Apparatus and method for controlling interactions with a portable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016189679-A1
Application number	US-201615065680-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Oct 14, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein generally include a system and a method of controlling a portable electronic device based on the interaction of the portable electronic device with an electronic device, such as a mounting device. Embodiments of the disclosure may include a system and a method of providing information to the portable electronic device that causes the portable electronic device to perform one or more desirable functions or processes based on the portable electronic device's interaction with the mounting device. In some embodiments, the portable electronic device may respond differently when it is caused to interact with differently configured mounting devices. In some embodiments, the way that the portable device interacts with a user may be restricted and/or the functions that the portable device is able to perform may be desirably restricted after the portable device is caused to interact with a mounting device.

First claim

1 . A method of controlling an electronic device, comprising:
receiving, at a first electronic device, a first signal that comprises primary control function information, wherein the first electronic device includes a plurality of software applications that are stored in memory; preventing at least one software application of the plurality of software applications from interacting with a user based on the received primary control function information, wherein the at least one software application comprises a first software application; detecting a first user input using a first sensor; determining that the detected first user input comprises device control information, wherein the device control information comprises a device control command; and causing a second software application of the plurality of software applications to generate output information that is delivered to a user from the first electronic device based on the determined device control command, wherein the generated output information is derived from at least a portion of the detected first user input.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first electronic device, external data from one of the plurality of software applications or from a second electronic device, wherein the generated output information also includes at least a portion of the received external data.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the external data comprises motion related information about the first electronic device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user input comprises a non-physical input.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
detecting a second user input using the first sensor, wherein the second user input comprises a non-audible input, and the second user input is received before the first user input.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a second user input using the first sensor, wherein the second user input comprises a non-audible input, and the second user input is received after the first user input, and wherein the non-audible input comprises positioning an appendage of the user in a first orientation relative to the first sensor.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
the device control information further comprises contextual device control information, the causing the second software application of the plurality of software applications to generate output information further comprises:
causing the second software application to initiate a desired task based on the device control command; and
selecting at least a portion of the detected first user input based on the determination that the device control information includes contextual device control information, and
the generated output information includes the selected portion of the detected user input.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device control information further comprises contextual device control information, and the method further comprises:
comparing the contextual device control information with information stored within a contextual device control information list stored in the memory; and wherein generating the output information further comprises selecting at least a portion of the detected first user input based on the comparison of the contextual device control information with the information in the contextual device control information list.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary control function information comprises information about a mounting device on which the first electronic device is disposed.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary control function information comprises information about an environment that the first electronic device is disposed within.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
initiating a first pairing process between the first electronic device and a second electronic device; receiving a first signal from a sensor in the first electronic device, wherein the first signal comprises information relating to an interaction event; receiving a second signal from the second electronic device; comparing the information in the first signal and the second signal; and initiating a second pairing process between the first electronic device and a third electronic device based on the comparison of the first signal and the second signal, wherein initiating the first and the second pairing processes occurs before receiving the first signal.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device includes the first sensor.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary control function information comprises information about a mounting device on which the first electronic device is disposed, and the mounting device includes the first sensor.

14 . A method of controlling an electronic device, comprising:
detecting a first user input using a first sensor; determining, at a first electronic device, that the detected first user input comprises device control information that comprises a device control command and contextual device control information, wherein the first electronic device includes a plurality of software applications stored in memory; and causing a first software application of the plurality of software applications to generate output information based on the device control command, wherein the generated output information is derived from at least a portion of the first user input and an analysis of the contextual device control information.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first electronic device, external data from one of the plurality of software applications or from a second electronic device, wherein the external data is received based on a request generated from the first software application based on the determined contextual device control information, wherein the generated output information also includes at least a portion of the received external data.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the external data comprises motion related information about the first electronic device.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first user input comprises a non-physical input.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
detecting a second user input using the first sensor, wherein the second user input comprises a non-audible input, and the second user input is received before the first user input.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
detecting a second user input using the first sensor, wherein the second user input comprises a non-audible input, and the second user input is received after the first user input, and wherein the non-audible input comprises positioning an appendage of the user in a first orientation relative to the first sensor.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein
the causing the first software application of the plurality of software applications to generate output information further comprises:
causing the first software application to initiate a desired task based on the device control command; and
selecting at least a portion of the detected user input based on the determination that the device control information includes contextual device control information, and
the generated output information includes the selected portion of the detected user input.

21 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
comparing the contextual device control information with information within a co

Assignees

• Logitech Europ Sa

Inventors

• Lomotan Jose Froilan P
• Frappereau Frederic
• Tarnow Derek
• Sasselli Nicolas
• Chauvin Nicolas
• Kao Kuo-Yu Gloria

Classifications

• G06F3/017 Primary

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/1423

  controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display · CPC title

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G09G5/006

  Details of the interface to the display terminal (specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04) · CPC title

• G09G2380/10

  Automotive applications · CPC title