WIRELESS HANDHELD DEVICE AND METHOD WITH REMOTE GUI CONTROL

• US 20070139373A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Simon, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,049,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A wireless handheld device is disclosed that includes a device housing, a wireless transmitter, such as a short range wireless transmitter, a local display and a housing motion detector that is operative to detect motion of the housing, for example, relative to a surface or other reference point, and outputs graphic user interface control information for transmission by the wireless transmitter to an external device. In one embodiment, a wireless pointing device is operably coupled with a wireless handheld device such as a cell phone, email device, personal digital assistant, digital audio playing device, digital video playing device, or any other suitable wireless handheld device that includes a short range wireless transmitter and/or transceiver to remotely control a graphic user interface such as cursor (e.g. arrow or line) movement, menu identification, menu selection, icon selection or other known GUI operation for an external device. The housing motion detector utilizes the battery power of the wireless handheld device as its sole source of power or as an auxiliary source of power.

Claims

1. A wireless handheld device comprising:

a device housing;

a wireless transmitter, operatively coupled to the housing;

a local display operatively coupled to the housing; and

a housing motion detector operatively coupled to the device housing and to the wireless transmitter, and operative to detect motion of the housing and output graphic user interface control information for transmission by the wireless transmitter to an external device.

2. The handheld device of claim 1 comprising a battery and device connector and a housing structure adapted to house the housing motion detector and comprising a connector coupled to the housing structure, the connector operative to couple with the device connector to obtain battery power for the housing motion detector from the battery.

3. The wireless handheld device of claim 1 comprising a display pointing device operatively coupled to provide graphic user interface control information for the local display.

4. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the housing motion detector includes at least one of an infrared pointing device and a non-infrared pointing device.

5. The handheld device of claim 2 wherein the housing structure further includes a plurality of sidewalls having portions adapted to engage with the device housing and at least one select button operative to provide graphic user interface control information associated with the housing motion detector.

6. The handheld device of claim 5 wherein the housing structure further includes a flip arm comprising the at least one select button for the housing motion detector.

7. The handheld device of claim 1 including at least one hotkey operative to enable a user to switch between a mouse mode that transmits graphic user interface control information based on the housing motion detector and a non-mouse mode.

8. A wireless handheld device comprising:

wireless telephone circuitry;

a keypad operatively coupled to the wireless telephone circuitry;

a local display operatively coupled to the wireless telephone circuitry to display information to a user;

a short range wireless transmitter;

a first display pointing device operatively coupled to the short range wireless transmitter and operative to provide wireless GUI control information determined based on movement of the wireless handheld device for at least a remotely located device.

9. The handheld device of claim 8 comprising first logic operative to control keys of the keypad to serve as control buttons for the display pointing device and keys for use to carrying out wireless telephone operations.

10. The handheld device of claim 8 comprising second logic operative to switch control keys of the keypad from mouse mode to wireless telephone mode in response to detection of an incoming call.

11. The handheld device of claim 8 comprising third logic operative to display information indicating which keys of the keypad are to be used for controlling the display pointing device.

12. The handheld device of claim 8 comprising a second display pointing device operatively coupled to provide graphic user interface control information for the local display, and display pointing device switching logic operative to switch between the first display pointing device and the second display pointing device based on whether the device is in a remote mouse mode or a non-remote mouse mode.

13. The handheld wireless device of claim 8 wherein the first display pointing device is also coupled to the local display and operative to selectively provide GUI control information for a cursor displayed on the local display.

14. A method for providing graphic user interface control information comprising:

obtaining power for a housing motion detector from a battery of a handheld device;

detecting motion of the handheld device by the housing motion detector; and

wirelessly transmitting graphic user interface control information from the housing motion detector to a device that is remote from the handheld device.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising:

switching between a mouse mode that transmits the graphic user interface control information and a non-mouse mode.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the handheld device includes cell phone circuitry and wherein the non-mouse mode a cell phone mode.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising switching between a display pointing device located within the handheld device and the housing motion detector based on whether the handheld device is in a remote mouse mode or a non-remote mouse mode.

18. A pointing device comprising:

a structure adapted to hold a handheld device therein, the structure further comprising a motion detector operative to provide graphic user interface control information and a connector operative to electrically couple with a device connector of the wireless handheld device to obtain battery power therefrom.

19. The wireless pointing device of claim 18 wherein the structure adapted to hold

a wireless handheld device further comprises:

a base portion that contains the motion detector;

a plurality of sidewalls, in operative connection with the base portion, having portions adapted to engage with the handheld device, and at least one select button operative to provide the graphic user interface control information.

20. The wireless pointing device of 19 wherein the structure adapted to hold the wireless handheld device therein further includes a flip arm that comprises the at least one select button.