Automated controls for sensor enabled user interface

• US 9,164,542 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Tilley, Patrick, Morley-Smith, James, Sadler, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US12/872,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1694 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 3/017 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 3/0346 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A mobile unit includes a processor, a memory, and a display. The display shows a user interface including a plurality of commands. Each sensory activated command of the plurality of commands is shown with a respective icon indicative of at least one of a motion and an orientation assigned to the sensory activated command.

Claims

1. A mobile unit, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a display showing a user interface including a plurality of commands, a sensory activated command of the plurality of commands being shown with a respective icon selected from a library of icons that is filtered as a function of one or more sensory activated commands, wherein the respective icon is indicative of a selected orientation of the mobile unit assigned to the sensory activated command, and wherein the selection of the orientation of the mobile unit is filtered on a creation user interface to disable selection of some orientations that would lead to interference between commands; and

a sensor sensing the orientation of the mobile unit, wherein the orientation of the mobile unit activates the corresponding sensory activated command.

2. The mobile unit of claim 1, wherein the sensory activated commands are associated with default orientations of the mobile unit and respective default icons.

3. The mobile unit of claim 1, wherein select ones of the sensory activated commands are associated with personalized motions and personalized icons.

4. The mobile unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker playing audio cues indicative of the orientation of the mobile unit.

5. The mobile unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor is one of an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, and a combination thereof.

6. The mobile unit of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one further input receiving device, wherein the sensor and the at least one further input receiving device are used for activating the respective sensory activated command.

7. The mobile unit of claim 6, wherein the sensor includes a motion sensor and the at least one further input receiving device is a touch screen, wherein the motion sensor is operable to receive an initial touch data, an interim touch data, and an end touch data, whereupon the mobile unit then extrapolates the motion performed using the touch data on the touch screen.

8. The mobile unit of claim 7, wherein the processor compares a string of motions from the motion sensor to a plurality of motion templates stored in the memory to determine if the string is a match to any of the motion templates.

9. The mobile unit of claim 6, wherein the at least one further input receiving device is one of an environmental and biological sensor, and wherein the at least one further input receiving device and the sensor act in concert to select a sensory activated command.

10. The mobile unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an input receiving device enabling a momentary enlarged view of the respective icon.

11. A method, comprising:

displaying a user interface including a plurality of commands on a display of a mobile unit, a sensory activated command of the plurality of commands being shown with a respective sensory icon selected from a library of icons that is filtered as a function of one or more sensory activated commands, wherein the respective icon is indicative of a selected orientation of the mobile unit assigned to the sensory activated command, and wherein the selection of the orientation of the mobile unit is filtered on a creation user interface to disable selection of some orientations that would lead to interference between commands; and

sensing the orientation of the mobile unit with a sensor, wherein the orientation of the mobile unit activates the corresponding sensory activated command.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the orientation of the mobile unit is selected from a list of available orientations and the sensory icon is selected from a list of available icons.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of the orientation of the mobile unit is chosen from a gesture template.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the orientation of the mobile unit is categorized into class types.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensory icons are associated with a respective one of the class types.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the list of available orientations and the list of available icons are filtered as a function of the class types for the selection of the orientation of the mobile unit and the sensory icon.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a preview of the sensory icon.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interface includes at least one further sensory activated command, each of the at least one further sensory activated command being shown with a respective further icon.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enabling a momentary enlarged view of the respective icon.