U.S. patent application number 14/484213 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-11 for integrated tracking for on screen navigation with small hand held devices.
The applicant listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Achod M. Goganian, Nicholas W. Oakley.
Application Number | 20150160722 14/484213 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34985727 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150160722 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Oakley; Nicholas W. ; et
al. |
June 11, 2015 |
INTEGRATED TRACKING FOR ON SCREEN NAVIGATION WITH SMALL HAND HELD
DEVICES
Abstract
A method for navigating information displayed on a display of a
computer system includes determining movement of the computer
system. The movement of the computer system is sensed by a movement
sensor.
Inventors: |
Oakley; Nicholas W.;
(Portland, OR) ; Goganian; Achod M.; (Beaverton,
OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
34985727 |
Appl. No.: |
14/484213 |
Filed: |
September 11, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10803334 |
Mar 17, 2004 |
8842070 |
|
|
14484213 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/156 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04842 20130101;
G06F 3/01 20130101; G06F 3/0346 20130101; G06F 3/0354 20130101;
G06F 3/0317 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/01 20060101
G06F003/01 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: determining information to be displayed on
a display of a computer system by sensing movement of the computer
system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensing the movement of the
computer system is performed using a movement sensor.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the movement sensor is an optical
sensor.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said sensing the movement of the
computer system is performed when the computer system is placed on
a surface.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the movement sensor is a
mechanical sensor.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said sensing the movement of the
computer system is performed when the computer system is on a
surface or handheld.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensing the movement of the
computer system comprises sensing direction of the movement of the
computer system.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said determining the information
to be displayed on the display comprises determining the
information consistent with said sensed direction of the movement
of the computer system.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an action
to be performed by the computer system by sensing a clicking motion
of the computer system.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the clicking motion of the
computer system is initiated by applying pressure on an upper
section of the computer system toward a lower section of the
computer system.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the information
to be displayed on the display of the computer system comprises
determining a location of a cursor.
12-16. (canceled)
17. A system, comprising: a processor; a display coupled to the
processor; a first movement sensor coupled to the processor, the
first movement sensor is to sense direction of movement of the
system; and translation logic to translate the direction of
movement of the system into a first set of operations to be
performed by the processor, wherein the first set of operations
includes displaying information on the display consistent with the
sensed direction of movement of the system.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the translation logic is
further to translate clicking motion of the system into a second
set of operations to be performed by the processor, wherein the
second set of operations corresponds to an action performed when a
mouse click is initiated.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein said clicking motion is
initiated by applying pressure to an upper section of the system
toward a lower section of the system, wherein said upper section
includes the display, and wherein said second section includes the
movement sensor.
20. (canceled)
21. The system of claim 17, further comprising a second movement
sensor coupled to the first movement sensor.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein angular rotation is determined
by using directional information sensed by the first movement
sensor and the second movement sensor.
23. A method, comprising: navigating information displayed on a
display of a computer system by causing a first movement sensor to
sense movement of the computer system.
24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: controlling
position of a cursor displayed on the display of the computer
system by causing the first movement sensor to sense movement of
the computer system.
25. The method of claim 23, further comprising: determining angular
rotation of the computer system by causing the first movement
sensor and a second movement sensor to sense movement of the
computer system.
26. The method of claim 23, further comprising: recognizing a mouse
click action when an upper section of the computer system is
displaced toward a lower section of the computer system.
27. (canceled)
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of data
processing. More particularly, an embodiment of the present
invention relates to enabling documents to be viewed with a
portable device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile computer systems such as, for example, laptop or
notebook computer systems, personal digital assistants (PDA),
cellular phones, etc. are quickly gaining popularity because of
their small size, lightweight, increase in performance and decrease
in cost. Depending on the type of systems, the size of the display
may vary. For example, a laptop computer system may have a 15 inch
display, whereas a PDA may have a smaller display. One drawback of
having a small display is the ability to view information. Often,
information is filtered such that limited amount can be displayed.
When the information cannot be filtered, it may be possible to
display the information. The smaller display also makes it
difficult to navigate the information being displayed especially
when there is limited navigation capability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The invention may be best understood by referring to the
following description and accompanying drawings that are used to
illustrate embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a prior art computer
system, in accordance with one embodiment.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a bottom
view of a computer system equipped with a movement sensor, in
accordance with one embodiment.
[0006] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of controlling
location of a cursor in a computer system equipped with a movement
sensor, in accordance with one embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of controlling information
displayed on a display screen of a computer system equipped with a
movement sensor, in accordance with one embodiment.
[0008] FIGS. 5A-C are diagrams illustrating different examples of
interactions with a computer system equipped with a movement
sensor, in accordance with one embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a
process of determining information to be displayed on a computer
system equipped with a movement sensor, in accordance with one
embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a computer system, in
accordance with one embodiment.
