System and method for enhanced command input

• US 9,477,402 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatambeiki, Arsham, Kohanek, Jeffrey, Keiles, Pamela Eichler, Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/887,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20130241715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A portable electronic device having an input device for receiving a gesture based input from a user is used to control a navigation operation of an appliance. The portable electronic device receives via the input device the gesture based input and uses one or more parameters stored in a memory of the portable electronic device and one or more characteristics associated with the gesture based input to cause the portable electronic device to transmit a navigation step command to thereby control the navigation operation of the appliance.

Claims

1. A method for using a portable electronic device, having an input device for receiving a gesture based input from a user, to control a navigation operation of an appliance, comprising:

receiving raw data indicative of at least one characteristic associated with a gesture based input provided to an input device; and

using the received raw data indicative of the at least one characteristic associated with the gesture based input and one or more parameters by the portable electronic device to generate a series of navigation commands wherein the series of navigation commands are used to control the navigation operation of the appliance;

commencing a transmission of the generated series of navigation commands from the portable electronic device to the appliance; and

in response to a second gesture based input being received via the input device while the portable electronic device is transmitting the generated series of navigation commands to the appliance permanently stopping the portable electronic device from transmitting any of the series of generated navigation commands that have yet to be transmitted from the portable electronic device to the appliance;

wherein the input device comprises a touch sensitive surface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the series of navigation commands to be transmitted from the portable electronic device to the appliance comprises a series of direction commands wherein a number of direction commands included within the sequence is determined as a function of the at least one characteristic associated with the first gesture based input and the one or more parameters.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the series of direction commands has a timing between adjacent ones of the direction commands within the sequence that is determined as a function of the at least one characteristic associated with the first gesture based input and the one or more parameters.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the series of navigation commands to be transmitted from the portable electronic device to the appliance comprises a series of direction delta values wherein each direction delta value within the series of direction delta values is determined as a function of the at least one characteristic associated with the first gesture based input and the one or more parameters.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising establishing the one or more parameters at the portable electronic device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising establishing the one or more parameters at the appliance and providing the established parameters to the portable electronic device.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising dynamically changing a value of the one or more parameters.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising downloading the one or more parameters to the portable electronic device from a server device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive surface comprises a two-axis, capacitive touch sensor.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second gesture based input comprises a sensed tapping gesture upon the input device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, comprising causing the appliance to perform an operation in response to the second gesture based input.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein one or more regions of the input device are pre-established for receiving the tapping gesture.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second gesture based input comprises a re-touching of the input device following a removal of an initial touching of the input device provided as a part of the first gesture based input.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising providing user feedback via the portable electronic device representative of the first gesture based input.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the user feedback comprises a series of audible sounds representative of the first gesture based input.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein characteristics associated with the first gesture based input comprise an acceleration characteristic associated with the first gesture based input.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein characteristics associated with the first gesture based input comprise a duration characteristic associated with the first gesture based input.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein characteristics associated with the first gesture based input comprise a location characteristic associated with the first gesture based input.