Computing device that detects hand presence in order to automate the transition of states

• US 8,199,006 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Eric, Savant, Sagar, Sobczak, Peter, Skillman, Peter, Lee, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/948,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/540
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computing device is configured to make a determination as to whether a device is being held in a hand. In response to determining that the device is being held, the device transitions itself, or one or more of its hardware or software component, into a particular state of operation.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computing device, the method comprising:

programmatically making a determination as to whether a device is being held in a hand for at least a predetermined amount of time; and

transitioning the device, or one or more of its hardware or software components, into a particular state of operation based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the device is performed automatically in response to making the determination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein making a determination as to whether the device is being held in a hand includes detecting a presence of an electrical property that is characteristic of the hand.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein making a determination as to whether the device is being held for the predetermined amount of time includes detecting the presence of the electrical property for a duration of time that exceeds the predetermined amount of time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein making the determination is performed using a capacitive or electrically conductive sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the device includes transitioning a power state of the device, or of one or more of its components, based on the determination that the device is being held for the predetermined amount of time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transitioning the device includes activating a display of the device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein transitioning the device includes activating one or more hardware components of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the device includes:

in response to making the determination that the device is not being held in the hand, activating a protective feature that prevents inadvertent use of the device;

in response to making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time, deactivating the protective feature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the device includes switching the device from audible mode into a silent or vibration mode in response to making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the device includes illuminating one or more regions of the device in response to making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein illuminating one or more regions of the device includes illuminating a trim lighting element.

13. A computing device comprising:

processing resources, including one or more processors that are operable to enable use of a plurality of software components and a plurality of hardware components;

a housing that retains the one or more processors and other electrical components of the computing device;

one or more sensors that are configured to detect an electrical characteristic of a hand of a user in contact with the device;

wherein the processing resources are configured to make a determination as to whether the computing device is being held in the hand based at least in part on whether the electrical characteristic of the hand is detected by the one or more sensors for at least a predetermined amount of time;

and wherein the processor is configured to transition the device, or one or more of each of the plurality of software or hardware components, into a particular state of operation based on the determination.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more capacitive sensors.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more conductive sensors.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged as an array on a back surface of the housing.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors are positioned on a back surface of the housing at select locations that are determined as likely locations of contact by a palm of a finger surface of the user.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processing resources include one or more integrated circuits used with or by the plurality of sensors.

19. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to transition the computing device, or one or more of its hardware components, into an active state in response to the processing resources making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

20. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to switch the computing device, or one or more of its hardware components, into a higher power state in response to the processing resources making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

21. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to illuminate one or more regions of the computing device in response to the processing resources making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

22. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to switch the computing device from an audible mode into a vibration mode in response to processing resources making the determination that the device is being held in the hand for the predetermined amount of time.

23. A method for enabling use of a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

maintaining a programmatic control feature to prevent inadvertent use of a keypad of a mobile computing device;

programmatically making a determination that the computing device is held in a user'"'"'s hand for at least a predetermined amount of time; and

in response to making the determination, automatically disabling the programmatic control feature to enable use of the keypad of the mobile computing device.

24. A housing for a computing device, the housing comprising:

a front face and a back face;

wherein the front face is structured to provide a display surface, a keypad, and a multi-way input feature;

wherein the back face includes at least a portion of an array of sensors, wherein each of the sensors on the back face are positioned to detect a contact by a user for a predetermined amount of time at a location that has previously been determined to be a likely place where human skin contact is to occur when the user is operating the device.

25. A computing device comprising:

processing resources, including one or more processors that are operable to enable use of a plurality of software components and a plurality of hardware components;

a housing that retains the one or more processors and other electrical components of the computing device, the housing including a front face and a back face;

a plurality of interface features provided on the front face of the housing, the plurality interface features including a contact or touch sensitive display component, a multi-way input feature, and a keypad;

a plurality of sensors that are configured to detect an electrical characteristic of a hand of a user in contact with the device;

wherein the processing resources are configured to make a determination as to whether the computing device is being held in the hand based, at least in part, on whether the electrical characteristic of the hand is detected by one or more of the plurality of sensors for at least a predetermined amount of time; and

wherein the processor is configured to transition any one or more of the plurality of interface features into a particular state of operation based on the determination.