System and method for facilitating inputting of commands to a mobile device

• US 9,794,827 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Original Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Inventors: Zhu, Ranqi, Wilbur, Reid, Gu, Minwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US15/339,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method performed by a mobile device for facilitating inputting a command to a service application in the mobile device. The mobile device comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The method comprises determining a time interval in which a user of the mobile device will agitate the mobile device in accordance with a command. The method also comprises filtering an information feed from the IMU during said time interval to remove signals which are outside of a predetermined spectrum and thus regarded as noise. The method comprises finding distinguishable signals within the filtered feed, said distinguishable signals forming a command pattern. The method comprises associating the command pattern with the command.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device for facilitating inputting of a command to a service application of the mobile device, the mobile device comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the method comprising:

training the mobile device to interpret agitations of the mobile device as command inputs, including, for each of one or more commands,

determining a time interval during which the mobile device is to be trained to associate an agitation of the mobile device with a command;

filtering an information feed from the inertial measurement unit during said time interval, to remove signals recognized as noise; and

determining distinguishable signals within the filtered information feed, said distinguishable signals forming a command pattern that is associated with the agitation and the command;

associating a plurality of types of agitation with a plurality of command patterns and commands, including associating each of the plurality of command patterns with

a type of agitation, and

an associated command acceptable as an input to the service application;

determining, subsequent to training the mobile device, in response to a particular agitation of the mobile device, a particular command pattern associated with a particular command; and

in response thereto, providing the particular command as input to the service application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after training the mobile device, continuously filtering the information feed from the inertial measurement unit, to remove signals recognized as noise;

determining distinguishable signals within the continuously filtered information feed which conform with a command pattern that is associated with a type of agitation and an associated command; and

in response to the identifying, presenting the associated command to the service application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service application is an application for media streaming.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular command is a command for controlling media streaming of the service application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering comprises removing signals having a frequency below a predetermined frequency threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering comprises removing signals which the mobile device has been trained to regard as noise.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented by the service application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented by a helper application in the mobile device, separate from the service application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular command pattern corresponds to the user agitating the mobile device by tapping it.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of finding signals comprises using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model.

11. A mobile device comprising:

an inertial measurement unit (IMU);

a service application;

processor circuitry; and

a storage unit storing instructions executable by said processor circuitry whereby said mobile device is operative to;

train the mobile device to interpret agitations of the mobile device as command inputs, including, for each of one or more commands,

determine a time interval during which the mobile device is to be trained to associate an agitation of the mobile device with a command to the service application;

filter an information feed from the inertial measurement unit during said time interval, to remove signals recognized as noise; and

determine distinguishable signals within the filtered information feed, said distinguishable signals forming a command pattern that is associated with the agitation and the command;

associate a plurality of types of agitation with a plurality of command patterns and commands, including associating each of the plurality of command patterns with

a type of agitation, and

an associated command acceptable as an input to the service application;

determine, subsequent to training the mobile device, in response to a particular agitation of the mobile device, a particular command pattern associated with a particular command; and

in response thereto, provide the particular command as input to the service application.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, further operative to:

after training the mobile device, continuously filter the information feed from the inertial measurement unit, to remove signals recognized as noise;

determine distinguishable signals within the continuously filtered information feed which conform with a command pattern that is associated with a type of agitation and an associated command; and

in response to the identifying, present the associated command to the service application.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the inertial measurement unit comprises accelerometers and a gyroscope.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is a radio device.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the radio device is a smartphone.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including an application software for a mobile device comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the software comprising computer program code which is able to, when run on processor circuitry of the mobile device, cause the mobile device to:

train the mobile device to interpret agitations of the mobile device as command inputs, including, for each of one or more commands,

determine a time interval during which the mobile device is to be trained to associate an agitation of the mobile device with a command to a service application in the mobile device;

filter an information feed from the inertial measurement unit during said time interval, to remove signals recognized as noise; and

determine distinguishable signals within the filtered information feed, said distinguishable signals forming a command pattern that is associated with the agitation and the command;

associate a plurality of types of agitation with a plurality of command patterns and commands, including associating each of the plurality of command patterns with

a type of agitation, and

an associated command acceptable as an input to the service application;

determine, subsequent to training the mobile device, in response to a particular agitation of the mobile device, a particular command pattern associated with a particular command; and

in response thereto, provide the particular command as input to the service application.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium including the application software of claim 16, wherein the code is also able to cause the mobile device to:

after training the mobile device, continuously filter the information feed from the inertial measurement unit, to remove signals recognized as noise;

determine distinguishable signals within the continuously filtered information feed which conform with a command pattern that is associated with a type of agitation and an associated command; and

in response to the identifying, present the associated command to the service application.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium including the application software of claim 16, wherein the application software is comprised in the service application.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium including the application software of claim 16, wherein the application software is comprised in a helper application in the mobile device.