Enabling device features according to gesture input

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9971412-B2
Application number	US-201314137386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and program product are disclosed for determining an initial position of an electronic device using a positioning sensor located on the electronic device, detecting, based on movement away from the initial position, a gesture using a gesture detector located on the electronic device, and enabling a feature of the electronic device in response to the detected gesture being a feature-enabling gesture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining an initial position of an electronic device worn on a user's arm using a positioning sensor located on the electronic device in response to detecting that movement of the user's arm is below a predetermined threshold;
calibrating the one or more gesture detectors located on the electronic device based on the initial position of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a calibration sensor configured to calibrate the electronic device;
detecting, based on movement away from the initial position, a primary gesture using a gesture detector located on the electronic device, the primary gesture comprising detecting a movement of the user's arm;
detecting a secondary gesture in response to the primary gesture, the secondary gesture comprising an additional action by the user that corresponds to the primary gesture, the primary gesture and the secondary gesture comprising a feature-enabling gesture for enabling one or more features of the electronic device;
enabling the feature of the electronic device in response to the feature-enabling gesture; and
disabling the enabled feature of the electronic device in response to one of performing the feature-enabling gesture in reverse and performing the feature-enabling gesture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a wearable device, and wherein the initial position of the wearable device is determined based on the position of the wearable device on a user's body.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling a feature of the electronic device comprises enabling speech recognition capabilities of the electronic device such that the electronic device recognizes voice commands provided by a user.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of microphones configured to detect voice input, and wherein at least a portion of the microphones are enabled in response to the detected gesture.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic device performs a task associated with a voice command in response to detecting a predetermined gesture.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein speech recognition is enabled in response to a completed gesture such that voice commands are not received while the gesture is being performed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling a feature of the electronic device comprises enabling a display of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a feature-enabling gesture not performed within a predetermined period of time is ignored.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a low-power state and a high-power state, the low-power state configured to detect movement within a predetermined movement threshold, the high-power state configured to detect movement exceeding the predetermined movement threshold, and wherein a gesture is detected in response to the electronic device switching from a low-power state to a high-power state.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising defining a feature-enabling gesture based on user input such that a user-defined gesture is associated with a feature of the electronic device.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a positioning sensor operably coupled to the processor;
a memory that stores machine readable code executable by the processor;
a setup module that determines an initial position of an electronic device worn on a user's arm using the positioning sensor located on the electronic device in response to a predetermined amount of time elapsing after detecting that movement of the user's arm is below a predetermined threshold;
a tuning module that calibrates the one or more gesture detectors located on the electronic device based on the initial position of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a calibration sensor configured to calibrate the electronic device;
a gesture module that:
detects, based on movement away from the initial position, a primary gesture using a gesture detector located on the electronic device, the primary gesture comprising detecting a movement of the user's arm; and
detects a secondary gesture in response to the primary gesture, the secondary gesture comprising an additional action by the user that corresponds to the primary gesture, the primary gesture and the secondary gesture comprising a feature-enabling gesture for enabling one or more features of the electronic device;

a feature module that enables the feature of the electronic device in response to the feature-enabling gesture; and
a deactivate module that disables the enabled feature of the electronic device in response to one of performing the feature-enabling gesture in reverse and performing the feature-enabling gesture.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a notification module that ignores a feature-enabling gesture in response to the feature-enabling gesture not being performed within a predetermined period of time after receiving a notification.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a customization module that defines a feature-enabling gesture based on user input such that a user-defined gesture is associated with a feature of the electronic device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the electronic device is a wearable device, and wherein the initial position of the wearable device is determined based on the position of the wearable device on a user's body.

15. A program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing machine readable code executable by a processor to perform:
determining an initial position of an electronic device worn on a user's arm using a positioning sensor located on the electronic device in response to a predetermined amount of time elapsing after detecting that movement of the user's arm is below a predetermined threshold;
calibrating the one or more gesture detectors located on the electronic device based on the initial position of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a calibration sensor configured to calibrate the electronic device;
detecting, based on movement away from the initial position, a primary gesture using a gesture detector located on the electronic device, the primary gesture comprising detecting a movement of the user's arm;
detecting a secondary gesture in response to the primary gesture, the secondary gesture comprising an additional action by the user that corresponds to the primary gesture, the primary gesture and the secondary gesture comprising a feature-enabling gesture for enabling one or more features of the electronic device;
enabling the feature of the electronic device in response to the feature-enabling gesture; and
disabling the enabled feature of the electronic device in response to one of performing the feature-enabling gesture in reverse and performing the feature-enabling gesture.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd
• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Vanblon Russell Speight
• Mese John Carl
• Peterson Nathan J
• Waltermann Rod D
• Weksler Arnold S

Classifications

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G06F1/1694

  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 title

• 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