Mobile terminal apparatus and display method therefor

• US 9,836,145 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakurazawa, Kuniaki
• Primary Examiner(s): LETT, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/344,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 455566, 345158, 345173, 345659
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

A mobile terminal apparatus comprises: a touch pad sensor that is arranged on a back surface of a housing, and detects a contact position when held by a user; and a holding pattern determining unit that determines a holding pattern having a highest similarity to a touch pad detection data detected by the touch pad sensor among a plurality of predetermined holding patterns to output the determined holding pattern. The mobile terminal apparatus controls an orientation of information displayed on a display screen of a display unit based on the holding pattern outputted by the holding pattern determining unit.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal apparatus, comprising:

a touch pad sensor that is arranged on a back surface of a housing, and detects a contact position when held by a user; and

a processor that determines a holding pattern having a highest similarity to touch pad sensor detection data detected by the touch pad sensor among a plurality of predetermined holding patterns to output the determined holding pattern, wherein the processor calculates a sum of contact cells among the touch pad sensor detection data and wherein, prior to determining the holding pattern, the processor determines whether the sum of contact cells is greater than a predetermined threshold or not and wherein, when the sum of contact cells is greater than the predetermined threshold value, the processor determines the holding pattern; and

an orientation of information displayed on a display screen of a display is controlled based on the holding pattern outputted by the processor,

wherein the determination of the holding pattern and the determination whether the sum of contact cells is greater than the predetermined threshold value are both performed in series when held by a user, and

a registered application is launched based on the holding pattern outputted by the processor.

2. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor acquires outputs of the touch pad sensor when held in a plurality of predetermined holding states, and registers the outputs as the plurality of predetermined holding patterns, respectively.

3. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the processor calculates the number of elements matching between the touch pad sensor detection data and each of the plurality of predetermined holding patterns, and determines that a predetermined holding pattern whose number of elements matching is maximum among the plurality of predetermined holding patterns has the highest similarity.

4. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the touch pad sensor is arranged also on a side surface of the housing,

the processor outputs a holding pattern having a highest similarity among the plurality of predetermined holding patterns based on touch pad sensor detection data detected by the touch pad sensor arranged on the back surface and the side surface of the housing.

5. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor calculates the number of elements matching between the touch pad sensor detection data and each of the plurality of predetermined holding patterns, and determines that a predetermined holding pattern whose number of elements matching is maximum among the plurality of predetermined holding patterns has the highest similarity.

6. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the touch pad sensor is arranged also on a side surface of the housing,

the processor outputs a holding pattern having a highest similarity among the plurality of predetermined holding patterns based on touch pad sensor detection data detected by the touch pad sensor arranged on the back surface and the side surface of the housing.

7. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the touch pad sensor is arranged on a side surface of the housing,

the processor outputs a holding pattern having a highest similarity among the plurality of predetermined holding patterns based on touch pad sensor detection data detected by the touch pad sensor arranged on the back surface and the side surface of the housing.

8. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of predetermined holding patterns include at least two holding patterns orthogonal to each other.

9. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of predetermined holding patterns include at least four holding patterns orthogonal or parallel to each other.

10. A display method for a mobile terminal apparatus that controls an orientation of information displayed on a display screen thereof, the display method comprising:

acquiring touch pad sensor detection data when a user holds the mobile terminal apparatus by a touch pad sensor arranged in the mobile terminal apparatus;

calculating a sum of contact cells among the touch pad sensor detection data;

determining whether the sum of contact cells is greater than a predetermined threshold or not;

when the sum is greater than the predetermined threshold, determining a holding pattern having a highest similarity to the touch pad sensor detection data among a plurality of predetermined holding patterns and outputting the determined holding pattern;

switching an orientation of information displayed on a display screen of the mobile terminal apparatus based on the determined holding pattern outputted,

wherein the determination of the holding pattern and the determination whether the sum of contact cells is greater than the predetermined threshold value are both performed in series when held by a user, and

a registered application is launched based on the holding pattern outputted by the mobile terminal apparatus.

11. The display method for a mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

acquiring outputs of the touch pad sensor when held in a plurality of predetermined holding states, and registering in advance the outputs as the plurality of predetermined holding patterns, respectively.