Throwing gestures for mobile devices

• US 9,189,069 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US13/175,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 345159-173
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

At least one tilt sensor generates a sensor value. A context information server, receives the sensor value and sets at least one context attribute. An application uses at least one context attribute to determine that a flinging gesture has been made and to change an image on a display in response to the flinging gesture.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a sensor signal, from at least one sensor of a mobile device, indicating a rapid linear acceleration of the mobile device upon which the mobile device experiences a bulk translation in a substantially linear direction;

determining that a flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device, as if a user is throwing the mobile device, by utilizing the sensor signal to distinguish the linear acceleration of the mobile device from a tilting of the mobile device and a shaking of the mobile device;

interpreting, using the mobile device, the flinging gesture as a request to dismiss a displayed window on a display of the mobile device; and

dismissing the displayed window on the display in response to the request to dismiss.

2. The method of claim 1 herein the flinging gesture is to the right.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the flinging gesture is to the left.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising obtaining, using the at least one sensor. a value indicative of movement in the linear direction that the mobile device experiences during the flinging gesture.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the flinging gesture is interpreted as a request to dismiss the displayed window based on the value indicative of movement in the substantially linear direction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the value is compared to a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to dismiss the displayed window is different than a request to move to another page or switch applications.

8. A mobile device comprising:

at least one sensor generating a sensor value;

a context information server receiving the sensor value and setting at least one context attribute based on the sensor value, the at least one context attribute indicating a rapid linear acceleration of the mobile device upon which the mobile device experiences a bulk translation in a substantially linear direction, the at least one context attribute distinguishing the linear acceleration of the mobile device from a tilting of the mobile device and a shaking of the mobile device; and

an application using the at least one context attribute to;

determine that a flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device, as if a user is throwing the mobile device, the flinging gesture being distinguished from a tilting gesture and a shaking gesture based on the at least one context attribute; and

change an image on a display on the device in response to the flinging gesture, wherein the application sends a request to the context information server to be notified when a context attribute changes;

wherein the context information server receives requests to be notified when a context attribute changes from multiple applications and wherein the context information server notifies all applications that previously sent a request to be notified that the context attribute has changed when the context attribute changes.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the application dismisses a window in response to the flinging gesture.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 wherein the window comprises a dialog box.

11. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the application displays a previous page or a next page in response to the flinging gesture.

12. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the context information server is configured to set a plurality of context attributes comprising:

a first context attribute indicative of the shaking gesture in which the device is shaken by a user;

a second context attribute indicative of the tilting gesture in which the device is tilted by the user; and

a third context attribute indicative of he flinging gesture.

13. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the device switches applications in response to the flinging gesture.

14. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more sensors configured to sense tilting movement of the mobile device and to sense linear acceleration of the mobile device;

a user interface; and

executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to;

display a first application window in the user interface of the mobile device;

receive first sensor signals from at least one of the sensors;

determine that a tilting gesture has been made with the mobile device based on the first sensor signals, the tilting gesture comprising rotation of the mobile device about at least one axis;

alter an image within the displayed first application window based on the stilting gesture;

receive a second sensor signal from at least one of the sensors indicating a rapid linear acceleration of the mobile device upon which the mobile device experiences a bulk translation in a substantially linear direction;

determine that a flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device, as if the mobile device is being thrown, by utilizing the second sensor signal to distinguish the linear acceleration of the mobile device from the tilting gesture and from a shaking gesture with the mobile device; and

based on determining that the flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device, switch from displaying the first application window in the user interface to displaying a second application window in the user interface.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions configure the one or more processors to alter the image within the displayed first application window based on the first sensor signals by rotating the image on the mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the first and second application windows comprise different pages within a same application.

17. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions configure the one or more processors to switch between application running on the mobile device, based on determining that the flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the first application window comprises a page of a first application and the second application window comprises a page of a second application that is different, than the first application.

19. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions configure the one or more processors to determine that the flinging gesture has been made with the mobile device based on a value indicative of movement in the substantially linear direction.