U.S. patent application number 14/291849 was filed with the patent office on 2017-05-18 for receiving input at a computing device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Joseph M. Ashear, Jeremy Faller, Michael S. Morton.
Application Number | 20170139517 14/291849 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47752758 |
Filed Date | 2017-05-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170139517 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Morton; Michael S. ; et
al. |
May 18, 2017 |
Receiving Input at a Computing Device
Abstract
This document describes technologies for interpreting physical
contact with a non-touchscreen portion of a computing device's
housing (e.g., the computing device's case) as input. For example,
a user tapping his/her index finger against the back of a computing
device, such as a smartphone or a tablet computing device, can be
interpreted as input and can cause an operation to be performed by
the computing device, such as turning the page of an electronic
book that is being displayed by the computing device.
Inventors: |
Morton; Michael S.; (Lyme,
NH) ; Ashear; Joseph M.; (Palo Alto, CA) ;
Faller; Jeremy; (Arlington, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140267122 A1 |
September 18, 2014 |
|
|
Family ID: |
47752758 |
Appl. No.: |
14/291849 |
Filed: |
May 30, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13593117 |
Aug 23, 2012 |
8743069 |
|
|
14291849 |
|
|
|
|
61530386 |
Sep 1, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2203/04105
20130101; G06F 2200/1636 20130101; G06F 1/1694 20130101; G06F
3/0414 20130101; G06F 1/169 20130101; G06F 3/04883 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at a mobile
computing device, first input on a touchscreen of the computing
device; in response to receiving the first input, causing a first
operation to be performed by the mobile computing device;
receiving, at a mobile computing device, second input that
indicates that a user contacted a non-touchscreen portion of a
housing of the mobile computing device; selecting, by the mobile
computing device, a second operation from among a plurality of
possible operations based at least in part on the first operation
having been previously performed by the mobile computing device
within a threshold amount of time or number of operations of
receipt of the second input; and causing the second operation to be
performed.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
determining whether the portion of the housing that the user
contacted is a back portion of the mobile computing device that is
opposite the touchscreen of the mobile computing device; and
wherein the second operation is selected in response to the
determination of whether the back of the mobile computing device
was contacted.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising
identifying a location on the back portion of the mobile computing
device where the user contacted the housing based on the received
input; and wherein the second operation is additionally selected
based on the identified location at which the user contacted the
back of the mobile computing device.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the location
where the user contacted the housing indicates user intent to
navigate forward or backward through a document comprising a
plurality of pages; and wherein the second operation comprises
moving a display of the document on the mobile computing device
forward or backward through the plurality of pages.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the location
where the user contacted the housing is identified using one or
more motion sensors positioned in the mobile computing device.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or
more motion sensors comprise one or more accelerometers; and
wherein the location is identified based on an amount of torque
measured in association with the received input by the one or more
accelerometers relative to locations of the one or more
accelerometers in the mobile computing device.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or
more motion sensors comprise one or more gyroscopes; and wherein
the location is identified based on an amount of rotation and a
direction of rotation in association with the received input that
is measured by the one or more gyroscopes relative to locations of
the one or more gyroscopes in the mobile computing device.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the location
where the user contacted the housing is identified using a
plurality of microphones positioned in the housing of the mobile
computing device; and wherein the location is identified based on a
correlation of audio signals received by the plurality of
microphones relative to locations of the plurality of microphones
in the housing of the mobile computing device.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the location
where the user contacted the housing is identified using one or
more touch sensors that are part of or affixed to the housing on
the back of the computing device.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user
contacted the non-touchscreen portion of the housing of the mobile
computing device with one or more of the user's fingers or
thumbs.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second
operation is the same as the first operation.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second
operation is different from the first operation.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile
computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computing
device.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
providing, by the mobile computing device, output that indicates
that the second input was received by the mobile computing
device.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the output
includes one or more of: changing a display of the mobile computing
device for at least a threshold period of time and providing an
audio signal through one or more speakers of the mobile computing
device.
16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
detecting a level of force with which the second input was provided
to the housing of the mobile computing device; and identifying a
type of contact for the second input based on a comparison of the
level of force with one or more of a plurality of threshold levels
of force; wherein the second operation is selected further based on
the identified type of contact for the second input.
17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein when the
identified type of contact for the second input is identified as
being an ambiguous type of contact the second operation comprises a
preview operation that provides a preview of another operation on
the mobile computing device; wherein the ambiguous type of contact
is identified based on the level of force being i) equal to or
greater than a first threshold level of force and ii) less than a
second threshold level of force from the plurality of threshold
levels of force.
18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the second
operation is a preview of the first operation that was previously
performed on the mobile computing device.
19. A mobile computing device comprising: an input subsystem that
is programmed to receive i) first input on a touchscreen of the
computing device and ii) second input that indicates that a user
contacted a non-touchscreen portion of a housing of the mobile
computing device; an operation selection module that is programmed
to select i) a first operation to perform in response to the first
input and ii) a second operation from among a plurality of possible
operations based at least in part on the first operation having
been previously performed by the mobile computing device within a
threshold amount of time or number of operations of receipt of the
second input; and a contact interpreter to cause the selected
second operation to be performed.
20. A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable
storage device storing instructions that, when executed, cause one
or more processors of a computer system to perform operations
comprising: receiving first input on a touchscreen of the computer
system; in response to receiving the first input, causing a first
operation to be performed by the computer system; receiving second
input that indicates that a user contacted a non-touchscreen
portion of a housing of the computer system; selecting a second
operation from among a plurality of possible operations based at
least in part on the first operation having been previously
performed within a threshold amount of time or number of operations
of receipt of the second input; and causing the second operation to
be performed.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/530,386,
filed on Sep. 1, 2011. The entire contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This document generally describes technologies for
interpreting input provided to a computing device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Computing devices, such as laptop computers, desktop
computers, mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones, cell
phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs)), and tablet computing
devices, receive input from users in a variety of ways. For
instance, users can provide input to computing devices using
keyboards, mice, touchscreens, and microphones.
SUMMARY
[0004] This document describes technologies for interpreting
physical contact with a non-touchscreen portion of a computing
device's housing (e.g., the computing device's case) as input. For
example, a user tapping his/her index finger against the back of a
computing device, such as a smartphone or a tablet computing
device, can be interpreted as input and can cause an operation to
be performed by the computing device, such as turning the page of
an electronic book that is being displayed by the computing
device.
[0005] In one implementation, a computer-implemented method
includes receiving, at a mobile computing device, first input on a
touchscreen of the computing device; in response to receiving the
first input, causing a first operation to be performed by the
mobile computing device; receiving, at a mobile computing device,
second input that indicates that a user contacted a non-touchscreen
portion of a housing of the mobile computing device; selecting, by
the mobile computing device, a second operation from among a
plurality of possible operations based at least in part on the
first operation having been previously performed by the mobile
computing device within a threshold amount of time or number of
operations of receipt of the second input; and causing the second
operation to be performed.
[0006] This and other implementations can optionally include one or
more of the following features. The method can further include
determining whether the portion of the housing that the user
contacted is a back portion of the mobile computing device that is
opposite the touchscreen of the mobile computing device; and the
second operation can be selected in response to the determination
of whether the back of the mobile computing device was contacted.
The method can further include identifying a location on the back
portion of the mobile computing device where the user contacted the
housing based on the received input; and the second operation can
be additionally selected based on the identified location at which
the user contacted the back of the mobile computing device.
