Information prompt method and electronic apparatus

• US 10,073,587 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Qian
• Primary Examiner(s): Xia, Xuyang
• Application Number:
  US14/281,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser

Abstract

An electronic apparatus that includes at least a first element and a sensor and an information prompt method for the electronic apparatus are described. The method includes judging whether a predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus changes or not by a sensor to obtain a first judgment result; generating a first prompt information for prompting a first position where the first element is disposed, when the first judgment result indicates that the predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus has changed; outputting the first prompt information, to enable a user to determine the first position according to the first prompt information, and to operate the first element.

Claims

1. An information prompt method applied to an electronic apparatus including at least a physical button and a sensor, the method comprising:

obtaining a first judgment result by judging with the sensor whether a predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus changes;

generating a first prompt information to prompt a first position where the physical button is disposed, when the first judgment result indicates that the predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus has changed;

outputting the first prompt information to indicate the first position according to the first prompt information, wherein the first prompt information is a light emitted by a display unit disposed in the electronic apparatus on a display region adjacent to the physical button;

obtaining a second judgment result by judging with the sensor whether a redetermined touch movement is received in a redetermined position of the electronic apparatus by a user;

generating a first display content as the first prompt information in response to receiving the predetermined touch movement in the predetermined position of the electronic apparatus, the first display content indicates the first position of the physical button on the electronic apparatus for the user to operate the physical button.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical button is a power button and when the electronic apparatus is in a standby state, in response to a user input to trigger the physical button, enabling the electronic apparatus to enter an operation state from the standby state.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the first judgment result includes:

obtaining a first posture of the electronic apparatus by the sensor at a first moment;

obtaining a second posture of the electronic apparatus by the sensor at a second moment after the first moment; and

judging whether the first posture is a first predetermined posture or not and whether the second posture is a second predetermined posture or not, to obtain the first judgment result.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, the generating the first prompt information further includes:

judging whether the electronic apparatus is in the standby state or not to obtain a third judgment result when the first judgment result indicates that the first posture is the first predetermined posture and the second posture is the second predetermined posture;

generating the first prompt information when the third judgment result indicates that the electronic apparatus is in the standby state.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first prompt information is at least one of:

a first light prompt information output by a light-emitting unit disposed in a second position, a first distance between the second position and the first position being equal to or less than a first predetermined distance;

a first vibration prompt information output by a vibration unit disposed in a third position, a second distance between the third position and the first position being equal to or less than a second predetermined distance; and

a first image prompt information output by the display unit disposed in the electronic apparatus.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a touch sensor and wherein,

the predetermined position includes at least one of a periphery of the electronic apparatus, at least a portion of a rear surface of the electronic apparatus, upper and lower edges of the electronic apparatus, and right and left edges of the electronic apparatus;

and

the predetermined touch movement includes at least one of a touch movement from left to right, a touch movement from right to left, a touch movement from top to bottom, and a touch movement from bottom to top.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first display content includes an appearance display corresponding to a current state of the electronic apparatus and a position indication of the physical button on the electronic apparatus.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising removing the first display content after a predetermined display duration, when an operation of the physical button is not received after generating the first display content.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, changing of the predetermined posture is that the electronic apparatus changes to move from stillness.

10. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a physical button disposed in a periphery of the electronic apparatus;

a sensor for obtaining a posture of the electronic apparatus and detecting a touch movement by a user;

a processor connected to the sensor and configured to;

judge with the sensor whether a predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus changes to obtain a first judgment result;

generate a first prompt information to prompt a first position where the physical button is disposed, when the first judgment result indicates that the predetermined posture of the electronic apparatus has changed;

obtain a second judgment result by judging with the sensor whether a predetermined touch movement is received in a predetermined position of the electronic apparatus by the user; and

generate a first display content as the first prompt information in response to receiving the predetermined touch movement in the predetermined position of the electronic apparatus, the first display content indicates the first position of the physical button on the electronic apparatus for the user to operate the physical button; and

an output device connected to the processor and configured to;

output the first prompt information to indicate the first position according to the first prompt information, wherein the first prompt information is alight emitted by a display unit disposed in the electronic apparatus on a display region adjacent to the physical button.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the physical button is a power button and when the electronic apparatus is in a standby state, in response to a user input to trigger the physical button, the processor enables the electronic apparatus to enter an operation state from the standby state.

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

obtain a first posture of the electronic apparatus by the sensor at a first moment;

obtain a second posture of the electronic apparatus by the sensor at a second moment after the first moment;

judge whether the first posture is a first predetermined posture and whether the second posture is a second predetermined posture to obtain the first judgment result;

judge whether the electronic apparatus is in the standby state to obtain a third judgment result, when the first judgment result indicates that the first posture is the first predetermined posture and the second posture is the second predetermined posture;

generate the first prompt information, when the third judgment result indicates that the electronic apparatus is in the standby state.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, the processor is further configured to control the output device to output the first prompt information after the generating the first prompt information.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the output device is at least one of:

a light-emitting diode disposed in a second position of the electronic apparatus, outputting a first light prompt information when the first prompt information is the first light prompt information, wherein, a first distance between the second position and the first position is equal to or less than a first predetermined distance;

a vibrator, disposed in a third position of the electronic apparatus, outputting a first vibration prompt information when the first prompt information is the first vibration prompt information, wherein, a second distance between the third position and the first position is equal to or less than a second predetermined distance; and

a display screen, embedded in a surface of the electronic apparatus, outputting a first image prompt information when the first prompt information is the first image prompt information.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, the sensor is a touch detector disposed in the predetermined position of the electronic apparatus;

the predetermined position includes at least one of the periphery of the electronic apparatus, at least a portion of a rear surface of the electronic apparatus, upper and lower edges of the electronic apparatus, and right and left edges of the electronic apparatus; and

the predetermined touch movement include at least one of a touch movement from left to right, a touch movement from right to left, a touch movement from top to bottom, and a touch movement from bottom to top.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first display content includes an appearance display corresponding to a current state of the electronic apparatus and a position indication of the physical button on the electronic apparatus.

17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor controls the display screen to remove the first display content after a predetermined display duration, when an operation of the physical button is not received after generating the first display content.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein changing of the predetermined posture is that the electronic apparatus changes to move from stillness.