Providing an alternative human interface

• US 9,921,727 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse W., Lee, Jeffery T., Lindahl, Aram
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/218,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• 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 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

Providing an alternative human interface for an electronic device when a current human interface is made ineffective by at least an environmental factor is described herein. By ineffective it is meant that the current human interface cannot maintain a minimum level of interactivity between a user and the electronic device in the current or anticipated environment. In addition to maintaining at least a threshold level of interactivity, the configuration of the alternative human interface can take into consideration other factors such as an expected operating state of the electronic device affected by the choice of alternative human interface.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving an environmental factor;

in response to receiving the environmental factor and based on the environmental factor, determining that an environment of the device has changed;

identifying an updated human interface in response to determining that the environment has changed;

determining that a level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies a threshold level of interactivity; and

presenting, by the device, the updated human interface in response to determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity comprises determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity comprises:

determining a value of an operating state of the device; and

determining that the value of the operating stage of the device is greater than a pre-determined threshold value.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the value of the operating state comprises at least one of a charge remaining in a battery that powers the device or an estimated amount of operating time for the electronic device at a current operating state in the changed environment using the updated human interface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the environmental factor comprises at least one of an amount of charge remaining in a battery that powers the device, an ambient light level, an ambient sound level, a context of use of the device or a motion of the device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the updated human interface comprises at least one of a visual interface mode, a haptic interface mode, an audio interface mode, a speech/sound recognition mode or an inertial mode.

7. A computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an environmental factor associated with a device including a display;

in response to receiving the environmental factor and based on the environmental factor, determining that an environment of the device has changed;

identifying an updated human interface in response to determining that the environment has changed;

determining that a level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies a threshold level of interactivity; and

presenting, in the device, the updated human interface in response to determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity comprises determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity comprises:

determining a value of an operating state of the device; and

determining that the value of the operating stage of the device is greater than a pre-determined threshold value.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the value of the operating state comprises at least one of a charge remaining in a battery that powers the device or an estimated amount of operating time for the electronic device at a current operating state in the changed environment using the updated human interface.

11. The medium of claim 7, wherein the environmental factor comprises at least one of an amount of charge remaining in a battery that powers the device, an ambient light level, an ambient sound level, a context of use of the device or a motion of the device.

12. The medium of claim 7, wherein the updated human interface comprises at least one of a visual interface mode, a haptic interface mode, an audio interface mode, a speech/sound recognition mode or an inertial mode.

13. A method comprising:

determining that an environment in which a device is operating has changed based on an environmental factor indicating an environment in which the device is operating, wherein the device comprises a human interface to interact with the device;

in response to determining that the environment has changed, identifying an updated human interface;

determining that a level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies a threshold level of interactivity;

presenting the updated human interface in response to determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface satisfies the threshold level of interactivity comprises determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the level of interactivity corresponding to the updated human interface is at least greater than the threshold level of interactivity comprises:

determining a value of an operating state of the device; and

determining that the value of the operating stage of the device is greater than a pre-determined threshold value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the value of the operating state comprises at least one of a charge remaining in a battery that powers the device or an estimated amount of operating time for the electronic device at a current operating state in the changed environment using the updated human interface.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the environmental factor comprises at least one of an amount of charge remaining in a battery that powers the device, an ambient light level, an ambient sound level, a context of use of the device or a motion of the device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the updated human interface comprises at least one of a visual interface mode, a haptic interface mode, an audio interface mode, a speech/sound recognition mode or an inertial mode.