DESCRIPTION
[0011] For one embodiment, a method and system for controlling
information displayed in a computer system is disclosed. The
computer system may be a handheld computer system equipped with a
movement sensor. The information displayed on a display screen of
the computer system may be associated with a portion of the data
entity. Navigating the information to display other portions of the
data entity may be performed by sensing movement of the computer
system.
[0012] In the following detailed description of embodiments of the
present invention numerous specific details are set forth in order
to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that
embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and
devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in
order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
[0013] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The
appearances of the phrase "for one embodiment" in various places in
the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment.
[0014] In the following discussion, the phrase computer system may
refer to a laptop computer system, a handheld computer system, a
micro personal computer system, a tablet computer system, a digital
organizer, a cellular phone or any other portable computer systems
that may include a display screen to display information.
Overview
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a prior art computer
system, in accordance with one embodiment. Computer system 100 may
be a digital organizer such as those manufactured by, for example,
palmOne Inc. of Milpitas, Calif. The computer system 100 may
include a writing area 115 and a display 105. The display 105 may
be a color display, a monochrome display, etc. The display 105 may
be small (e.g., 160.times.160 pixel display) and may limit the
amount of information that is viewable at a time.
[0016] To view information on the display 105, a vertical scroll
bar 110 may be provided to enable scrolling. Depending on the type
of information, there may also be a horizontal scroll bar 112 to
enable displaying information adjacent to the information currently
displayed. A pointing device or a stylus (not shown) may be used to
interact with the scroll bars 110, 115. Another technique used to
enable scrolling includes using a thumb wheel (not shown). To
scroll diagonally, a combination of vertical and horizontal
scrolling may be required, making the techniques described in this
example slow and cumbersome.
Movement Sensor
[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a bottom
view of a computer system equipped with a movement sensor, in
accordance with one embodiment. For one embodiment, a bottom side
of the computer system 200 may include a movement sensor 205. The
movement sensor 205 may be any device that can sense directions of
the movement of the computer system 200 on a surface. The surface
may be generally flat. The bottom side of the computer system 200
may be designed with appropriate surface contacts (not shown) made
with material that may enable the computer system 200 to be moved
across the surface with relative ease while not interfering with
functionalities of the movement sensor 205. For one embodiment, the
movement sensor 205 may be an optical sensor. Optical sensors are
known to one skilled in the art. The movement sensor 205 may also
be located at a location other than the location illustrated in
FIG. 2 as long as it is able to sense the directions of the
movements of the computer system 200. For one embodiment, the
bottom side of the computer system 200 may include a second
movement sensor (not shown). The combination of the movement sensor
205 and the second movement sensor may enable detection of angular
position or rotation of the computer system 200.
Translation Logic
[0018] For one embodiment, the computer system 200 may include
logic that translates the information sensed by the movement sensor
205. This logic may be referred to herein as translation logic. The
translation logic may be implemented in software, hardware, or a
combination of both. For example, the translation logic may
translate the information sensed by the movement sensor 205 into
operations that can be performed by the computer system 200.
Cursor Control
[0019] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of controlling
location of a cursor in a computer system equipped with a movement
sensor, in accordance with one embodiment. Computer system 300 is
illustrated with its top side and its display visible. The curve
line drawn above the computer system 300 illustrates a pattern that
the computer system 300 has moved through in moving from location
305 (FIG. 3A) at time t1 to location 310 (FIG. 3B) at time t2. This
pattern may be sensed by the movement sensor 205 and provided to
the translation logic. The translation logic may translate
information associated with the pattern into operations that may
result in moving a cursor along a similar pattern. This example is
illustrated with a cursor located at position 406 (FIG. 3A) before
the movement of the computer system 300 and at position 411 (FIG.
3B) after the movement of the computer system 300. The curve lines
drawn on the display illustrate the similarity between the movement
of the cursor and the movement of the computer system 300.
Document Control
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of controlling information
displayed on a display of a computer system equipped with a
movement sensor, in accordance with one embodiment. Computer system
400 is illustrated with its display visible. The display may be
viewed as a window to a large document (e.g., a map) that cannot be
displayed in its entirety due to the small size of the display. In
this example, the information being displayed is associated with a
section or portion 410 of a map 405. The map 405 may be stored in
the computer system 400, or it may be accessed via a network. The
map 405 in this example is illustrated logically rather than
physically.
[0021] For one embodiment, the translation logic may translate the
information sensed by the movement sensor 205 into operations that
may cause another section of the document to be displayed. The
selection of this other section may be consistent with the pattern
of movement of the computer system 400. Referring to FIG. 4, when
the computer system 400 is moved horizontally toward the right, the
display may include a section of the document that is on the right
side of the section previously included on the display. Other
arrows illustrated in FIG. 4 represent different possible
directions (e.g., vertical, diagonal, etc.) that the computer
system 400 may be moved to display different sections of the
document.
