Electric device control apparatus and methods for making and using same

• US 7,861,188 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2020 Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Revelation and Design Incorporated
• Inventors: Nalty, Kurt Edward, Josephsoon, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US11/891,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 715/719, 345/168, 345/156, 345/158, 382/118, 382/115, 382/116, 382/103, 382/100
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

An electrical switch apparatus including a movement sensitive form is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing, a motion sensor and a processing unit, where motion on, near or about the motion sensor is translated into output commands adapted for list scrolling, where the list can be arranged in a hierarchy such as menus or for changing a value of an attribute of a electrical device under the control of the switch.

Claims

1. An interface apparatus comprising:

a user interface for displaying information to a user,

a motion sensor for sensing motion on, near, and/or about the motion sensor and producing an output signal,

a processing unit for receiving output signals from the motion sensor and converting the output signal into a command function, where the command function is a scroll function or a simultaneous select and activate function, and

one system or a plurality systems in electronic communication with and controllable by the processing unit, where one system or a plurality of systems includes a plurality of adjustable attributes and where the processing unit includes a system list having a system identifier for each system and system specific attribute lists, each attribute list having an attribute identifier,

where motion in a first direction causes the motion sensor to produce a first output signal causing the processing unit to issue a scroll function, where the scroll function scrolls through the system list or a system specific attribute list, and where the first direction has a positive component and a negative component for scrolling through the list in forward or backward sense,

where motion in a second direction causes the motion sensor to produce a second output signal causing the processing unit to issue a select and activate function, where the second direction is sufficiently different from the first direction to allow direction discrimination by the motion sensor or the processing unit and where the select and activate function simultaneously selects and activates a member of the list, if the selected member is a system specific attribute list, then the processing unit scrolls through the attributes, or if the selected member is an adjustable attribute, then the processing unit controls a value of the attribute, and where the second direction has a positive component and a negative component for scrolling through a list in forward or backward manner or changing a value of the attribute in an increasing or decreasing manner, and

where if the second output is a scroll function, then motion in a third direction causes the motion sensor to produce a third output signal causing the processing unit to issue a select and activate function, where the third direction is sufficiently different from the first direction to allow direction discrimination by the motion sensor or the processing unit and where the select and activate function simultaneously selects a member from the system specific attribute list and controls a value of the attribute and where the second direction has a positive component and a negative component for scrolling through a list in forward or backward manner or changing a value of the attribute in an increasing or decreasing manner.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each system is an electrical device or an electronic device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the systems has a plurality of adjustable attributes and motion in a first direction causes the processing unit to issue a scroll function for scrolling through the system list, motion in a second direction causes the processing unit to issue a select and activate function, which simultaneously selects a desired system and scrolls through its system specific attributes list, and motion in a third direction causes the processing unit to issue a select and activate function, which simultaneously selects a desired attribute and either increases or decreases a value of the attribute depending on the motion in the third direction being in a direction of increasing attribute value or decreasing attribute value, where the first direction and the second directions are different by an amount sufficient to allow direction discrimination by the motion sensor or the processing unit and the second direction and third direction are different an amount sufficient to allow direction discrimination by the motion sensor or the processing unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each electrical device or electronic device is a sound system, a display system, an alarm system, a control system, a medical device, a robot, a robotic control systems, a hot and cold water supply devices, an air conditioning system, a heating system, a ventilation system, an air handling system, a lighting device, a camera, an oven, a dishwasher, a stove, a computer, a computer system, or a chemical plant control system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if the selected system has a single adjustable attribute, then the second output results in changing the value of the single adjustable attribute.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is a digital camera, optical scanner, optical roller ball device, touch pad, inductive pad, capacitve pad, holographic device, laser tracking device, or thermal device.

7. A method comprising the steps of

providing:

a user interface for displaying information to a user,

a motion sensor for sensing motion on, near, and/or about the motion sensor and producing an output signal,

a processing unit for receiving output signals from the motion sensor and converting the output signal into a command function, where the command function is a scroll function or a simultaneous select and activate function, and

one system or a plurality systems in electronic communication with the processing unit and controllable by the processing unit, where one system or a plurality of systems includes a plurality of controllable attributes and where the processing unit includes a system list having a system identifier for each system and system specific attribute lists, each attribute list having an attribute identifier

sensing motion on, near, and/or about the motion sensor;

producing a first output signal, corresponding to motion in a first direction;

causing the processing unit to issue a scroll function for scrolling through the system list, if there is a plurality of systems or scrolling through a system specific attribute list if there is a single system, where the first direction has a positive component and a negative component;

sensing motion on, near, and/or about the motion sensor;

if the sensed motion is in a direction sufficiently different from the first direction to allow direction discrimination by the processing unit or the motion sensor, producing a second output signal corresponding to a second direction;

causing the processing unit to issue a select and activate function to simultaneously select a member from either the system list or the system specific attribute list and activate the selected member;

if the selected member is a system specific attribute list, then the processing unit scrolls through the system specific attribute list and until motion in a third direction sufficiently different from the second direction to allow direction discrimination by the processing unit or the motion sensor, producing a third output signal, causing the processing unit to issue a select and activate function to simultaneously select a member from the system specific attribute list and activate the selected member and changes a value of the attribute depending on whether the motion in the third direction increases or decreases the attribute value, and

if the selected member is a system specific attribute, then the processing unit changes a value of the attribute depending on whether the motion in the second direction increases or decreases the attribute value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each system is an electrical device or an electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each electrical device or electronic device is a sound system, a display system, alarm system, a control system, a medical device, a robot, a robotic control system, a hot and cold water supply device, an air conditioning system, a heating system, a ventilation system, an air handling system, a lighting device, a camera, an oven, a dishwasher, a stove, a computer, a computer system, or a chemical plant control system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the motion sensor is a digital camera, optical scanner, optical roller ball device, touch pad, inductive pad, capacitve pad, holographic device, laser tracking device, or thermal device.