Control flap

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10136036-B2
Application number	US-201514936499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus can include a processor; memory; a touchscreen display; a network interface; a camera that includes a lens; an operating system executable by the processor to establish an operating system environment; applications that execute within the operating system environment to establish corresponding application states where the applications include a camera application to establish a camera state; a housing that houses at least the processor and the camera and that includes a surface where the surface includes an opening for the lens of the camera; a cover that includes a flap where the flap includes a closed orientation with respect to the opening and an open orientation with respect to the opening; and circuitry that switches from an existing application state to the camera state responsive to a transition of the flap from the closed orientation to the open orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
memory operatively coupled to the processor;
a touchscreen display operatively coupled to the processor;
a network interface operatively coupled to the processor;
a camera that comprises a lens;
an operating system as instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to establish an operating system environment;
applications as instructions stored in the memory that execute within the operating system environment to establish corresponding application states wherein the applications comprise a camera application to establish a camera state;
a housing that houses at least the processor and the camera and that comprises a surface wherein the surface comprises an opening for the lens of the camera;
a removable cover that covers at least a portion of the surface of the housing and that comprises a flap wherein the removable cover comprises a closed orientation with respect to the touchscreen display and an open orientation with respect to the touchscreen display, and wherein the flap comprises a closed orientation with respect to the opening and an open orientation with respect to the opening;
a first sensor that senses orientation of the flap;
a second sensor that senses orientation of the removable cover; and
a flap control mechanism that selectably enables circuitry that switches from an existing application state to the camera state responsive to a transition of the flap from the closed orientation to the open orientation wherein the removable cover is in a closed orientation and that selectably disables the circuitry that switches to override a switch from an existing application state to the camera state responsive to a transition of the flap from the closed orientation to the open orientation wherein the removable cover is in a closed orientation, and wherein the circuitry that switches is disabled wherein the removable cover is in an open orientation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a phone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the applications comprise a phone application to establish a phone state.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the applications comprise a browser application to establish a browser state.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises a wireless network interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises a cellular network interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flap comprises a first side that comprises a color and a second side that comprises a different color.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the existing application state comprises the phone state.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the existing application state comprises the browser state.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the color is red and the different color is black.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the browser state accesses the Internet via the network interface.

12. A method comprising:
within an operating system environment established by executing instructions of an operating system on a processor of a device, executing instructions of an application to establish an application state;
via a first sensor, determining that a removable cover is in a closed orientation with respect to a surface of a housing of the device;
via a second sensor, detecting a transition of a flap of the removable cover from a closed state to an open state with respect to a camera lens opening in the surface of the housing of the device wherein the removable cover covers at least a portion of the surface;
responsive to the detecting, switching from the application state as an existing application state to a camera state by executing a camera application within the operating system environment; and
rendering a graphical user interface to a display of the device for receipt of instructions to selectively enable and to selectively disable the switching as a control action associated with the flap, wherein the switching as a control action is disabled wherein the removable cover is in an open orientation with respect to the surface of the housing of the device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the device comprises a phone.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the application comprises a phone application.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the application comprises a browser application.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the flap comprises a first side that comprises a color and a second side that comprises a different color.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the phone application accesses a cellular network via a cellular network interface of the device.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the browser application accesses the Internet via a network interface of the device.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the color is red and the different color is black.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media that comprise computer-executable instructions to instruct a device to:
within an operating system environment established via execution of instructions of an operating system on a processor of a device, execute instructions of an application to establish an application state;
based at least in part on output of a first sensor, determine that a removable cover is in a closed orientation with respect to a surface of a housing of the device;
based at least in part on output of a second sensor, detect a transition of a flap of the removable cover from a closed state to an open state with respect to a camera lens opening in the surface of the housing of the device wherein the removable cover covers at least a portion of the surface;
responsive to the transition, switch from the application state as an existing application state to a camera state via execution of a camera application within the operating system environment; and
render a graphical user interface to a display of the device for receipt of instructions to selectively enable and to selectively disable the switch as a control action associated with the flap, wherein the switch as a control action is disabled wherein the removable cover is in an open orientation with respect to the surface of the housing of the device.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Osborne Christopher Miles
• Hill David Wayne

Classifications

• H04N23/651

  for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/51 Primary

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/50 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title