MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE, TIME CONTROL METHOD, AND TIMER CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20090316532A1
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Motoyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/002 Position, e.g. inclination dependent switches
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/005 using electronic timing, e.g. counting means pulse time delay arrangements H03K5/13; modifications of electronic switches for introducing a time delay before switching H03K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/02 by consuming prefixed quantities of materials, e.g. by burning candle
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/04 by movement or acceleration due to gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/02 by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the position of which represent the time, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques G04G9/0082 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• 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

Provided is a mobile terminal device capable of performing, when a user moves the mobile terminal device as if the user operated an hourglass, a screen display and a time measurement accordingly. The mobile phone device 10 comprises a display unit 13, an acceleration sensor 20, an hourglass function control unit 31 for measuring a set time and displaying the image of the hourglass on the display unit 13, and an inclination deciding unit 32 for controlling the time measured by the hourglass function control unit 31, on the basis of measured data from the acceleration sensor 20.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a display unit;

an acceleration sensor;

a timer unit that measures a set time and displays a state of a time measurement on said display unit; and

a timer control unit that controls the time measured by said timer unit based on measured data from said acceleration sensor.

2. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said acceleration sensor measures an amount of inclination from a direction of gravity and an amount of inclination from a horizontal plane.

3. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer control unit instructs said timer unit to start measuring time when the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity, measured by said acceleration sensor, meets a predetermined condition.

4. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer control unit instructs said timer unit to start measuring time when said timer control unit detects that the mobile terminal device has been turned upside down and further returned to an original position, based on the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor.

5. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer control unit instructs said timer unit to reset and restart when the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor meets a predetermined condition after said timer unit has started measuring time.

6. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer control unit instructs said timer unit to reset and restart when, after said timer unit has started measuring time, said timer control unit detects that the mobile terminal device has been turned upside down and further returned to the original position, based on the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor.

7. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer control unit corrects the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor using the amount of inclination from a horizontal plane.

8. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said acceleration sensor measures the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity as roll value and the amount of inclination from a horizontal plane as pitch value, and said timer control unit corrects the roll value to 0 when a pitch value is smaller than 36 or greater than 324, or greater than 144 but smaller than 216.

9. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1 wherein said state of a time measurement is displayed using an image of an hourglass.

10. A time control method wherein degree of inclination is measured using an acceleration sensor and that controls a time measured by a timer unit according to said degree of inclination.

11. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said acceleration sensor measures an amount of inclination from a direction of gravity and an amount of inclination from a horizontal plane.

12. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said timer unit is caused to start measuring time when the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity, measured by said acceleration sensor, meets a predetermined condition.

13. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said timer unit is caused to start measuring time when it is detected that a device has been turned upside down and further returned to an original position, based on the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor.

14. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said timer is reset and restarted when the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor meets a predetermined condition after said timer unit has started measuring time.

15. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said timer unit is caused to reset and restart when, after said timer unit has started measuring time, it is detected that a device has been turned upside down and further returned to the original position, based on the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor.

16. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein the amount of inclination from the direction of gravity measured by said acceleration sensor is corrected using the amount of inclination from a horizontal plane.

17. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein said acceleration sensor measures the degree of inclination of a mobile terminal device.

18. The time control method as defined in claim 10 wherein a state of a time measurement is displayed on a display unit of said mobile terminal device.

19. A timer control program having a mobile terminal device execute:

a timer function that measures a set time and displays a state of a time measurement on a provided display unit; and

a timer control function that controls the time measured by said timer function based on measured data from an acceleration sensor.