[0007] The location where the user contacted the housing can
indicate user intent to navigate forward or backward through a
document that includes a plurality of pages; and the second
operation can include moving a display of the document on the
mobile computing device forward or backward through the plurality
of pages. The location where the user contacted the housing can be
identified using one or more motion sensors positioned in the
mobile computing device. The one or more motion sensors can include
one or more accelerometers; and the location can be identified
based on an amount of torque measured in association with the
received input by the one or more accelerometers relative to
locations of the one or more accelerometers in the mobile computing
device. The one or more motion sensors can include one or more
gyroscopes; and the location can be identified based on an amount
of rotation and a direction of rotation in association with the
received input that is measured by the one or more gyroscopes
relative to locations of the one or more gyroscopes in the mobile
computing device. The location where the user contacted the housing
can be identified using a plurality of microphones positioned in
the housing of the mobile computing device; and the location can be
identified based on a correlation of audio signals received by the
plurality of microphones relative to locations of the plurality of
microphones in the housing of the mobile computing device. The
location where the user contacted the housing can be identified
using one or more touch sensors that are part of or affixed to the
housing on the back of the computing device.
[0008] The user may have contacted the non-touchscreen portion of
the housing of the mobile computing device with one or more of the
user's fingers or thumbs. The second operation can be the same as
the first operation. The second operation can be different from the
first operation. The mobile computing device can include a
smartphone or a tablet computing device. The method can include
providing, by the mobile computing device, output that indicates
that the second input was received by the mobile computing device.
The output can include one or more of: changing a display of the
mobile computing device for at least a threshold period of time and
providing an audio signal through one or more speakers of the
mobile computing device.
[0009] The method can further include detecting a level of force
with which the second input was provided to the housing of the
mobile computing device; and identifying a type of contact for the
second input based on a comparison of the level of force with one
or more of a plurality of threshold levels of force; where the
second operation can be selected further based on the identified
type of contact for the second input. When the identified type of
contact for the second input is identified as being an ambiguous
type of contact the second operation can include a preview
operation that provides a preview of another operation on the
mobile computing device; where the ambiguous type of contact can be
identified based on the level of force being i) equal to or greater
than a first threshold level of force and ii) less than a second
threshold level of force from the plurality of threshold levels of
force. The second operation can be a preview of the first operation
that was previously performed on the mobile computing device.
[0010] In another implementation, a mobile computing device
includes an input subsystem that is programmed to receive i) first
input on a touchscreen of the computing device and ii) second input
that indicates that a user contacted a non-touchscreen portion of a
housing of the mobile computing device; an operation selection
module that is programmed to select i) a first operation to perform
in response to the first input and ii) a second operation from
among a plurality of possible operations based at least in part on
the first operation having been previously performed by the mobile
computing device within a threshold amount of time or number of
operations of receipt of the second input; and a contact
interpreter to cause the selected second operation to be
performed.
[0011] In another implementation, a computer program product
embodied in a computer-readable storage device storing instructions
that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computer
system to perform operations including receiving first input on a
touchscreen of the computer system; in response to receiving the
first input, causing a first operation to be performed by the
computer system; receiving second input that indicates that a user
contacted a non-touchscreen portion of a housing of the computer
system; selecting a second operation from among a plurality of
possible operations based at least in part on the first operation
having been previously performed within a threshold amount of time
or number of operations of receipt of the second input; and causing
the second operation to be performed.
[0012] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Various advantages
can be provided by the disclosed systems and methods. For example,
users can more conveniently and easily provide input to a computing
device. For instance, users generally use two hands to provide
input to a computing device with a touchscreen (e.g., a
smartphone)--one hand to hold the device and the other hand to
touch the touchscreen. However, at times a user may not be able to
use two hands to provide input to a computing device, such as when
the user is holding another object in one of his/her hands. The
features disclosed in this document permit a user to provide input
a computing device using a hand that his holding the device without
the user having to reconfigure his/her grip on the computing device
to reach a touchscreen portion of the device.
[0013] In another example, the features disclosed in this document
allow a user to dynamically configure the type of operations that
are performed in response to the user contacting a non-touchscreen
portion of a computing device's housing. Instead of having to enter
a settings page for a computing device to specify which
operation(s) are to be performed in response to non-touchscreen
contact with a computing device, a user can simply perform the
action he/she would like to be associated with non-touchscreen
contact and the proceed to have the action performed in response to
subsequent non-touchscreen contact. This can allow a user to
quickly and readily adjust operations that are associated with
non-touchscreen contact on a computing device.
[0014] In another example, when users contact non-touchscreen
portions of computing devices but without sufficient force to
trigger an operation (e.g., a dynamically configurable operation),
a preview of the operation can be performed on the computing
device. For instance, if a computing device is configured to turn a
page (example operation) of an electronic book displayed on the
computing device in response to receiving contact-based input on
the housing of the device but the user does not provide the contact
with at least a threshold level of force, then the computing device
can provide a preview of the page turn operation on the computing
device. For instance, the computing device can display the page of
the electronic book starting to change and then falling back into
place. Such a preview can allow users to easily discover and learn
how to use contact-based input on a computing device. It can be
difficult for users to stay up-to-date on all of the varied input
that computing devices, such as smartphones, are configured to
receive and interpret. By providing previews of operations based on
contact-based input, users can discover such contact-based input
through inadvertent contact with the housing of a computing device
and can also learn how much force (minimum level of force) to
provide when contacting the housing so as to cause one or more
operations to be performed by the computing device.
[0015] Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention
will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the
claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an example computing
device identifying an operation to perform in response to
non-touchscreen contact being detected on a housing of the
device.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system for identifying an
operation to perform in response to non-touchscreen contact being
detected on a housing of a computing device.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram indicating how detected
torque on a computing device can indicate a location on the device
where contact with the device was received.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of an example computing
device providing a preview of an operation in response to
non-touchscreen contact being detected on a housing of the
device.
[0020] FIGS. 5A-B are flowcharts of an example process for or
identifying an operation to perform in response to non-touchscreen
contact being detected on a housing of a computing device.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a system that may be used
to implement the systems and methods described in this
document.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of example computing devices.
[0023] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] This document generally describes technologies for
identifying one or more operations to perform on a computing device
in response to a user contacting (e.g., touching, tapping) a
non-touchscreen portion of a computing device. Operations can be
identified based on previous operations that were performed in
response to other input provided to a computing device, such as a
user touching a touchscreen of the device, providing voice input to
the device, physically moving the device around (e.g., shaking the
device), and/or pressing physical keys or buttons of the computing
device.
[0025] For example, a user reading an electronic book on a mobile
computing device, such as a smartphone, a tablet computing device,
and/or an electronic book reader, can provide input (e.g.,
touchscreen input, pressing a key or button) to the device that
causes the device to turn to the next page of the electronic book.
When a user subsequently contacts a non-touchscreen portion of the
mobile computing device's housing, the mobile computing device can
identify the page turning operation as the operation to perform in
response to the contact based on the user having previously
provided input that caused the page turn operation to be performed.
For instance, after turning the page of the electronic book once
using the standard input mechanism provided by the computing device
(e.g., touchscreen, keyboard, button), a user can repeatedly tap
the housing of the computing device to cause the page of the
electronic book to be turned. A mobile computing device's housing
can include outer portions of the mobile computing device that do
not have input mechanisms, such as buttons, touchscreens, or
switches. For instance, a mobile computing device's housing can
include a case that surrounds one or more sides of the mobile
computing device. Contacting a mobile computing device's housing
can include user contact with the housing (e.g., tapping the back
portion of the mobile computing device's case) as opposed to
interaction with an input mechanism (e.g., pressing a button,
activating a switch, touching a touchscreen).
