Simplified control input to a mobile device

• US 9,762,717 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmehl, Ian C., Cansler, James Leonard, White, Scott Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): REGO, DOMINIC E
• Application Number:
  US14/727,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 45542613, 45531011, 4558156, 455398, 455 411, 455 525, 455 528, 455 1223, 455 1222, 4555501, 455 92, 4551511, 455352, 455557, 37910202, 341176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 3/0346 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method and system for operating a mobile device includes interpreting a user-defined pattern detected by at least one of a touch interface and a motion sensor included with the mobile device. The user-defined pattern may be interpreted as at least one of: a polygon, an ellipse, a curve, a line segment, an alphanumeric character, and a movement of the mobile device. The user-defined pattern may be a two-dimensional pattern traced by the user on the touch interface. When the user-defined pattern is recognized, a wireless communication command may be executed by the mobile device. The wireless communication command may be a telephone command or a remote control command for a remote-controlled device.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless transceiver;

a touch interface;

a motion sensor;

a display; and

a memory, accessible to the processor, including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform processor operations comprising;

responsive to receiving touch input from the touch interface;

associating the touch input with a trace pattern; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the trace pattern;

responsive to receiving motion input from the motion sensor;

associating the motion input with a motion pattern; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the motion pattern;

determining whether the particular function comprises;

a first type of function for communicating with another person;

or

a second type of function for controlling a remotely controlled device;

responsive to determining the particular function comprises the first type of function, performing the particular function via a cellular network; and

responsive to determining the particular function comprises the second type of function, sending a remote control command corresponding to the particular function to a wireless receiver of the remotely controlled device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver of the remotely controlled device comprises a local transceiver for receiving messages from and sending messages to the mobile device.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the remotely controlled device comprises a media playback device.

4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the media playback device comprises a set top box.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the remote control command comprises an electronic programming guide command for interacting with an electronic programming guide interface.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the motion pattern comprises a motion pattern imparted to the mobile device by a hand of the mobile device user in which the mobile device is held.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the remote control command comprises a remote power command to power on the remotely controlled device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone, the cellular network comprises a digital cellular network, and the particular function comprises sending a text message.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the mobile phone comprises the remotely controlled device.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the pattern is associated with a particular phone number and wherein the remote control command comprises automatically calling, by the mobile phone, the particular phone number.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the remote control command comprises a remote power command to power on the mobile phone.

12. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein performing the particular function comprises performing the particular function responsive to detecting a particular trace pattern corresponding to a trace of finger of the user on a touch interface of the mobile device.

13. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising an audio interface, wherein the operations include:

generating an audio signal responsive to identifying the particular function.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the operations include:

generating a second audio signal responsive to executing the remote control command.

15. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the trace pattern is associated with a particular user contact, and wherein performing the particular function comprises initiating a telephone phone call to the user contact.

16. A wireless method, comprising:

responsive to receiving touch input from a touch interface of a mobile device;

associating the touch input with a trace pattern; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the trace pattern;

responsive to receiving motion input from a motion sensor of the mobile device;

associating the motion input with a motion pattern; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the motion pattern;

determining whether the particular function comprises;

a first type of function for communicating with another person;

or

a second type of function for controlling a remotely controlled device;

responsive to determining the particular function comprises the first type of function, performing the particular function via a cellular network; and

responsive to determining the particular function comprises a second type of function, sending an infrared signal, indicative of a remote control command corresponding to the remote control function, to a wireless receiver of the remotely controlled device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the trace pattern comprises a two dimensional pattern detected by the touch interface and wherein the motion pattern comprises a three dimensional pattern detected by the motion sensor.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cellular network comprises a digital cellular network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the particular function comprises sending a text message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the particular function comprises sending a multimedia message.

21. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless transceiver;

a touch display including a touch interface;

a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the mobile device; and

a memory, accessible to the processor, including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

responsive to receiving touch input from the touch interface;

associating the touch input with a trace pattern;

displaying the trace pattern on the touch display; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the trace pattern;

responsive to receiving motion input from the motion sensor;

associating the motion input with a motion pattern; and

identifying a particular function corresponding to the motion pattern;

determining whether the particular function comprises;

a first type of function for communicating with another person;

or

a second type of function for controlling a remotely controlled device;

responsive to determining the particular function comprises the first type of function, communicating with the other person via a digital cellular network; and

responsive to determining the function comprises the second type of function, sending a remote control command corresponding to the remote control function to a wireless receiver of the remotely controlled device.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the motion pattern comprises motion of the mobile device imparted to the mobile device by motion of a hand of the user.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein communicating with the other person comprises sending a text message to the other person via the digital cellular network.

24. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein communicating with the other person comprises sending a multimedia message to the other person via the digital cellular network.

25. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the remote control command comprises a power command to control power provided to the remotely controlled device.