[0022] For one embodiment, the movement sensor 205 may be a
mechanical sensor such as, for example, one that is implemented
using a trackball. This may enable the movement sensor 205 to be
manipulated while the computer system 400 is not placed against a
surface. For example, a user may place a finger over the trackball
from the bottom side of the computer system 400 and navigate or
control information to be included on the display by turning the
trackball. The movement of the trackball may then be sensed by the
movement sensor 205. It may be noted that one advantage of using
the movement sensor 205 is that scrolling of the document in the
diagonal direction can be easily performed and thus can be very
intuitive.
[0023] FIGS. 5A-C are diagrams illustrating different examples of
interactions with a computer system equipped with a movement
sensor, in accordance with one embodiment. For one embodiment, in
addition to having a movement sensor 205, computer system 500 may
include an upper section (not shown) and a lower section (not
shown). The display may be part of the upper section. The bottom
side of the computer system 500 may be part of the lower section.
For one embodiment, when a pressure is applied to the upper
section, the upper section may move slightly toward the lower
section. The upper section may then move back to its normal default
position when the pressure is removed. This type of movement may be
referred to as a clicking motion.
[0024] For one embodiment, depending on where the pressure is
applied to the upper section, the computer system 500 may perform
different operations. For example, when a pressure is applied such
that the upper section is almost evenly displaced toward the lower
section, a first mouse click may be recognized by the computer
system 500 and corresponding actions may be performed. The same
mouse click may be recognized when the pressure 505 is applied
toward the middle of the upper section (FIG. 5A). When the pressure
510 is applied toward the right side of the upper section (FIG.
5B), a second mouse click may be recognized by the computer system
500. When the pressure 515 is applied toward the left side of the
upper section (FIG. 5C), a third mouse click may be recognized by
the computer system 500. The translation logic may translate the
different types of clicking motions of the upper section relative
to the lower section into operations to be performed by the
computer system 500. The ability to cause operations to be
performed by initiating different clicking motions as described
with FIGS. 5A-C may enable a user to use the computer system 500
more efficiently.
Process
[0025] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a
process of determining information to be displayed on a computer
system equipped with a movement sensor, in accordance with one
embodiment. The process may be performed by the computer system
using the information provided by the movement sensor 205. At block
605, the computer system is displaying information associated with
one section of a data entity (e.g., a document). At block 610, a
test is made to determine if the movement sensor 205 has sensed any
movement of the computer system.
[0026] When no movement is sensed, the computer system may continue
to display the same information. However, when the computer system
is moved, the movement sensor 205 senses the movement information,
as shown in block 615. This information may then be translated by
the translation logic into operations to display another section of
the data entity, as shown in block 620. For example, when the
computer system is moved in a vertical direction on a surface, the
computer system may display a section of the data entity that is
above a section that was previously displayed. As another example,
when the computer system is equipped with a mechanical sensor such
as a trackball, the same result may be accomplished by turning the
trackball downward to scroll the document being displayed upward.
It may be noted that the process described may be used to scroll a
document, move a cursor, or perform any operations that normally
requires using a mouse or similar controlling devices.
Computer System
[0027] FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a computer system, in
accordance with one embodiment. Computer system 700 may be a
handheld computer system and may include processor 705. The
processor 705 may be a processor in the family of Pentium
processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara,
California. Other processors may also be used. The computer system
700 may include a display controller 710 and memory 715. The
display controller 710 may be coupled to a display (not shown)
which may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a display that uses
other suitable display technology. The memory 715 may be a
combination of one or more static random access memory (SRAM),
dynamic random access memory (DRAM), read only memory (ROM),
etc.
[0028] The computer system 700 may also include a movement sensor
720, translation logic 730 and a storage device 725. The movement
sensor 720 may be an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, or any
sensor that may be used to detect movements of the computer system
700. The translation logic 730 may include logic to translate
movement information sensed by the movement sensor. 720. The
translation logic 730 may translate that information into
operations that can be processed by the processor 705. The storage
device 725 may be used to store the data entity that may be
included on the display of the computer system 700. Although not
shown, the computer system 700 may also include other components to
enable it to perform various functions.
Computer Readable Media
[0029] It is also to be understood that because embodiments of the
present invention may be implemented as one or more software
programs, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented
or realized upon or within a machine readable medium. For example,
the translation logic may be implemented in software, and the
instructions associated with the translation logic may be stored in
a machine readable medium. A machine readable medium may include
any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form
readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine
readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); random access
memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;
flash memory devices, etc.
[0030] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been
described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof.
It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes
may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
* * * * *