[0026] A variety of techniques can be used to detect user contact
with a non-touchscreen portion of an appropriate computing device,
such as a smartphone, a tablet computing device, an electronic book
reader, a netbook, and/or a laptop computer. For example, user
contact with the housing of a computing device can be detected
using one or more capacitive touch sensors can be placed in and/or
affixed to the housing of a computing device; one or more
accelerometers included in the computing device to detect
acceleration of the device; one or more gyroscopes included in the
computing device to detect changes in the orientation of the
device; one or more microphones included with the computing device
to detect sound associated with device contact; and/or one or more
cameras included with the computing device to identify user
movement with regard to the computing device. Other sensors not
included in this list can also be used.
[0027] The location on the housing of a computing device at which a
user contacted the housing can be identified and used to further
identify an operation to perform in response to a user contacting a
non-touchscreen portion of a computing device's housing. For
instance, if a user taps the back of a smartphone at a location
that is opposite the right half of the smartphone's touchscreen
display, the tap can cause a different operation to be performed
than if the user taps the back of the smartphone at a different
location opposite the left half of the smartphone's touchscreen
display. Referring to the electronic book example above, touching a
location opposite the right half of the touchscreen can cause a
next page of the electronic book to be displayed and touching a
location opposite the left half of the touchscreen can cause a
previous page of the electronic book to be displayed. Although this
example is described with regard to tapping a back portion of a
smartphone, tapping other portions of the smartphone, like the
sides of the mobile computing device, can also cause the smartphone
to perform operations such as turning a page in an electronic
book.
[0028] The location at which a user has contacted (e.g., with the
user's fingers, thumb, knuckle, knee, other body part, and/or with
inanimate objects such as pens, books, furniture) a non-touchscreen
portion of a computing device's housing can be determined in a
variety of ways. For example, a plurality of accelerometers can be
placed throughout the device to measure acceleration at various
points in the device and can be used to determine torque being
applied to the device. Rotation about an axis of the device can
provide an indication of where on the device a user contacted the
housing. In another example, gyroscopes can be placed throughout a
device to determine changes in orientation of the device, which can
also provide an indication of device rotation. In another example,
microphones can be placed at different locations and different
sound measurements received by the microphones in association with
a user contacting the housing can be correlated to determine an
approximate location where the user contacted the housing. In a
further example, touch sensors can be located in and/or affixed to
the housing of a device and can provide an indication of where a
user contacted the housing.
[0029] Filters can be applied to information indicating that a user
contacted a housing of a computing device to filter out
unintentional contact. For example, incidental contact may be
detected by a computing device, such as setting the computing
device on a table. However, such incidental contact can be filtered
out if it does not register at least a threshold level of inferred
intent from the user for an operation to be performed. For example,
a minimum threshold of acceleration may be used to differentiate
between incidental and/or ambiguous contact, for which an operation
should not be performed, and intentional contact (e.g., a user
tapping a finger against the housing of the device), for which an
operation should be performed. Contact that is in excess of a
normal range of a user action can be filtered out as well. For
example, if a user drops his/her computing device, the acceleration
(or deceleration) from the device falling and/or hitting the ground
may exceed a normal amount of acceleration associated with user
contact. A maximum threshold for acceleration can be used to filter
out such accidental contact, for which an operation should not be
performed.
[0030] Feedback can also be provided to a user in response to
non-touchscreen housing contact being detected and an operation
being identified in association with the contact. For example, a
computing device can provide audio output indicating that the
non-touchscreen housing contact has been detected and not filtered
out. In another example, a computing device can momentarily change
its display (e.g., briefly brighten the display, briefly dim the
display) in response to the detection of non-touchscreen housing
contact.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an example computing
device 100 identifying an operation to perform in response to
non-touchscreen contact being detected on a housing of the device
100. The computing device 100 can be any of a variety of
appropriate computing devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet
computing device, an electronic book reader, a netbook, and/or a
laptop computer. The computing device 100 is depicted as including
a non-touchscreen housing 102 and a touchscreen 104. In the
depicted example, the touchscreen is displaying a page of
information that includes a graphical button 106 to move to the
next page.
[0032] As depicted in FIG. 1, the user is holding the computing
device 100 in the user's right hand 108 and touches the graphical
button 106 with the index finger from his/her left hand 110. In
response to receiving the touchscreen input corresponding the
graphical button 106, an operation is performed in association with
the received input, as indicated by step A (110). For example, the
operation performed in response to the user touching the button 106
is for a next page of the document to be retrieved and displayed in
the touchscreen of the computing device 100, as indicated by the
display 112. The example display 112 shows "Page 2" of the document
being displayed on the computing device 100.
[0033] After providing the input that caused the next page
operation to be performed and while holding the device 100 in the
right hand 108, the user taps the back portion 114 of the housing
(opposite the touchscreen 104) of the device 100 with the user's
right index finger 116. This contact is detected by the computing
device 100, as indicated by step B (118). As explained above, a
variety of sensors in the computing device can be used to detect
the contact, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, capacitive touch
sensors, microphones, and/or cameras.
[0034] In response to detecting the contact with the case, an
operation to be performed is identified based on previously
received input and/or performed operations in response to such
input, as indicated by step C (120). For example, one or more
previous operations performed by the computing device 100 in
response to user input can be used to identify an operation to
perform in response to the contact on the back portion 114 of the
device 100. In some implementations, the previous operation
performed in response to user input is identified. In the present
example, such an identified operation would be the next page
operation. In some implementations, a sequence of previous
operations performed in response to user input is analyzed to
identify an operation intended by the user. For example, a user's
historical behavior with regard to the computing device 100 can be
analyzed to identify patterns. If the sequence of previous
operations matches one of these patterns, a next intended operation
can be inferred and identified from the patterns.
[0035] In the depicted example, the previous operation performed in
response to the graphical button 106 being pressed is identified
for the non-touchscreen contact on the back 114 of the device 100.
As indicated by step D (122), the identified operation (the next
page operation) is performed and a next page 124 ("Page 3") of the
document is displayed by the computing device 100. As demonstrated
by FIG. 1, the transition between the second page 112 and the third
page 124 of the document occurs without the user having to use the
left hand 110 or having to press the graphical button 106 a second
time.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system 200 for identifying
an operation to perform in response to non-touchscreen contact
being detected on a housing of a computing device 202. The
computing device 202 can be similar to the computing device 100
discussed above with regard to FIG. 1.
[0037] The computing device 202 includes an input subsystem 206
that is configured to receive input (both non-touchscreen housing
contact with the device 202 and traditional user input to the
device 202, such as keyboard input and touchscreen input). The
input subsystem 206 can include any combination of the components
that are depicted as being part of the subsystem 206. The input
subsystem 206 can include a touchscreen 204 (e.g., a capacitive
touchscreen, resistive touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, etc.),
one or more accelerometers 206, one or more gyroscopes 208, keys
and/or buttons 212 (e.g., physical keypad, buttons on the exterior
of the device 202), a light sensor 214, a camera 216, touch
sensor(s) 218 that are part of and/or affixed to the
non-touchscreen housing of the device 202, one or more microphones
219, and a network interface 220.
