Method and apparatus for unlocking electronic appliance

• US 9,032,337 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Mi A, Lee, Woo Je
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/646,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An unlocking method and apparatus for an electronic appliance are disclosed. The method and apparatus may enable a user to unlock the electronic appliance by identifying a gesture and to invoke a function mapped to the gesture. The unlocking method includes detecting a preset gesture input when an input means is locked. The method includes unlocking the input means in response to the input gesture. The method also includes invoking an application mapped to the input gesture in response to unlocking.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying an idle screen comprising an unlocking object associated with unlocking an input means that is locked, the unlocking object comprising depictions of input gesture patterns mapped to applications, the input gesture patterns being in different shapes than one another;

detecting an input gesture pattern applied in association with the input means;

determining that the input gesture pattern corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns each associated with unlocking the input means;

identifying at least one of the applications mapped to the input gesture pattern;

unlocking the input means in response to detecting the input gesture pattern; and

invoking the at least one application mapped to the input gesture pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the input gesture patterns is mapped to at least one different application than the other ones of the input gesture patterns.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the input gesture pattern corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns comprises:

comparing the input gesture pattern with at least one pre-defined pattern stored as a mapped input gesture pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating, in response to detecting another input gesture, a display section comprising the idle screen, the another input gesture being detected before the input gesture pattern; and

displaying the unlocking object based on activating the display section.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input gesture pattern is mapped to a plurality of the applications, the method further comprising:

invoking the plurality of the applications mapped to the input gesture pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the idle screen comprising the unlocking object comprises:

displaying descriptive information in association with each of the depicted input gesture patterns.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the descriptive information associated with each of the input gesture patterns comprises an indication of one or more applications mapped to the corresponding input gesture patterns.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the depictions comprise path information associated with the input gesture patterns.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the unlocking object is displayed, via the idle screen, in whole or in part according to one or more user settings.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input means comprises a touch screen or a touch pad.

11. A terminal, comprising:

a touch sensor associated with input means to receive an input gesture pattern, the input means being configured to toggle between a locked state and an unlocked state;

a display section to display an unlocking object in association with the locked state, the unlocking object comprising depictions of input gesture patterns mapped to applications, the input gesture patterns being in different shapes than one another;

a storage unit to store the unlocking object; and

a control unit to;

determine that the input gesture pattern corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns each associated with unlocking the input means; and

identify at least one of the applications mapped to the input gesture pattern,

wherein the at least one application mapped to the input gesture pattern is displayed in response to the input means being unlocked.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

identify the input gesture pattern via the touch sensor;

determine that the input gesture pattern corresponds to a mapped input gesture pattern; and

control unlocking of the input means to invoke the at least one application based on the determination that the input gesture pattern corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns and the identification of the at least one application mapped to the input gesture pattern.

13. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine, in response to detection of a user input, whether the input means is in the locked state, whether the user input corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns, and whether the one input gesture pattern corresponds to at least one pre-defined input gesture pattern stored as a mapped gesture.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

activate the display section; and

control the display section to display the unlocking object.

15. The terminal of claim 13, wherein each of the input gesture patterns is mapped to at least one different application than the other ones of the input gesture patterns.

16. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the display section to display information associated with the locked state of the input means and descriptive information in association with each of the depicted input gesture patterns.

17. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the unlocking object comprises descriptive information in association with each of the depicted input gesture patterns associated with unlocking the input means, the descriptive information comprising an indication of one or more applications mapped to the corresponding input gesture patterns.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the depictions comprise path information associated with the input gesture patterns.

19. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to control an operation of the unlocking object being displayed in whole or in part according to one or more user settings.

20. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the touch sensor comprises an input means formed to the display section, and an individual input means independent from the display section.

21. An electronic appliance comprising:

an input means to receive a user gesture corresponding to an input pattern;

a display means configured to display an unlocking object associated with unlocking the input means, the unlocking object comprising depictions of gestures mapped to applications, the gestures being in different shapes than one another; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether to unlock the input means based on the input pattern; and

invoke at least one of the applications,

wherein the processor is further configured to, based on a comparison of the input pattern with at least one of a plurality of pre-defined input patterns corresponding to the gestures associated with unlocking the input means and stored in association with a mapping table, unlock the input means and invoke the at least one application associated with a pre-defined pattern corresponding to a gesture according to a mapping process associated with the pre-defined pattern corresponding to the gesture of the mapping table if the input pattern corresponds to the pre-defined pattern corresponding to the gesture.

22. The electronic appliance of claim 21, wherein:

the display means is further configured to display information associated with the plurality of pre-defined input patterns corresponding to the plurality of gestures associated with transitioning the input means between the locked state and the unlocked state; and

the electronic appliance further comprises a storage means configured to store the unlocking object.

23. The electronic appliance of claim 21, wherein the input means comprises:

a motion sensor configured to generate an input gesture corresponding to an input pattern according to a sensed motion by a user;

a touch pad or touch screen configured to generate an input gesture corresponding to an input pattern associated with a sensed contact and movement of an object;

a speech recognition sensor configured to generate an input signal associated with a sensed vocal sound of the user; and

a remote controller configured to;

generate at least one control signal according to the sensed motion, sensed contact and movement of the object, or sensed vocal sound of the user, and

transmit the control signal to the electronic appliance via at least one telecommunications network comprising at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network,

wherein the control signal is at least associated with transitioning the input means between the locked state and the unlocked state.

24. An unlocking method for an electronic appliance, comprising:

displaying an idle screen comprising an unlocking object associated with unlocking a locked input means associated with the electronic appliance, the unlocking object comprising depictions of input gesture patterns mapped to applications, the input gesture patterns being in different shapes than one another;

detecting an input gesture pattern via the input means, the input means being configured to receive the input gesture pattern;

determining that the input gesture pattern corresponds to one of the input gesture patterns each associated with unlocking the input means;

identifying at least one of the applications mapped to the input gesture pattern;

unlocking the input means in response to detecting the input gesture pattern; and

invoking the at least one application mapped to the input gesture pattern.

25. The unlocking method of claim 24, further comprising:

storing the unlocking object;

activating, in response to detecting another input gesture detected while the input means is locked, a display means;

displaying the unlocking object in response to activating the display means; and

displaying descriptive information mapped to the input gesture patterns via the unlocking object and the display means.

26. The unlocking method of claim 24, wherein detecting the input gesture via the input means comprises:

detecting at least one of;

a first gesture input signal corresponding to an input gesture pattern generated by a motion sensor configured to detect motion of a user,

a second gesture input signal corresponding to an input gesture pattern generated by a touch pad or touch screen configured to detect a contact and a movement of an object, and

a third gesture input signal generated by a speech recognition sensor configured to detect a vocal sound of the user; and

receiving an input gesture signal corresponding to at least one control signal that is generated by a remote controller configured to;

generate the at least one control signal based on at least one of the first, second, and third gesture input signals, and

transmit the at least one control signal via at least one telecommunications network comprising at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen comprising a display part and a touch sensor, the display part being configured to display different gesture input path shapes in response to detection of a first input gesture on the touch sensor with the apparatus in a locked state; and

a control unit configured to;

detect a second input gesture on the touch sensor with the apparatus in the locked state, the second input gesture forming an input path;

determine whether the input path of the second input gesture matches one of the different gesture input path shapes displayed via the display part; and

in response to a determination that the input path matches one of the different gesture input path shapes, unlock the apparatus and execute an application mapped to the one of the different gesture input path shapes.