Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer

• US 9,575,569 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wehrenberg, Paul J., Leiba, Aaron, Williams, Richard C., Falkenburg, David R., Gerbarg, Louis G., Chang, Ray L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/605,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20150130719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer are described. According to one embodiment of the invention, an accelerometer attached to a portable device detects a movement of the portable device. In response, a machine executable code is executed within the portable device to perform one or more predetermined user configurable operations. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable device, the method comprising:

displaying a first page of a document on a display;

detecting movement of the portable device using an accelerometer attached to the portable device;

determining a direction of the movement based on movement data provided by the accelerometer;

comparing the determined direction of the movement with a predetermined direction of movement to determine whether the determined direction matches the predetermined direction; and

if the determined direction matches the predetermined direction, displaying a second page of the document on the display based on the determined direction of the movement, wherein

the second page of the document is different from the first page of the document; and

the predetermined direction of movement is associated with a user-configured profile that associates the predetermined direction of movement with at least one of;

a given time of day;

or

a location of the portable device.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the document comprises a text document produced by a word processing application.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second page comprises a next page of the document.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second page comprises a previous page of the document.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined direction is user configurable using a user interface.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the document comprises a web site presented by a browser and the first and second pages each comprise web pages on the web site.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the document comprises a slide presentation produced by a presentation application.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the movement of the portable device comprises movement that is parallel with a surface of the portable device.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the movement of the portable device comprises a rotation of the portable device about an axis that is parallel with an edge of the portable device.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the movement of the portable device comprises movement responsive to an oscillation of a surface supporting the portable device.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined direction of movement comprises a predetermined direction and a predetermined threshold of movement.

12. A portable device for presenting a document, comprising:

a display;

an accelerometer;

a memory having instructions stored therein; and

a processor coupled to the accelerometer, the memory, and the display, wherein the processor executes instructions from the memory to;

display a first page of the document on the display;

detect whether the portable device is moving using the accelerometer;

determine a direction of the movement based on movement data received from the accelerometer;

compare the determined direction of the movement with a predetermined direction of movement to determine whether the determined direction matches the predetermined direction; and

if the determined direction matches the predetermined direction, display a second page of the document on the display based on the determined direction of the movement, wherein

the second page of the document is different from the first page of the document; and

the predetermined direction of movement is associated with a user-configured profile that associates the predetermined direction of movement with at least one of;

a given time of day;

or

a location of the portable device.

13. The portable device as in claim 12, wherein the document comprises at least one of a word document produced by a word processing application, a slide presentation produced by a presentation application, or a web site presented by a browser and the first and second pages each comprise web pages on the web site.

14. The portable device as in claim 12, wherein the second page comprises a next page of the document.

15. The portable device as in claim 12, wherein the second page comprises a previous page of the document.

16. The portable device as in claim 12, wherein the movement of the portable device comprises one of:

a movement that is parallel with a surface of the portable device;

a rotation of the portable device about an axis that is parallel with an edge of the portable device;

or

movement that is responsive to an oscillation of a surface supporting the portable device.

17. The portable device as in claim 12, wherein the predetermined direction of movement comprises a predetermined direction and a predetermined threshold of movement.