[0038] The network interface 220 interacts with computing systems
that are external to the mobile computing device 202 to send and
receive electronic information. The network interface 220 can be
any of a variety of appropriate networking interfaces (e.g.,
Ethernet card, wireless network card, cellular transmitter, etc.)
that are capable of sending and receiving information over a
network (e.g., local area network (LAN), the Internet, wireless
network, peer-to-peer network, cellular network, 3G network,
etc.).
[0039] Input received through the input subsystem 206 of the mobile
computing device 202 can be provided to a contact detection module
222 that detects non-touchscreen contact with the housing of the
computing device 202. The contact detection module 222 can use
input from any or all of the components of the input subsystem 206
to determine whether a user has provided contact indicating that an
operation should be identified and performed. Filters on
contact-related input received from the input subsystem 206 can be
used to differentiate between incidental and accidental contact,
for which an operation should not be performed, and intentional
contact (e.g., a user touching the touchscreen), for which an
operation should be performed.
[0040] A contact location estimation module 224 can be used to
identify a location on the housing of the device 202 where the user
touched the touchscreen. A contact interpreter 226 identifies an
operation to perform in response to the received non-touchscreen
contact. The contact interpreter includes a previous operation
tracker 228 that tracks previous user input received by the device
202 and corresponding previous operations performed by the device
202 in response. The operation selection module 229 select one or
more operations to perform in response to received non-touchscreen
contact. The operation selection module 229 can selection
operations to perform from an operation repository 230, which
stores information identifying operations that are available to be
performed by the computing device 202. Operation(s) that is
selected can depend on one or more applications and/or features
that are currently being displayed by the computing device 202. The
output selection module 229 can additional cause the one or more
selected operations to be performed by the device 202.
[0041] An output subsystem 240 provides output to a user of the
mobile computing device 202 in conjunctions with the performance of
the selected operation. For example, the output subsystem 240 can
cause the touchscreen 204 to display a next page of an electronic
book. The output subsystem 240 can include a variety of devices for
providing output to a user of the mobile computing device 202, such
as a display 242 (which may be included as part of the touchscreen
204), a speaker 244, and a projector 246.
[0042] The mobile computing device 202 can wirelessly communicate
with wireless transmitter 248 (e.g., a cellular network
transceiver, a wireless network router, etc.) and obtain access to
a network 250 (e.g., the Internet, public switched telephone
network (PSTN), a cellular network, a local area network (LAN), a
virtual private network (VPN), etc.). Through the network 250, the
mobile computing device 202 can be in communication with a mobile
device server system 231 (one or more networked server computers),
which can be configured to provide mobile device related services
and data to the mobile device 202 (e.g., provide calendar data,
email data, connect telephone calls to other telephones, etc.).
Through the wireless transmitter 248 and the network 250, the
mobile device server system 231 can implement some of the features
described above with regard to the mobile computing device 202,
identifying an operation to perform from the operation repository
230 in response to non-touchscreen housing contact.
[0043] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram indicating how detected
torque on a computing device 300 can indicate a location on the
device where contact with the device was received. The computing
device 300 can be similar to the computing device 100 and/or the
computing device 202 discussed above with regard to FIGS. 1 and 2,
respectively.
[0044] In the example depicted in FIG. 3, the housing of the
computing device 300 is contacted by a user at the point of contact
301. For example, the user may contact the back of the computing
device 300 with his/her finger. Resulting from the contact at point
302, rotation is detected about the x-axis 302 of the device and
the y-axis 304. As indicated in this example, the rotation on the
x-axis 302 is clockwise and the rotation on the y-axis 304 is
clockwise. As discussed above, the rotation about the x-axis 302
and the y-axis 304 can be detected using any of a variety of
sensors, such as accelerometers and/or gyroscopes. Based on the
detected directional rotation of the x-axis 302 and the y-axis 304,
the point of contact 301 can be estimated to be somewhere within
the quadrant B of the device 300. The amount of torque detected
along each axis can provide an additional indication as to a
location where the point of contact occurred with the identified
quadrant B.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of an example computing
device 400 providing a preview of an operation in response to
non-touchscreen contact being detected on a housing of the device
400. The diagram depicted in FIG. 4 shows the computing device 400
providing a preview of an operation through four different points
in time--at a first time (401) when the computing device 400 is
displaying an image 404 on a display 403, at a second time (411)
when the computing device 400 is receiving input through contact
with a housing 402 of the device, at a third time (419) when device
400 is providing a preview of an operation based on the contact
input in response to the detected contact being insufficient to
perform the operation, and at a fourth time (423) when the
computing device 400 resumes displaying the image 404.
[0046] The computing device 400 can be any of a variety of
appropriate computing devices, such as a smartphone, a PDA, and/or
cell phone, a tablet computing device. The example computing device
400 can be similar to the other computing devices discussed in this
document, such as the computing device 100, the computing device
202, and/or the computing device 302. The computing device 400 is
depicted as including the housing 402 and the display 403. The
housing 402 can be made of any of a variety of appropriate
materials, such as plastics and/or metal alloys, and may not
include touch sensors included and/or embedded therein. The housing
402 can be similar to the non-touchscreen housings discussed above
with regard to the mobile computing devices 100 and 202. The
display 403 can be any of a variety of appropriate visual displays,
such as a touchscreen display. The display 403 can be similar to
the touchscreen 104 and/or the display 242 discussed above with
regard to FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.
[0047] At a first time (401), the computing device 400 displays the
example image 404 on the display 403 of the computing device 400.
As depicted in the example, a user is holding the device 400 in
his/her right hand 408. The image 404 can be presented on the
display 403 by any of a variety of appropriate operations that are
running on the mobile computing device 400, such as a photo viewer
application that displays photos on the display 403 and that
includes various input controls through which a user can display a
next or previous photo in a collection of photos (e.g., a photo
album, tagged photos). For example, a user may be able to swipe
from left to right across the display 403 to view a next photo in
the collection and to swipe from right to left across the display
403 to view a previous photo in the collection. The mobile
computing device 400 can perform housing contact-based operations,
similar to those discussed above with regard to FIGS. 1-3. For
instance, if a user of the mobile computing device 400 swipes left
to right to transition to a next photo in a collection of photos,
the mobile computing device 400 may interpret subsequent contact
with the housing 402 as user input requesting that the previous
operation (next photo operation) be performed and can cause the
next photo operation to be performed (e.g., for a next photo to be
presented on the display 403).
[0048] The mobile computing device 400 can monitor for
contact-based input provided by user contact with the housing 402,
as indicated by step A (410). For example, the contact detection
module 222 of the mobile computing device 202 can monitor for
housing-based contact with the mobile computing device 202 based on
information provided by the input subsystem 206.
[0049] At a second time (411), the user contacts a back portion 412
of the housing 402 (opposite the display 403) of the device 400
with the index finger 414 of the user's right hand 408. A user can
contact anywhere on the housing 402 of the mobile computing device
400, including the back portion 412, which is provided as an
illustrative example. The mobile computing device 400 can detect
the contact with the housing 402 and can determine whether the
contact was provided with sufficient force so as to cause a
previous operation to be performed, as indicated by step B (416).
The mobile computing device 400 can detect contact with the housing
402 similar to the techniques discussed above with regard to step B
(118) in FIG. 1, the contact detection module 222 and the contact
location estimation module 224 in FIG. 2, and the contact location
detection discussed with regard to the computing device 300 in FIG.
