Analog input mapping for hand-held computing devices

• US 20050248526A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Ebert, Robert F., Twerdahl, Timothy D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,372,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A first hand-held computing device includes an analog input device and a processor. The analog input device generates analog input. The processor receives the analog input and converts the analog input to coordinates. The processor then maps the coordinates to a button for a second hand-held computing device and generates an event indicating a state of the button for the second hand-held computing device.

Claims

1. A method of converting analog input in a first hand-held computing device, the method comprising:

receiving the analog input from an analog input device in the first hand-held computing device;

converting the analog input to coordinates;

mapping the coordinates to a button for a -second hand-held computing device; and

generating an event indicating a state of the button for the second hand-held computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinates comprise x, y components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinates are polar.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving a table of coordinates and the button for the second hand-held computing device and wherein mapping the coordinates to the button is based on the table.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a legacy PALM operating system button implementation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 5-way button implementation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises an 8-way button implementation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 4-way button implementation.

9. A software product for converting analog input in a first hand-held computing device, the software product comprising:

mapping software operational when executed by a processor to direct the processor to receive the analog input from an analog input device in the first hand-held computing device, convert the analog input to coordinates, map the coordinates to a button for a second hand-held computing device, and generate an event indicating a state of the button for the second hand-held computing device; and

a software storage medium operational to store the mapping software.

10. The software product of claim 9 wherein the coordinates comprise x, y components.

11. The software product of claim 9 wherein the coordinates are polar.

12. The software product of claim 9 wherein the mapping software is operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to retrieve a table of coordinates and the button for the second hand-held computing device and wherein mapping the coordinates to the button is based on the table.

13. The software product of claim 9 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a legacy PALM operating system button implementation.

14. The software product of claim 9 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 5-way button implementation.

15. The software product of claim 9 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises an 8-way button implementation.

16. The software product of claim 9 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 4-way button implementation.

17. A first hand-held computing device comprising:

an analog input device configured to generate analog input; and

a processor configured to receive the analog input from the analog input device, convert the analog input to coordinates, map the coordinates to a button for a second hand-held computing device, and generate an event indicating a state of the button for the second hand-held computing device.

18. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the coordinates comprise x, y components.

19. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the coordinates are polar.

20. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to retrieve a table of coordinates and the button for the second hand-held computing device and wherein mapping the coordinates to the button is based on the table.

21. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a legacy PALM operating system button implementation.

22. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 5-way button implementation.

23. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises an 8-way button implementation.

24. The first hand-held computing device of claim 17 wherein the second hand-held computing device comprises a 4-way button implementation.