Apparatus and methods for providing directional commands for a mobile computing device

• US 7,599,712 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: van der Meulen, Pieter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERNBANE, LAURENCE J
• Application Number:
  US11/535,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20080076487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 341/22, 345/168, 345/169, 345/172, 345/173, 455/575.1, 463/1, 463/36, 463/37, 710/8, 710/67, D14/338
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device

Abstract

Various embodiments for providing directional commands for a mobile computing device are described. In one or more embodiments, a mobile computing device may comprise a keypad arranged to operate in multiple modes including a standard mode and a directional mode such as a gaming mode, for example. The standard mode may support all of the preset and programmable commands and functions typically provided for normal operation of the mobile computing device. The directional mode may associate certain directional commands with multiple keys and/or buttons of the keypad so that most keystrokes and keystroke combinations input by a user will be interpreted as a particular directional command. The directional mode may be used when running applications which respond primarily to directional commands such as gaming applications. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a mobile computing device keypad comprising multiple keypad regions, each keypad region comprising multiple adjacent keys and associated with a particular directional command; and

a keypad controller operative to generate keypad data representing directional commands, wherein pressing any key within a particular keypad region causes the keypad controller to generate an identical directional command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple keypad regions comprise a left keypad region associated with a left directional command and a right keypad region associated with a right directional command.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein keypad regions closer to a periphery of the keypad exhibit more functionality, and keypad regions closer to a center of the keypad exhibit less or neutral functionality.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the keypad regions are programmable.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an application to receive directional commands as input.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the application comprising a gaming application.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the keypad to operate in multiple modes including a standard mode and a directional mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the directional mode comprises a gaming mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a directional character map defining directional commands corresponding to each keystroke and keystroke combination for the directional mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a matrix key to determine user input keystrokes and keystroke combinations.

11. A method to associate directional commands to a keypad region of a mobile computing device, comprising:

determining user input keystrokes and keystroke combinations to a keypad region of a keypad of the mobile computing device, the keypad comprising multiple keypad regions, each keypad region comprising multiple adjacent keys and associated with a particular directional command; and

interpreting the keystrokes and keystroke combinations to the keypad region as a directional command.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the multiple keypad regions comprise a left keypad region associated with a left directional command and a right keypad region associated with a right directional command.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein keypad regions closer to a periphery of the keypad exhibit more functionality, and keypad regions closer to a center of the keypad exhibit less or neutral functionality.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating keypad data representing the directional command.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising forwarding the keypad data to an application arranged to receive directional commands as input.

16. The method of claim 15, the application comprising a gaming application.

17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that if executed enable a mobile computing device to:

determine user input keystrokes and keystroke combinations to a keypad region of a keypad of the mobile computing device, the keypad comprising multiple keypad regions, each keypad region comprising multiple adjacent keys and associated with a particular directional command; and

interpret the keystrokes and keystroke combinations to the keypad region as a directional command.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple keypad regions comprise a left keypad region associated with a left directional command and a right keypad region associated with a right directional command.

19. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein keypad regions closer to a periphery of the keypad exhibit more functionality, and keypad regions closer to a center of the keypad exhibit less or neutral functionality.

20. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to generate keypad data representing the directional command.

21. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computing system to forward the keypad data to an application arranged to receive directional commands as input.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, the application comprising a gaming application.