3. The mobile computing device 400 can determine whether the user
has contacted the housing 402 with sufficient force to trigger
performance of the previous operation (e.g., swipe left to right
across the display 403) based on a comparison of the force exerted
on the mobile computing device 400, as detected by one or more
accelerometers of the mobile computing device 400, with one or more
threshold levels of force (e.g., minimum levels of force to perform
an operation based on contact with the housing 402).
[0050] For example, the mobile computing device 400 can include one
or more accelerometers (e.g., the one or more accelerometers 206)
that sense changes in movement of the mobile computing device 400
and that provide real-time data detailing the changes in the
device's movement in any of a variety of appropriate units (e.g.,
g-force, specific force). Various threshold levels of force can be
used to differentiate between types of contact. For example, the
mobile computing device 400 may use two threshold levels of force
to distinguish between ambient contact/movement (e.g., vibration
caused by the device 400 being in a motor vehicle with the engine
on), ambiguous contact (e.g., a light tap on the housing 402 by the
user's finger 414 that produces little, if any, audible sound from
the contact), and intentional contact (e.g., a more forceful tap on
the housing 402 by the user's finder 414 that produces a distinct
audible sound from the contact). For instance, contact that is
detected by the mobile computing device 400 as having been provided
with less than a first threshold level of force can be determined
to be ambient contact/movement of the mobile computing device 400,
contact that is detected by the mobile computing device 400 as
having been provided with at least the first threshold level of
force but with less than a second threshold level of force can be
determined to be ambiguous contact, and contact that is detected by
the mobile computing device 400 as having been provided with at
least the second threshold level of force can be determined to be
intentional contact.
[0051] Based on a type of contact that was detected (e.g., ambient
contact/movement, ambiguous contact, intentional contact), the
mobile computing device 400 can determine whether to not perform an
operation (e.g., in response to determining that contact with the
housing 402 was ambient contact/movement), to perform a preview of
an operation such as a previous operation (e.g., in response to
determining that contact with the housing 402 was ambiguous
contact), or to perform a previous operation (e.g., in response to
determining that the contact with the housing 402 was intentional).
For example, if the contact with the housing 402 is determined to
be intentional contact, the mobile computing device 400 can perform
a previous operation, such as presenting a next or previous photo
in a collection of photos on the display 403. In another example,
if the contact with the housing 402 is determined to be ambiguous,
the mobile computing device 400 can perform a preview of a previous
operation, such as displaying an animation of a corner of the image
404 being lifted up/turned (like turning a page in a physical photo
album) and then falling back into place. By providing such a
preview operation in response to ambiguous contact (contact with
less than a threshold level of force) with the housing 402 of the
mobile computing device 400, the mobile computing device 400 can
allow for a user to organically discover (e.g., user can discover
without formal instruction) and learn how to use housing
contact-based inputs features.
[0052] In the depicted example in FIG. 4, the user contacting the
housing 402 with his/her finger 414 is determined to be
insufficient (e.g., less than a threshold level of
force--indicating that the contact with the housing 402 was
ambiguous contact) to cause the housing contact-based operation
(e.g., displaying a next photo in a collection of photos) to be
performed and, in response, the mobile computing device determines
that a preview of such an operation (e.g., the previous operation
performed by the mobile computing device 400) should be performed,
as indicated by step C (418). An example preview operation is
depicted at a third time (419) by the right corner 420 of the image
404 being changed/animated on the display 403 to show the image 404
beginning to be lifted up/turned and then falling back into place,
as depicted at a fourth time (423) when the mobile computing device
400 resumes its previous state of displaying the image 404, as
indicated by step D (422).
[0053] Any of a variety of appropriate preview operations can be
performed depending on the type of operation that the device is
previewing. For example, if the previous operation performed by the
mobile computing device 400 is an operation that causes a next song
from a group of songs (e.g., a playlist, an album) to be played,
the mobile computing device 400 may output a beeping noise or play
a few seconds of the next song in response to detecting ambiguous
contact with the housing 402. Preview operations can also be
selected and performed based on a location on the housing 402 at
which the user contacted the mobile computing device 400, as
described above with regard to FIGS. 2-3. For example, if the user
provides ambiguous contact on a right side of the back portion 412
of the housing 402 and a page of an electronic book is being
presented on the display 403, the mobile computing device may
provide a preview of a turning to a next page of the electronic
book (e.g., an animation of the page turning and then falling back
can be presented on the display 403).
[0054] FIGS. 5A-B are flowcharts of an example process 500 for or
identifying an operation to perform in response to non-touchscreen
contact being detected on a housing of a computing device. The
process 500 can be performed by any of a variety of appropriate
computing devices, such as the computing device 100, the computing
device 202, the computing device 302, and/or the computing device
400.
[0055] As part of the process 500, user input is received (502) and
an operation is performed in response to the user input (504). For
example, the mobile computing device 100 can receive input from the
user touching the graphical button 106 displayed on the touchscreen
104 using his/her left hand 110 and, in response, can display a
next page in an electronic book, as indicated by example display
112, on the touchscreen 104.
[0056] Input can be received indicating that a user contacted a
non-touchscreen portion of a housing of a computing device (506).
For example, the mobile computing device 100 can use one or more
sensors, such as accelerometers, to detect the user contacting
(e.g., tapping) on the back portion 114 of the housing 102 of the
mobile computing device 100 with his/her right index finger 116.
Output can be provided to indicate that the contact with the
housing has been detected by the computing device (508). For
example, the mobile computing device 100 may provide visual,
audible, and/or tactile feedback to the user indicating that the
tap input on the housing 102 of the device 100 has been detected,
such as outputting a particular audio signal through one or more
speakers of the device 100 (e.g., outputting a click sound,
outputting a beep sound), altering the content displayed on the
touchscreen 104 (e.g., momentarily making the content displayed on
the touchscreen 104 brighter or darker, displaying over a portion
of the content displayed on the touchscreen 104 a semi-transparent
icon or message indicating that the housing contact has been
received), and/or causing the device 100 to vibrate.
[0057] A determination can be made as to a likelihood that the user
intended for an operation to be performed based on the detected
contact with the housing (510). For example, the mobile computing
device 400 can determine whether the contact was provided with
sufficient force to indicate user intent to perform a particular
operation by comparing the force of the detected contact with one
or more threshold levels of force, as indicated by step B (416).
Such a determination can be made by filtering out accidental,
incidental, and/or ambiguous contact with the housing (512). For
example, as described above with regard to step B (416), multiple
threshold levels of force can be used to differentiate between
incidental/ambient contact (e.g., contact detected from placing the
device 400 in a pocket/bag), accidental contact (e.g., dropping the
device 400 on the ground from a foot or two off the ground),
ambiguous contact (e.g., light tapping contact on the housing 402),
and/or intentional contact (e.g., forceful tapping contact on the
housing 402). Contact that is determined to be incidental,
accidental, and/or ambiguous can be handled according to steps
520-526, which are described below with regard to FIG. 5B.
[0058] In response to determining that contact with a device's
housing was likely intentionally provided by the user, a location
on the housing where the contact was detected can be identified
(514). For example, the location of the point of contact 301 on the
mobile computing device 300 can be detected based on rotation of
the device 300 about the x-axis 302 and/or the y-axis 304.
[0059] An operation can be selected based on previously performed
operations and/or a location where the contact was detected (516).
