Determination of a charge surface position

• US 9,791,297 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lehtiniemi, Arto Juhani, Eronen, Antti Johannes, Leppanen, Jussi Artturi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaman, Faisal M
• Application Number:
  US14/201,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 710 8, 710303, 710304, 455 411
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/20 by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

A method comprising determining that the apparatus is placed at a charge surface position on a charger apparatus, the charge surface position being a position of the apparatus on the charge surface of the charger apparatus, and the apparatus being configured to receive a charge signal from the charger apparatus based, at least in part, on placement of the apparatus at the charge surface position, determining that the charge surface position is associated with control of at least one separate apparatus, determining at least one operational directive associated with control of the separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of the separate apparatus, and causing sending of the operational directive to the separate apparatus is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

determination that the apparatus is placed at a charge surface position on a charger apparatus, the charge surface position being a position of the apparatus on a charge surface of the charger apparatus, and the apparatus being configured to receive a charge signal from the charger apparatus based, at least in part, on placement of the apparatus at the charge surface position;

determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of at least one separate apparatus;

determination of one of predefined spatial regions each having an identification, wherein the separate apparatus is located in the one of the predefined spatial regions;

determination of at least one operational directive associated with control of the separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of the separate apparatus;

causation of sending of the operational directive to the separate apparatus and of display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions; and

in response to a movement of the apparatus towards a second charge surface position, causation of sending of a second operational directive to a second separate apparatus and of shifting the display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions to a display of a second identification of another one of the predefined spatial regions in which the second separate apparatus is located.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determination of the operational directive comprises causation of display of at least one operational directive interface element that is associated with the operational directive, and receipt of information indicative of an operational directive selection input associated with the operational directive interface element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determination that the apparatus has been placed at the charge surface position on the charger apparatus comprises receipt of information indicative of the charge surface position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the information indicative of the charge surface position is received from at least one sensor comprised by the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a direction of the separate apparatus from the charger apparatus indicates a direction from a spatial location of the charger apparatus to the one of the predefined spatial regions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

determination that the charger apparatus has been reoriented; and

determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of a different separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charger apparatus has been reoriented.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

determination that the apparatus has been moved to a different charge surface position on the charger apparatus; and

determination that the different charge surface position is associated with control of at least one different separate apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform determination of at least another operational directive associated with control of the different separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the different charge surface position is associated with control of the different separate apparatus.

9. A method comprising:

determining that an apparatus is placed at a charge surface position on a charger apparatus, the charge surface position being a position of the apparatus on a charge surface of the charger apparatus, and the apparatus being configured to receive a charge signal from the charger apparatus based, at least in part, on placement of the apparatus at the charge surface position;

determining that the charge surface position is associated with control of at least one separate apparatus;

determining one of predefined spatial regions each having an identification, wherein the separate apparatus is located in the one of the predefined spatial regions;

determining at least one operational directive associated with control of the separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of the separate apparatus;

causing sending of the operational directive to the separate apparatus and display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions; and

in response to a movement of the apparatus towards a second charge surface position, causation of sending of a second operational directive to a second separate apparatus and of shifting the display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions to a display of a second identification of another one of the predefined spatial regions in which the second separate apparatus is located.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the operational directive comprises causing display of at least one operational directive interface element that is associated with the operational directive, and receiving information indicative of an operational directive selection input associated with the operational directive interface element.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a direction of the separate apparatus from the charger apparatus indicates a direction from a spatial location of the charger apparatus to the one of the predefined spatial regions.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the charger apparatus has been reoriented; and

determining that the charge surface position is associated with control of a different separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charger apparatus has been reoriented.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the apparatus has been moved to a different charge surface position on the charger apparatus; and

determining that the different charge surface position is associated with control of at least one different separate apparatus.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining at least another operational directive associated with control of the different separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the different charge surface position is associated with control of the different separate apparatus.

15. At least one computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:

determination that an apparatus is placed at a charge surface position on a charger apparatus, the charge surface position being a position of the apparatus on a charge surface of the charger apparatus, and the apparatus being configured to receive a charge signal from the charger apparatus based, at least in part, on placement of the apparatus at the charge surface position;

determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of at least one separate apparatus;

determination of one of predefined spatial regions each having an identification, wherein the separate apparatus is located in the one of the predefined spatial regions;

determination of at least one operational directive associated with control of the separate apparatus based, at least in part, on the determination that the charge surface position is associated with control of the separate apparatus;

causation of sending of the operational directive to the separate apparatus and of display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions; and

in response to a movement of the apparatus towards a second charge surface position, causation of sending of a second operational directive to a second separate apparatus and of shifting the display of the identification of the one of the predefined spatial regions to a display of a second identification of another one of the predefined spatial regions in which the second separate apparatus is located.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the determination of the operational directive comprises causation of display of at least one operational directive interface element that is associated with the operational directive, and receipt of information indicative of an operational directive selection input associated with the operational directive interface element.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein a direction of the separate apparatus from the charger apparatus indicates a direction from a spatial location of the charger apparatus to the one of the predefined spatial regions.