Mobile terminal device, time control method, and timer control program

• US 9,055,164 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Motoyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kayes, Sean
• Application Number:
  US12/374,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,890 Days
• Field of Search: 368 93- 95, 368/184, 368/187, 340/995.27, 73/13.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/002 Position, e.g. inclination dependent switches
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/005 using electronic timing, e.g. counting means pulse time delay arrangements H03K5/13; modifications of electronic switches for introducing a time delay before switching H03K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/02 by consuming prefixed quantities of materials, e.g. by burning candle
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/04 by movement or acceleration due to gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/02 by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the position of which represent the time, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques G04G9/0082 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a mobile terminal device capable of performing, when a user moves the mobile terminal device as if the user operated an hourglass, a screen display and a time measurement accordingly. The mobile phone device 10 comprises a display unit 13, an inclination sensor 20, an hourglass function control unit 31 for measuring a set time and displaying the image of the hourglass on the display unit 13, and an inclination deciding unit 32 for controlling the time measured by the hourglass function control unit 31, on the basis of measured data from the inclination sensor 20.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a display unit;

an inclination sensor that outputs an amount of inclination about a Y-axis and an amount of inclination about an X-axis;

a timer unit that measures a set time and displays a state of a time measurement on said display unit; and

a control unit that controls the time measured by said timer unit based on the amount of inclination about the Y-axis,

wherein, while said control unit determines that the mobile terminal device is placed on a horizontal plane based on the amount of inclination about the X-axis, said control unit corrects the amount of the inclination about the Y-axis so that the timer unit continues to measure the set time.

2. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said control unit instructs said timer unit to start measuring time when the amount of inclination about the Y-axis, measured by said acceleration sensor, meets a predetermined condition.

3. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said control unit instructs said timer unit to start measuring time when said control unit detects that the mobile terminal device has been turned upside down and further returned to an original position, based on the amount of inclination about the Y-axis by said inclination sensor.

4. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said control unit instructs said timer unit to reset and restart when the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said inclination sensor meets a predetermined condition after said timer unit has started measuring time.

5. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said control unit instructs said timer unit to reset and restart when, after said timer unit has started measuring time, said control unit detects that the mobile terminal device has been turned upside down and further returned to the original position, based on the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said inclination sensor.

6. The mobile terminal device as defined in claim 1, wherein said state of a time measurement is displayed using an image of an hourglass.

7. A time control method comprising:

measuring a degree of inclination about a Y-axis and a degree of inclination about an X-axis using an inclination sensor; and

controlling a time measured by a timer unit according to the amount of inclination about the Y-axis, and

wherein, while it is determined that a device including the inclination sensor is placed on a horizontal plane based on the amount of inclination about the X-axis, correcting the amount of inclination about the Y-axis so that said timer unit continues to measure time.

8. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein said timer unit is caused to start measuring time when the amount of inclination about the Y-axis, measured by said inclination sensor, meets a predetermined condition.

9. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein said timer unit is caused to start measuring time when the measured data from said inclination sensor indicated that the device has been turned upside down and further returned to an original position, based on the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said inclination sensor.

10. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein said timer unit is caused to reset and restarted when the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said acceleration sensor meets a predetermined condition after said timer unit has started measuring time.

11. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein said timer unit is caused to reset and restarted when the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said acceleration sensor meets a predetermined condition after said timer unit has started measuring time.

12. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein the amount of inclination about the Y-axis measured by said inclination sensor is corrected using the amount of inclination about the X-axis.

13. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein said inclination sensor measures the degree of inclination of a mobile terminal device.

14. The time control method as defined in claim 7, wherein a state of a time measurement is displayed on a display unit of said mobile terminal device.

15. A timer control program having a mobile terminal device execute:

a timer function that measures a set time and displays a state of a time measurement on a provided display unit; and

a control function that controls the time measured by said timer function based on an amount of inclination about a Y-axis output by an inclination sensor,

wherein, while said control function determines that the mobile terminal device is placed on a horizontal plane based on an amount of inclination about an X-axis output by said inclination sensor, said control function corrects the amount of inclination about the Y-axis so that said timer control function continues to measure the set time.