Portable digital media device with a force sensor

• US 8,489,213 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Hong Chiang, Sim, Wong Hoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PARTHKUMAR
• Application Number:
  US12/089,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.34, 345/173, 345/159, 701/46, 711/112, 369/53.17, 369/275.2, 700/245, 702/141, 846/36, 360/60, 377/24.1, 341/33, 710/260
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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

Abstract

There is provided a portable digital media device, including: a storage device; a force sensor coupled to the storage device; a display; and a controller coupled to both the storage device and the display, wherein the display shows information. The device may also be used as a cursor control and input device when connected to a computer. Other applications of the device are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable digital media device, including:

a storage device;

a controller coupled to the storage device;

a buffer memory; and

a force sensor coupled to the controller, the force sensor being configurable to determine whether force has been exerted on the portable digital media device, the force sensor being one of;

connectable externally to the storage device; and

incorporable into the storage device in a manner such that when incorporated into the storage device, the force sensor is configurable for determining force experienced by the storage device when force is exerted on the portable digital media device,

wherein when the force sensor determines that force has been exerted on the portable digital media device, the controller is configured to at least one of cut power to the portable digital media device and cut power to only the storage device, and the buffer memory is configurable to reduce activity of the storage device such that when power is to be cut, power can be more quickly cut;

wherein the force sensor is further configurable to continuously log data in a manner so as to count a number of steps a moving user takes using the portable digital media device;

wherein the controller is configurable for monitoring for a pre-determined time, where spikes are regularly detected in an axis selected from the group consisting of;

x, y, and z;

wherein the controller is further configurable for tagging that axis as the designated axis and increasing a step count by one whenever a spike in the designated axis is obtained from the force sensor; and

wherein the controller is yet further configurable for selecting a song from the storage device in the media device with a beat frequency that matches the detected spike frequency for the user.

2. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage device is selected from the group consisting of:

flash memory and hard disk drive.

3. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force sensor is able to detect acceleration in one or more axes selected from the group consisting of:

x, y and z; and

wherein acceleration in one or more axes is indicative of force exerted on the portable digital media device.

4. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 1 further including a display configurable for showing information, wherein the display shows information that relates to at least one of movement of the digital device, movement of the storage device, impact on the digital device, and impact on the storage device.

5. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the portable digital media device is a cursor control and input device when connected to a computer;

wherein a cursor on a display of the computer moves at a rate corresponding with the acceleration detected by the force sensor; and

wherein the connection to the computer is selected from a group comprising;

via a wire and wirelessly.

6. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the wirelessly protocol used is selected from the group consisting of:

Bluetooth, UWB, RF and IR.

7. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connection via a wire to the computer is for at least one of the charging of a power source of the portable digital media device and downloading content into the portable digital media device.

8. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 5, wherein controls on the media device is used to select options on a display of the computer.

9. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cursor control is based on a coordinate system.

10. A portable digital media device, including:

a storage device;

a controller coupled to the storage device; and

a force sensor coupled to the controller, the force sensor being configurable to determine whether force has been exerted on the portable digital media device, the force sensor being one of;

connectable externally to the storage device; and

incorporable into the storage device in a manner such that when incorporated into the storage device, the force sensor is configurable for determining force experienced by the storage device when force is exerted on the portable digital media device,

wherein the controller in the device is configurable to cut power to the storage device at an instance when a decreasing acceleration in at least one of axes x, y and z is recorded over a duration of time, and wherein the times, and incidence of the cutting of power to the storage device are stored in the digital device;

wherein the force sensor is further configurable to continuously log data in a manner so as to count a number of steps a moving user takes using the portable digital media device;

wherein the controller is further configurable for monitoring for a pre-determined time, where spikes are regularly detected in an axis selected from the group consisting of;

x, y, and z;

wherein the controller is yet further configurable for tagging that axis as the designated axis and increasing a step count by one whenever a spike in the designated axis is obtained from the force sensor; and

wherein the controller is yet further configurable for selecting a song from the storage device in the media device with a beat frequency that matches the detected spike frequency for the user.

11. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 10, wherein data from the force sensor is logged over a pre-determined period and data from an earlier pre-determined period is overwritten by data from a present period.