Domed orientationless input assembly for controlling an electronic device

• US 10,496,187 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zuber, Wesley W., Matlick, Jacob L., Huppi, Brian Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/714,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03544 having dual sensing arrangement, e.g. two balls or two coils used to track rotation of the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Domed input assemblies for controlling an electronic device and methods for using domed input assemblies for controlling electronic device are provided.

Claims

1. An input assembly for controlling an electronic device, the input assembly comprising:

a housing comprising;

a base structure; and

a dome structure positioned above the base structure and providing an orientationless surface with respect to at least one axis of an input coordinate system of the input assembly;

a sensor subassembly comprising a plurality of sensor input components at least partially protected by the housing; and

a processor operative to;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a user coordinate system of a user with respect to the orientationless surface;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a physical use of the housing; and

determine a control action for the electronic device based on the detected user coordinate system and the detected physical use, wherein the detected physical use comprises axial movement of the dome structure with respect to the base structure.

2. The input assembly of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to detect the user coordinate system from at least three possible user coordinate systems of the user with respect to the orientationless surface.

3. The input assembly of claim 2, wherein each one of the at least three possible user coordinate systems has a different orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly than the other ones of the at least three possible user coordinate systems.

4. A method for controlling an electronic device using an input assembly of a user, wherein the input assembly comprises a housing, a sensor subassembly, and a processor, the method comprising:

detecting, with the sensor subassembly, a user interface event that comprises the user interfacing with the housing of the input assembly;

based on the detecting the user interface event, defining, with the processor, a user coordinate system for the detected user interface event from a plurality of possible user coordinate systems;

after the defining the user coordinate system, detecting, with the sensor subassembly, a physical use of the housing of the input assembly;

based on both the defined user coordinate system and the detected physical use, determining, with the processor, control data that is operative to control the electronic device;

after the detecting the physical use, detecting, with the sensor subassembly and the processor, a reset interface event;

after the detecting the reset interface event, detecting, with the sensor subassembly, another user interface event that comprises the user interfacing with the housing of the input assembly; and

based on the detecting the other user interface event, defining, with the processor, another user coordinate system for the detected other user interface event from the plurality of possible user coordinate systems, wherein the reset interface event comprises the user maintaining contact with the housing of the input assembly but not changing contact with the housing of the input assembly for longer than a threshold duration of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of possible user coordinate systems comprises at least three possible user coordinate systems, each of which has a different orientation with respect to an input coordinate system of the input assembly.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after the defining the other user coordinate system, detecting another physical use of the input assembly; and

based on both the defined other user coordinate system and the detected other physical use, determining other control data that is operative to control the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of possible user coordinate systems comprises at least three possible user coordinate systems, each of which has a different orientation with respect to an input coordinate system of the input assembly.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the defined user coordinate system comprises a first possible user coordinate system of the at least three possible user coordinate systems that has a first orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly;

the defined other user coordinate system comprises a second possible user coordinate system of the at least three possible user coordinate systems that has a second orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly; and

the first orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly is different than the second orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the defined user coordinate system shares at least one axis with the input coordinate system; and

the defined other user coordinate system shares no axis with the input coordinate system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the detected physical use has a first relationship to the input coordinate system;

the detected other physical use has a second relationship to the input coordinate system; and

the first relationship is different than the second relationship.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determined control data is the same as the determined other control data.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the detected physical use has a first relationship to the defined user coordinate system;

the detected other physical use has a second relationship to the defined other user coordinate system; and

the first relationship is the same as the second relationship.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the determined control data is operative to control the electronic device in a first manner;

the determined other control data is operative to control the electronic device in a second manner; and

the first manner is the same as the second manner.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the detected physical use comprises movement of the input assembly along a work surface.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the detected physical use comprises movement of a portion of the user along a portion of the input assembly.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the detected user interface event comprises the user interfacing with an orientationless structure of the input assembly.

17. An input assembly for controlling an electronic device, the input assembly comprising:

a housing providing a surface within an input coordinate system of the input assembly;

a sensor subassembly at least partially protected by the housing; and

a processor operative to;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a user coordinate system of a user with respect to the surface from at least three possible user coordinate systems, wherein each one of the at least three possible user coordinate systems has a different orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly;

after the detection of the user coordinate system, detect, with the sensor subassembly, a physical use of the housing;

determine a control action for the electronic device based on the user coordinate system and the physical use;

after the determination of the control action, detect, with the sensor subassembly, a reset event; and

after the detection of the reset event, detect, with the sensor subassembly, another user coordinate system of the user with respect to the surface from the at least three possible user coordinate systems, wherein the reset event comprises the user maintaining static contact with the surface for longer than a particular duration of time.