For example, the mobile computing device 100 can identify the next
page operation (display a next page in an electronic book) based on
the detected contact with the housing 102 of the mobile computing
device 100 and the determination that the detected contact was
likely intentional (e.g., not ambiguous or accidental contact with
the housing 102). In another example, a next page operation may be
identified by the mobile computing device 100 when the detected
contact is on a right side of the mobile computing device 100
(right side of the device 100 from the user's perspective when
viewing the front/touchscreen 104 of the device 100) and a previous
page operation may be identified when the detected contact is on a
left side of the mobile computing device.
[0060] The identified operation can be performed (518). For
example, the mobile computing device 100 can display a next page of
the electronic book, as indicated in the display 124 after the
contact with the back portion 114 of the housing 102 was detected
by the mobile computing device 100.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 5B, a determination can be made as to
whether the detected contact was ambiguous (520). For example, the
mobile computing device 400 can determine whether the detected
contact with the housing 402 was ambiguous based on a comparison of
the detected force of the contact with one or more threshold levels
of force. As discussed above with regard to FIG. 4, the mobile
computing device 400 may determine that the contact is ambiguous
when it is provided with at least a first threshold level of force
but less than a second threshold level of force. Such a first
threshold level of force can distinguish between incidental contact
(e.g., placing the device 400 on a table) and ambiguous contact
(e.g., light tap from the user's finger 414), and such a second
threshold level of force can distinguish between ambiguous contact
and intentional contact (e.g., forceful tap from the user's finger
414). Such threshold levels can be predetermined and/or determined
by the mobile computing device 400 over time. For example,
corrective behavior by the user (e.g., providing touchscreen input
in response to the housing contact not resulting in the expected or
intended operation being performed) in response to an operation
performed (or not performed) by the mobile computing device 400 can
be used to adjust and/or create threshold force levels to
correspond to the force with which the corrected housing contact
was provided.
[0062] The step 520 may be performed for contact that has not been
determined to be intentional, such as contact that may be
incidental, ambiguous, and/or accidental. If the contact is
determined to be incidental or accidental, the contact may be
ignored and no operation may be performed in response to the
contact. If the contact is determined to be ambiguous, a location
on the housing that was contacted can be identified (522), similar
to step 514 described above. Based on previously performed
operations and/or a location at which the housing was contacted, an
operation to preview can be selected (524). For example, the mobile
computing device 400 can identify an operation to preview based on
a next photo operation (e.g., caused by swiping across the display
403) that was previously performed. In another example, the mobile
computing device 400 can identify an operation to preview based on
a location on the back portion 412 of the housing 402 that was
contacted by the user's finger 414, such as a next page or previous
page operation.
[0063] A preview of the selected operation can be performed (526).
For example, the mobile computing device 400 can perform a preview
of a transition to a next image by animating the corner 420 of the
image 404 beginning to turn/fold over at the third time (419) and
then falling back down so that the device 400 returns to its
previous state at the fourth time (423).
[0064] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a system that may be used
to implement the systems and methods described in this document.
Mobile computing device 610 can wirelessly communicate with base
station 640, which can provide the mobile computing device wireless
access to numerous services 660 through a network 650.
[0065] In this illustration, the mobile computing device 610 is
depicted as a handheld mobile telephone (e.g., a smartphone or an
application telephone) that includes a touchscreen display device
612 for presenting content to a user of the mobile computing device
610. The mobile computing device 610 includes various input devices
(e.g., keyboard 614 and touchscreen display device 612) for
receiving user-input that influences the operation of the mobile
computing device 610. In further implementations, the mobile
computing device 610 may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a
personal digital assistant, an embedded system (e.g., a car
navigation system), a desktop computer, or a computerized
workstation.
[0066] The mobile computing device 610 may include various visual,
auditory, and tactile user-output mechanisms. An example visual
output mechanism is display device 612, which can visually display
video, graphics, images, and text that combine to provide a visible
user interface. For example, the display device 612 may be a 3.7
inch AMOLED screen. Other visual output mechanisms may include LED
status lights (e.g., a light that blinks when a voicemail has been
received).
[0067] An example tactile output mechanism is a small electric
motor that is connected to an unbalanced weight to provide a
vibrating alert (e.g., to vibrate in order to alert a user of an
incoming telephone call or confirm user contact with the
touchscreen 612). Further, the mobile computing device 610 may
include one or more speakers 620 that convert an electrical signal
into sound, for example, music, an audible alert, or voice of an
individual in a telephone call.
[0068] An example mechanism for receiving user-input includes
keyboard 614, which may be a full qwerty keyboard or a traditional
keypad that includes keys for the digits `0-9`, `*`, and `#.` The
keyboard 614 receives input when a user physically contacts or
depresses a keyboard key. User manipulation of a trackball 616 or
interaction with a trackpad enables the user to supply directional
and rate of rotation information to the mobile computing device 610
(e.g., to manipulate a position of a cursor on the display device
612).
[0069] The mobile computing device 610 may be able to determine a
position of physical contact with the touchscreen display device
612 (e.g., a position of contact by a finger or a stylus). Using
the touchscreen 612, various "virtual" input mechanisms may be
produced, where a user interacts with a graphical user interface
element depicted on the touchscreen 612 by contacting the graphical
user interface element. An example of a "virtual" input mechanism
is a "software keyboard," where a keyboard is displayed on the
touchscreen and a user selects keys by pressing a region of the
touchscreen 612 that corresponds to each key.
[0070] The mobile computing device 610 may include mechanical or
touch sensitive buttons 618a-d. Additionally, the mobile computing
device may include buttons for adjusting volume output by the one
or more speakers 620, and a button for turning the mobile computing
device on or off. A microphone 622 allows the mobile computing
device 610 to convert audible sounds into an electrical signal that
may be digitally encoded and stored in computer-readable memory, or
transmitted to another computing device. The mobile computing
device 610 may also include a digital compass, an accelerometer,
proximity sensors, and ambient light sensors.
[0071] An operating system may provide an interface between the
mobile computing device's hardware (e.g., the input/output
mechanisms and a processor executing instructions retrieved from
computer-readable medium) and software. Example operating systems
include the ANDROID mobile device platform; APPLE's iOS operating
systems; MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7/WINDOWS MOBILE operating systems;
SYMBIAN operating system; RIM BLACKBERRY operating system; PALM WEB
operating system; a variety of UNIX-flavored operating systems; or
a proprietary operating system for computerized devices. The
operating system may provide a platform for the execution of
application programs that facilitate interaction between the
computing device and a user.
[0072] The mobile computing device 610 may present a graphical user
interface with the touchscreen 612. A graphical user interface is a
collection of one or more graphical interface elements and may be
static (e.g., the display appears to remain the same over a period
of time), or may be dynamic (e.g., the graphical user interface
includes graphical interface elements that animate without user
input).
[0073] A graphical interface element may be text, lines, shapes,
images, or combinations thereof. For example, a graphical interface
element may be an icon that is displayed on the desktop and the
icon's associated text. In some examples, a graphical interface
element is selectable with user-input. For example, a user may
select a graphical interface element by pressing a region of the
touchscreen that corresponds to a display of the graphical
interface element. In some examples, the user may manipulate a
trackball to highlight a single graphical interface element as
having focus. User-selection of a graphical interface element may
invoke a pre-defined action by the mobile computing device. In some
examples, selectable graphical interface elements further or
alternatively correspond to a button on the keyboard 604.
User-selection of the button may invoke the pre-defined action.
[0074] In some examples, the operating system provides a "desktop"
user interface that is displayed upon turning on the mobile
computing device 610, activating the mobile computing device 610
from a sleep state, upon "unlocking" the mobile computing device
610, or upon receiving user-selection of the "home" button 618c.
