Electronic devices with intuitive sharing capabilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12171043-B2
Application number	US-202117505530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Sep 16, 2016
Publication date	Dec 17, 2024
Grant date	Dec 17, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device may use information about the location of nearby devices to make sharing with those devices more intuitive for a user. When two devices are pointed towards one another, each device may automatically present the option to share information with the other device. When a user wishes to share information with one or more devices in a group of users, an array of icons representing the nearby users may be positioned on the display according to the locations of the nearby users so that the sharing user can easily select which user he or she wishes to share with. A sharing user may broadcast a signal and nearby users may elect to receive the signal by pointing their devices towards the sharing user. A user of two devices may share information between the two devices and may use one device to manipulate the information on the other device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
ultra-wideband transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from first and second external electronic devices;
control circuitry configured to determine an angle of arrival of the signals and to determine a pointing direction of the electronic device based on the angle of arrival of the signals; and
a display configured to display a first option to share with the first external electronic device in a first location on the display and a second option to share with the second external electronic device in a second location on the display, wherein the first and second locations are based on the angle of arrival of the signals and wherein the first and second options are displayed in an order that is based on the pointing direction.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise ultra-wideband signals and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the electronic device is pointing closer to the first or second external electronic device based on the angle of arrival of the ultra-wideband signals.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the display is configured to:
display the first option closer to a center of the display when the electronic device is pointing closer to the first external electronic device; and
display the second option closer to the center of the display when the electronic device is pointing closer to the second external electronic device.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first option is larger on the display than the second option when the electronic device is pointing closer to the first external electronic device and wherein the second option is larger on the display than the first option when the electronic device is pointing closer to the second external electronic device.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising a motion sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the electronic device is pointing closer to the first or second external electronic device based at least partly on motion sensor data from the motion sensor.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a touch sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to share with the first external electronic device when the touch sensor receives touch input on the first option and is configured to share with the second external electronic device when the touch sensor receives touch input on the second option.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to move the first and second options on the display in response to a change in the angle of arrival of the signals.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine distances to the first and second external electronic devices based on the signals.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the first and second locations are based at least partly on the distances to the first and second external electronic devices.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device has a longitudinal axis and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an angle between the longitudinal axis and the first and second external electronic devices based on the signals.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
ultra-wideband transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from an external electronic device;
control circuitry configured to determine an angle between the electronic device and the external electronic device based on the signals and to compare the angle with a threshold angle, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device based on the comparison and wherein the threshold angle is based on a number of external electronic devices in a vicinity of the electronic device; and
a display configured to automatically display an option to receive data from the external electronic device in response to determining that the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a touch sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to retrieve the data from the external electronic device when the touch sensor receives touch input on the option.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a motion sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device based at least partly on motion sensor data from the motion sensor.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the signals comprise ultra-wideband signals and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an angle of arrival of the ultra-wideband signals.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electronic device has a longitudinal axis and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an angle between the longitudinal axis and the external electronic device.

16. An electronic device, comprising:
ultra-wideband transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from an external electronic device; and
control circuitry configured to:
determine whether the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device and whether the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the external electronic device based on the signals, wherein the threshold distance is based on a number of external electronic devices in a vicinity of the electronic device; and
send control signals to the external electronic device to play a song in response to determining that the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device and that the electronic device is within the threshold distance of the external electronic device.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the signals comprise ultra-wideband signals and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an angle of arrival of the ultra-wideband signals.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the control circuitry is configured to send additional control signals to the external electronic device to pause the song.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the electronic device has a longitudinal axis and wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an angle between the longitudinal axis and the external electronic device.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a motion sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the electronic device is pointing toward the external electronic device based at least partly on motion sensor data from the motion sensor.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Meyer Adam S
• Tsoi Peter C
• Wood Stuart J
• Kerr Duncan Robert
• Hankey Martha Evans
• Morrell John B

Classifications

• H04M1/724

  User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W4/21

  for social networking applications · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title