and methods there for, are provided. The device includes: an orientation sensor; a near field communication (NFC) reader; and, a processor configured to place the device in a carrying case mode when an orientation of the device is within a given angular range as determined using the orientation sensor, and the NFC reader detects an NFC tag.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an orientation sensor;

a near field communication (NFC) reader that is initially off; and

,

a processor configured to;

in response to determining, using the orientation sensor, that an orientation of the device is within a given angular range;

turn the NFC reader on; and

,

when the NFC reader detects an NFC tag;

place the device into a carrying-case mode, the carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a sleep mode, a quiet mode and a peek mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader off; and

,

after the determining that the orientation of the device is within the given angular range and turning the NFC reader off, determine, using the orientation sensor, that the orientation of the device is no longer within the given angular range; and

, in response;

turn the NFC reader back on; and

,

when the NFC reader no longer detects the NFC tag;

place the device into an out-of-carrying-case mode, the out-of-carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a normal mode, a wake mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader back off.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to place the device in the carrying-case mode when:

the orientation of the device is within the given angular range for a given time period, and the NFC reader detects the NFC tag after the NFC reader is turned on.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive information from the NFC tag using the NFC reader after the NFC reader is turned on; and

, configure the carrying-case mode based on the information.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to place the device in the out-of-carrying-case mode when:

the orientation of the device is no longer within the given angular range for a given time period, and the NFC reader no longer detects the NFC tag after the NFC reader is turned back on.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the given angular range is one or more of:

between 70° and

110°

;

between −

20° and

20°

;

indicative of a horizontal orientation; and

indicative of a vertical orientation.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a magnetometer.

7. A method comprising:

at a device comprising an orientation sensor, a near field communication (NFC) reader that is initially off, and a processor, in response to determining, using the orientation sensor, that an orientation of the device is within a given angular range;

turn the NFC reader on; and

,

when the NFC reader detects an NFC tag;

place the device into a carrying-case mode, the carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a sleep mode, a quiet mode and a peek mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader off; and

,

after the determining that the orientation of the device is within the given angular range and turning the NFC reader off, determining, using the orientation sensor, that the orientation of the device is no longer within the given angular range; and

, in response;

turn the NFC reader back on; and

,

when the NFC reader no longer detects the NFC tag;

place the device into an out-of-carrying-case mode, the out-of carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a normal mode, a wake mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader back off.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing, using the processor, the device in the carrying-case mode when:

the orientation of the device is within the given angular range for a given time period, and the NFC reader detects the NFC tag after the NFC reader is turned on.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving information at the processor from the NFC tag using the NFC reader after the NFC reader is turned on; and

, configuring, using the processor, the carrying-case mode based on the information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing, using the processor, the device in the out-of-carrying-case mode when:

the orientation of the device is no longer within the given angular range for a given time period, and the NFC reader no longer detects the NFC tag after the NFC reader is turned back on.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the given angular range is one or more of:

between 70° and

110°

;

between −

20° and

20°

;

indicative of a horizontal orientation; and

indicative of a vertical orientation.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the orientation sensor comprises one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a magnetometer.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for:

at a device comprising an orientation sensor, a near field communication (NFC) reader that is initially off, and a processor, in response to determining, using the orientation sensor, that an orientation of the device is within a given angular range;

turn the NFC reader on; and

,

when the NFC reader detects an NFC tag;

place the device into a carrying-case mode, the carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a sleep mode, a quiet mode and a peek mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader off; and

,

after the determining that the orientation of the device is within the given angular range and turning the NFC reader off, determining, using the orientation sensor, that the orientation of the device is no longer within the given angular range; and

, in response;

turn the NFC reader back on; and

when the NFC reader no longer detects the NFC tag;

place the device into an out-of-carrying-case mode, the out-of carrying-case mode comprising one or more of a normal mode, a wake mode; and

,

turn the NFC reader back off.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein execution of the computer program is further for:

placing, using the processor, the device in the carrying-case mode when;

the orientation of the device is within the given angular range for a given time period, and the NFC reader detects the NFC tag after the NFC reader is turned on.