The desktop graphical interface may display several icons that,
when selected with user-input, invoke corresponding application
programs. An invoked application program may present a graphical
interface that replaces the desktop graphical interface until the
application program terminates or is hidden from view.
[0075] User-input may manipulate a sequence of mobile computing
device 610 operations. For example, a single-action user input
(e.g., a single tap of the touchscreen, swipe across the
touchscreen, contact with a button, or combination of these at a
same time) may invoke an operation that changes a display of the
user interface. Without the user-input, the user interface may not
have changed at a particular time. For example, a multi-touch user
input with the touchscreen 612 may invoke a mapping application to
"zoom-in" on a location, even though the mapping application may
have by default zoomed-in after several seconds.
[0076] The desktop graphical interface can also display "widgets."
A widget is one or more graphical interface elements that are
associated with an application program that has been executed, and
that display on the desktop content controlled by the executing
application program. Unlike an application program, which may not
be invoked until a user selects a corresponding icon, a widget's
application program may start with the mobile telephone. Further, a
widget may not take focus of the full display. Instead, a widget
may only "own" a small portion of the desktop, displaying content
and receiving touchscreen user-input within the portion of the
desktop.
[0077] The mobile computing device 610 may include one or more
location-identification mechanisms. A location-identification
mechanism may include a collection of hardware and software that
provides the operating system and application programs an estimate
of the mobile telephone's geographical position. A
location-identification mechanism may employ satellite-based
positioning techniques, base station transmitting antenna
identification, multiple base station triangulation, internet
access point IP location determinations, inferential identification
of a user's position based on search engine queries, and
user-supplied identification of location (e.g., by "checking in" to
a location).
[0078] The mobile computing device 610 may include other
application modules and hardware. A call handling unit may receive
an indication of an incoming telephone call and provide a user
capabilities to answer the incoming telephone call. A media player
may allow a user to listen to music or play movies that are stored
in local memory of the mobile computing device 610. The mobile
telephone 610 may include a digital camera sensor, and
corresponding image and video capture and editing software. An
internet browser may enable the user to view content from a web
page by typing in an addresses corresponding to the web page or
selecting a link to the web page.
[0079] The mobile computing device 610 may include an antenna to
wirelessly communicate information with the base station 640. The
base station 640 may be one of many base stations in a collection
of base stations (e.g., a mobile telephone cellular network) that
enables the mobile computing device 610 to maintain communication
with a network 650 as the mobile computing device is geographically
moved. The computing device 610 may alternatively or additionally
communicate with the network 650 through a Wi-Fi router or a wired
connection (e.g., Ethernet, USB, or FIREWIRE). The computing device
610 may also wirelessly communicate with other computing devices
using BLUETOOTH protocols, or may employ an ad-hoc wireless
network.
[0080] A service provider that operates the network of base
stations may connect the mobile computing device 610 to the network
650 to enable communication between the mobile computing device 610
and other computerized devices that provide services 660. Although
the services 660 may be provided over different networks (e.g., the
service provider's internal network, the Public Switched Telephone
Network, and the Internet), network 650 is illustrated as a single
network. The service provider may operate a server system 652 that
routes information packets and voice data between the mobile
computing device 610 and computing devices associated with the
services 660.
[0081] The network 650 may connect the mobile computing device 610
to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 662 in order to
establish voice or fax communication between the mobile computing
device 610 and another computing device. For example, the service
provider server system 652 may receive an indication from the PSTN
662 of an incoming call for the mobile computing device 610.
Conversely, the mobile computing device 610 may send a
communication to the service provider server system 652 initiating
a telephone call with a telephone number that is associated with a
device accessible through the PSTN 662.
[0082] The network 650 may connect the mobile computing device 610
with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service 664 that routes
voice communications over an IP network, as opposed to the PSTN.
For example, a user of the mobile computing device 610 may invoke a
VoIP application and initiate a call using the program. The service
provider server system 652 may forward voice data from the call to
a VoIP service, which may route the call over the internet to a
corresponding computing device, potentially using the PSTN for a
final leg of the connection.
[0083] An application store 666 may provide a user of the mobile
computing device 610 the ability to browse a list of remotely
stored application programs that the user may download over the
network 650 and install on the mobile computing device 610. The
application store 666 may serve as a repository of applications
developed by third-party application developers. An application
program that is installed on the mobile computing device 610 may be
able to communicate over the network 650 with server systems that
are designated for the application program. For example, a VoIP
application program may be downloaded from the Application Store
666, enabling the user to communicate with the VoIP service
664.
[0084] The mobile computing device 610 may access content on the
internet 668 through network 650. For example, a user of the mobile
computing device 610 may invoke a web browser application that
requests data from remote computing devices that are accessible at
designated universal resource locations. In various examples, some
of the services 660 are accessible over the internet.
[0085] The mobile computing device may communicate with a personal
computer 670. For example, the personal computer 670 may be the
home computer for a user of the mobile computing device 610. Thus,
the user may be able to stream media from his personal computer
670. The user may also view the file structure of his personal
computer 670, and transmit selected documents between the
computerized devices.
[0086] A voice recognition service 672 may receive voice
communication data recorded with the mobile computing device's
microphone 622, and translate the voice communication into
corresponding textual data. In some examples, the translated text
is provided to a search engine as a web query, and responsive
search engine search results are transmitted to the mobile
computing device 610.
[0087] The mobile computing device 610 may communicate with a
social network 674. The social network may include numerous
members, some of which have agreed to be related as acquaintances.
Application programs on the mobile computing device 610 may access
the social network 674 to retrieve information based on the
acquaintances of the user of the mobile computing device. For
example, an "address book" application program may retrieve
telephone numbers for the user's acquaintances. In various
examples, content may be delivered to the mobile computing device
610 based on social network distances from the user to other
members. For example, advertisement and news article content may be
selected for the user based on a level of interaction with such
content by members that are "close" to the user (e.g., members that
are "friends" or "friends of friends").
[0088] The mobile computing device 610 may access a personal set of
contacts 676 through network 650. Each contact may identify an
individual and include information about that individual (e.g., a
phone number, an email address, and a birthday). Because the set of
contacts is hosted remotely to the mobile computing device 610, the
user may access and maintain the contacts 676 across several
devices as a common set of contacts.
[0089] The mobile computing device 610 may access cloud-based
application programs 678. Cloud-computing provides application
programs (e.g., a word processor or an email program) that are
hosted remotely from the mobile computing device 610, and may be
accessed by the device 610 using a web browser or a dedicated
program. Example cloud-based application programs include GOOGLE
DOCS word processor and spreadsheet service, GOOGLE GMAIL webmail
service, and PICASA picture manager.
[0090] Mapping service 680 can provide the mobile computing device
610 with street maps, route planning information, and satellite
images. The mapping service 680 may also receive queries and return
location-specific results. For example, the mobile computing device
610 may send an estimated location of the mobile computing device
and a user-entered query for "pizza places" to the mapping service
680. The mapping service 680 may return a street map with "markers"
superimposed on the map that identify geographical locations of
nearby "pizza places."
[0091] Turn-by-turn service 682 may provide the mobile computing
device 610 with turn-by-turn directions to a user-supplied
destination. For example, the turn-by-turn service 682 may stream
to device 610 a street-level view of an estimated location of the
device, along with data for providing audio commands and
superimposing arrows that direct a user of the device 610 to the
destination.
