Determining process to be executed based on direction of surface in which vibration-applied surface faces and application state

• US 9,996,180 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Uno, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Di Prisco, German Viana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pannell, Mark G.
• Application Number:
  US14/764,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20150355770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 455566
• 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 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1638 Computer housing designed to operate in both desktop and tower orientation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• 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

Abstract

An information processing apparatus (2000) includes a plurality of surfaces. A vibration detection unit (2020) detects a vibration applied to the information processing apparatus (2000). An operation surface detection unit (2040) detects an operation surface, which is a surface to which a vibration is applied, based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit (2020). An apparatus state detection unit (2060) detects a state of the information processing apparatus (2000). An application state detection unit (2080) detects a state of an application. A process determination unit (2100) determines a predetermined process to be executed, based on the operation surface detected by the operation surface detection unit (2040), the state of the information processing apparatus (2000) detected by the apparatus state detection unit (2060), and the state of the application detected by the application state detection unit (2080).

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus having a plurality of surfaces and executing an application, including:

a vibration detection unit implemented at least by hardware and detecting a vibration which is applied to the information processing apparatus;

an operation surface detection unit implemented at least by the hardware and detecting an operation surface among the plurality of surfaces based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit, the operation surface being a surface to which a vibration is applied;

a photodetector;

an apparatus state detection unit implemented at least by the hardware and determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which light having more than a predetermined intensity is detected by the photodetector, and determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around a user of the information processing apparatus by determining whether or not a temperature measured by a temperature sensor is close to a body temperature of a person;

an application state detection unit implemented at least by the hardware and detecting a state of the application; and

a process determination unit implemented at least by a processor and memory and determining a predetermined process to be executed from a plurality of predetermined processes, based on a combination of;

the state of the application;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which light having more than the predetermined intensity;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around the user of the information processing apparatus; and

the operation surface,

wherein when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to an incoming call in a normal call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in a hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in the hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of executing an answering machine function is determined as the predetermined process to be executed.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further including a vibration number detection unit implemented at least by the hardware and detecting the number of vibrations based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit, the number of vibrations being the number of times a vibration is applied to the information processing apparatus,

wherein the process determination unit determines the predetermined process, further using the number of vibrations.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the information processing apparatus has a plurality of partial regions, the information processing apparatus includes an operation region detection unit detecting an operation region from a plurality of partial regions included in the operation surface detected by the operation surface detection unit, the operation region being a partial region to which a vibration is applied.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process includes a process of starting an operation of the application, a process of terminating the operation of the application, a process of stopping the operation of the application, or a process of restarting the operation of the application.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process includes a process of changing contents to be processed by the application or a process of changing a processing position of contents processed by the application.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process includes:

a process of increasing a volume of sound to be output;

a process of reducing a volume of sound to be output;

a process of increasing a volume of sound to be acquired;

a process of reducing the volume of sound to be acquired;

a process of enabling a sound output;

a process of disabling a sound output;

a process of enabling sound acquisition;

or a process of disabling sound acquisition.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process includes:

a process of changing a state of a voice call from a state in which a call is incoming to a state in which the call is established;

a process of changing the state of a voice call from a state in which a call is established to state in which the call is finished;

a process of changing the state of a voice call from a state in which a call is established to a state in which the call is held;

or a process of stopping output of a ring tone while maintaining the state of a voice call to a state in which a call is incoming.

8. A method comprising:

detecting a vibration applied to an information processing apparatus;

detecting an operation surface among a plurality of surfaces based on the detected vibration, the operation surface being a surface to which the vibration is applied;

detecting light by a photodetector;

determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which the light having more than a predetermined intensity is detected by the photodetector;

determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around a user of the information processing apparatus by determining whether or not a temperature measured by a temperature sensor is close to a body temperature of a person;

detecting a state of an application;

determining a predetermined process to be executed, from a plurality of predetermined processes, based on a combination of;

the state of the application;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which light having more than the predetermined intensity;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around the user of the information processing apparatus; and

the operation surface,

wherein when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to an incoming call in a normal call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in a hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in the hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of executing an answering machine function is determined as the predetermined process to be executed.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium having computer-executable code that a computing device executes to perform a method comprising:

causing a vibration applied to an information processing apparatus to be detected;

causing an operation surface among a plurality of surfaces to be detected based on the detected vibration, the operation surface being a surface to which the vibration is applied;

causing light to be detected by a photodetector;

determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which the light having more than a predetermined intensity is detected by the photodetector;

determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around a user of the information processing apparatus by determining whether or not a temperature measured by a temperature sensor is close to a body temperature of a person;

detecting a state of an application;

determining a predetermined process to be executed, from a plurality of predetermined processes, based on a combination of;

the state of the application;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located at a place in which light having more than the predetermined intensity;

a result of the determination of whether or not the information processing apparatus is located around the user of the information processing apparatus; and

the operation surface,

wherein when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to an incoming call in a normal call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in a hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of responding to the incoming call in the hands-free call mode is determined as the predetermined process to be executed,

when it is determined that the state of the application is during incoming call and the information processing apparatus is located at a position which is not around the user of the information processing apparatus and at which light having more than the predetermined intensity is not detected, a process of executing an answering machine function is determined as the predetermined process to be executed.