Application swap based on smart device movement

• US 10,303,256 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Burckard, Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tuyen K
• Application Number:
  US15/254,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 235451, 235492, 235380
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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

A smart device capable of switching between at least two applications based on the position of the smart device and a method of doing the same is provided.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first application;

a second application different from the first application;

a user interface configured to display the first application;

a controller communicatively connected to the user interface, the controller having memory for storing the first application and the second application on the device; and

at least one sensing device communicatively connected to the controller, the at least one sensing device being configured to detect user actions related to movement of the device,

the controller being configured to cause the user interface to switch from displaying the first application to displaying the second application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting both an initial motion of the device and a subsequent motion of the device after the initial motion is detected.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the initial motion of the device includes one of a flicking motion or a rotation; and

the subsequent motion includes one of a flicking motion or a rotation.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the rotation causes the device to be in a particular orientation.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the initial motion is a first motion;

the subsequent motion is a second motion; and

the controller is further configured to associate the first application with at least one of a third motion and a fourth motion and to associate the second application with the initial action and the subsequent action.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to activate a programming mode for associating the first application with the third motion and the fourth motion and for associating the second application with the initial motion and the subsequent motion.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensing device is configured to detect the user actions related to movement of the device based on at least one of a weight change or a weight shift of the device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the initial motion is a first motion;

the subsequent motion is a second motion; and

the device further comprises a third application different from the second application, wherein the third application is associated with at least one of a third motion and a fourth motion and wherein the controller is configured to cause the user interface to switch from displaying the second application to displaying the third application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting one of the motion action and motion action.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the third application is running in the background of the device.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the third application is activated in response to the at least one sensing device detecting one of the third motion and fourth motion.

10. A method of &

witching between at least two applications on a device within a three-dimensional space, the device having a controller, a user interface, and at least one sensing device, the method comprising;

providing at least two applications, the at least two include a first application and a second application;

activating the first application;

displaying the first application on the user interface;

detecting an initial motion of the device via the at least one sensing device;

detecting a subsequent motion of the device after detecting the initial motion via the at least one sensing device; and

in response to detecting the subsequent motion after detecting the initial motion;

activating the second application; and

displaying the second application on the user interface.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the initial motion of the device includes one of a flicking motion or a rotation; and

the subsequent motion causes the device to be in a particular orientation.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second application is running in the background of the device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the initial motion is a first motion;

the subsequent motion is a second motion; and

the method further comprises;

activating a programming mode for associating the first application with a third otion and a fourth motion and the second application with the initial motion and the subsequent motion via the controller.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

storing the first application associated with the third motion and the fourth motion and the second application associated with the initial motion and the subsequent motion in memory of the controller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least two application includes a third application associated with at least one of a fifth motion and sixth motion of the device.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

detecting one of the fifth motion and the sixth motion via the at least one sensing device;

activating the third application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting one of the fifth motion and the sixth motion; and

displaying the third application on user interface.

17. A system comprising:

at least two applications;

a controller; and

at least one sensing device communicatively connected to the controller, the at least one sensing device being configured to detect movement of a device in a three-dimensional space,

the at least two applications including a first application associated with at least one of a first movement of the device and a second movement of the device within the three-dimensional space and a second application associated with at least one of a third movement of the device and a fourth movement of the device within the three-dimensional space, and

the controller being configured to activate the first application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting the first movement of the device before detecting the second movement of the device associated with the first application, the controller being further configured to switch from the first application and to activate the second application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting the third movement of the device and detecting the fourth movement of the device after the third movement is detected.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least two applications include a third application associated with at least one of a fifth movement and a sixth movement of the device within the three-dimensional space and wherein the controller is configured to switch from the second application and to activate the third application in response to the at least one sensing device detecting one of the fifth movement and the sixth movement associated with the third application.