System and method for navigating a mobile device user interface with a directional sensing device

• US 8,447,513 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Orr, Kevin Howard, Kornilovsky, Alexander, Skarine, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/608,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/400, 701/538, 701/541, 340/990
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display

Abstract

An electronic mobile device includes a display for displaying a graphical element. A tilt sensor is configured to sense first and second tilt angles of the mobile device. A processor is coupled to the display and the tilt sensor and configured to move the graphical element relative to the display in a first direction based on the first tilt angle, and to move the graphical element relative to the display in a second direction based on the second tilt angle.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by a processor of a mobile device to:

display a graphical element on a display of the mobile device, and

alter a position of the graphical element on the display based on a change in a tilt angle of the mobile device.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the graphical element'"'"'s position is altered at a rate based on a magnitude of the change in the tilt angle.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the graphical element'"'"'s position is altered at a rate based on an amount of time that the change in the tilt angle has exceeded a threshold.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the graphical element'"'"'s position is altered at a rate based on a number of different thresholds the change in the tilt angle has exceeded.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the graphical element is a list of items.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 5 wherein the program instructions are executable to scroll the list at a rate based on cardinality of the list.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the graphical element is a selection box that designates an item among a list of items displayed by the display.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the program instructions are executable to store a current tilt angle as a reference tilt angle, and to subsequently compare subsequently sensed tilt angles to the reference tilt angle.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the tilt angle is a first tilt angle relating to forward-backward tilting of the display, and a second tilt angle relates to side-to-side tilting of the display, and the program instructions are executable to move the graphical element relative to the display in a first direction based on the first tilt angle and to move the graphical element relative to the display in a second direction based on a second tilt angle.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the program instructions are executable to store a current first tilt angle as a first reference tilt angle and a current second tilt angle as a second reference tilt angle, and to subsequently compare subsequently sensed first and second tilt angles respectively to the first and second reference tilt angles.

11. A method performed by an electronic device comprising:

displaying a list of items;

sensing a manual manipulation of the device indicating a direction for scrolling the list; and

scrolling the list in the indicated direction.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the manual manipulation is tilting of the device and the indicated direction is indicated by direction of the tilting.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the manual manipulation is a rapid tilt fluctuation of the device indicative of a flick of a wrist and the indicated direction is indicated by direction of the flick.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the manual manipulation is rotation of a thumbwheel of the device and the indicated direction is indicated by direction of the rotation.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the scrolling is at a rate based on a tilt angle of the device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the rate is based also on a number of thresholds the tilt angle has exceeded.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the list is in the form of a spreadsheet.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the scrolling includes scrolling the list in the indicated direction and at a rate based on the number of items in the list.

19. A method performed by an electronic device comprising:

displaying a list of items along with a selection indicator that indicates a selected item of the list;

sensing a manual manipulation of the device indicating a direction for moving the selection indicator; and

moving the selection indicator along the listed items in the indicated direction.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the list is in the form of a spreadsheet and the selection indicator is a selection box.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the manual manipulation is tilting of the device and the indicated direction is indicated by direction of the tilt.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the moving includes moving the selection indicator along the listed items in the indicated direction at a rate that is based on a number of items in the list.