[0092] Various forms of streaming media 684 may be requested by the
mobile computing device 610. For example, computing device 610 may
request a stream for a pre-recorded video file, a live television
program, or a live radio program. Example services that provide
streaming media include YOUTUBE and PANDORA.
[0093] A micro-blogging service 686 may receive from the mobile
computing device 610 a user-input post that does not identify
recipients of the post. The micro-blogging service 686 may
disseminate the post to other members of the micro-blogging service
686 that agreed to subscribe to the user.
[0094] A search engine 688 may receive user-entered textual or
verbal queries from the mobile computing device 610, determine a
set of internet-accessible documents that are responsive to the
query, and provide to the device 610 information to display a list
of search results for the responsive documents. In examples where a
verbal query is received, the voice recognition service 672 may
translate the received audio into a textual query that is sent to
the search engine.
[0095] These and other services may be implemented in a server
system 690. A server system may be a combination of hardware and
software that provides a service or a set of services. For example,
a set of physically separate and networked computerized devices may
operate together as a logical server system unit to handle the
operations necessary to offer a service to hundreds of individual
computing devices.
[0096] In various implementations, operations that are performed
"in response" to another operation (e.g., a determination or an
identification) are not performed if the prior operation is
unsuccessful (e.g., if the determination was not performed).
Features in this document that are described with conditional
language may describe implementations that are optional. In some
examples, "transmitting" from a first device to a second device
includes the first device placing data into a network, but may not
include the second device receiving the data. Conversely,
"receiving" from a first device may include receiving the data from
a network, but may not include the first device transmitting the
data.
[0097] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of computing devices 700, 750 that
may be used to implement the systems and methods described in this
document, as either a client or as a server or plurality of
servers. Computing device 700 is intended to represent various
forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops,
workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers,
mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computing device 750
is intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as
personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, smartphones, and
other similar computing devices. Additionally computing device 700
or 750 can include Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives. The USB
flash drives may store operating systems and other applications.
The USB flash drives can include input/output components, such as a
wireless transmitter or USB connector that may be inserted into a
USB port of another computing device. The components shown here,
their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant
to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations
described and/or claimed in this document.
[0098] Computing device 700 includes a processor 702, memory 704, a
storage device 706, a high-speed interface 708 connecting to memory
704 and high-speed expansion ports 710, and a low speed interface
712 connecting to low speed bus 714 and storage device 706. Each of
the components 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712, are interconnected
using various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or
in other manners as appropriate. The processor 702 can process
instructions for execution within the computing device 700,
including instructions stored in the memory 704 or on the storage
device 706 to display graphical information for a GUI on an
external input/output device, such as display 716 coupled to high
speed interface 708. In other implementations, multiple processors
and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with
multiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing
devices 700 may be connected, with each device providing portions
of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of
blade servers, or a multi-processor system).
[0099] The memory 704 stores information within the computing
device 700. In one implementation, the memory 704 is a volatile
memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 704 is
a non-volatile memory unit or units. The memory 704 may also be
another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic or
optical disk.
[0100] The storage device 706 is capable of providing mass storage
for the computing device 700. In one implementation, the storage
device 706 may be or contain a computer-readable medium, such as a
floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or
a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory
device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area
network or other configurations. A computer program product can be
tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program
product may also contain instructions that, when executed, perform
one or more methods, such as those described above. The information
carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the
memory 704, the storage device 706, or memory on processor 702.
[0101] The high-speed controller 708 manages bandwidth-intensive
operations for the computing device 700, while the low speed
controller 712 manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such
allocation of functions is exemplary only. In one implementation,
the high-speed controller 708 is coupled to memory 704, display 716
(e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to
high-speed expansion ports 710, which may accept various expansion
cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speed controller 712
is coupled to storage device 706 and low-speed expansion port 714.
The low-speed expansion port, which may include various
communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless
Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such
as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device
such as a switch or router, e.g., through a network adapter.
[0102] The computing device 700 may be implemented in a number of
different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be
implemented as a standard server 720, or multiple times in a group
of such servers. It may also be implemented as part of a rack
server system 724. In addition, it may be implemented in a personal
computer such as a laptop computer 722. Alternatively, components
from computing device 700 may be combined with other components in
a mobile device (not shown), such as device 750. Each of such
devices may contain one or more of computing device 700, 750, and
an entire system may be made up of multiple computing devices 700,
750 communicating with each other.
[0103] Computing device 750 includes a processor 752, memory 764,
an input/output device such as a display 754, a communication
interface 766, and a transceiver 768, among other components. The
device 750 may also be provided with a storage device, such as a
microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of
the components 750, 752, 764, 754, 766, and 768, are interconnected
using various buses, and several of the components may be mounted
on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate.
[0104] The processor 752 can execute instructions within the
computing device 750, including instructions stored in the memory
764. The processor may be implemented as a chipset of chips that
include separate and multiple analog and digital processors.
Additionally, the processor may be implemented using any of a
number of architectures. For example, the processor 752 may be a
CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computers) processor, a RISC (Reduced
Instruction Set Computer) processor, or a MISC (Minimal Instruction
Set Computer) processor. The processor may provide, for example,
for coordination of the other components of the device 750, such as
control of user interfaces, applications run by device 750, and
wireless communication by device 750.
[0105] Processor 752 may communicate with a user through control
interface 758 and display interface 756 coupled to a display 754.
The display 754 may be, for example, a TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor
Liquid Crystal Display) display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting
Diode) display, or other appropriate display technology. The
display interface 756 may include appropriate circuitry for driving
the display 754 to present graphical and other information to a
user. The control interface 758 may receive commands from a user
and convert them for submission to the processor 752. In addition,
an external interface 762 may be provided in communication with
processor 752, so as to enable near area communication of device
750 with other devices. External interface 762 may provide, for
example, for wired communication in some implementations, or for
wireless communication in other implementations, and multiple
interfaces may also be used.
[0106] The memory 764 stores information within the computing
device 750. The memory 764 can be implemented as one or more of a
computer-readable medium or media, a volatile memory unit or units,
or a non-volatile memory unit or units. Expansion memory 774 may
also be provided and connected to device 750 through expansion
interface 772, which may include, for example, a SIMM (Single In
Line Memory Module) card interface. Such expansion memory 774 may
provide extra storage space for device 750, or may also store
applications or other information for device 750. Specifically,
expansion memory 774 may include instructions to carry out or
supplement the processes described above, and may include secure
information also. Thus, for example, expansion memory 774 may be
provide as a security module for device 750, and may be programmed
with instructions that permit secure use of device 750. In
addition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMM cards,
along with additional information, such as placing identifying
information on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.
[0107] The memory may include, for example, flash memory and/or
NVRAM memory, as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer
program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The
computer program product contains instructions that, when executed,
perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The
information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such
as the memory 764, expansion memory 774, or memory on processor 752
that may be received, for example, over transceiver 768 or external
interface 762.
[0108] Device 750 may communicate wirelessly through communication
interface 766, which may include digital signal processing
circuitry where necessary. Communication interface 766 may provide
for communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM
voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA,
CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for
example, through radio-frequency transceiver 768. In addition,
short-range communication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth,
WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, GPS
(Global Positioning System) receiver module 770 may provide
additional navigation- and location-related wireless data to device
750, which may be used as appropriate by applications running on
device 750.
[0109] Device 750 may also communicate audibly using audio codec
760, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert
it to usable digital information. Audio codec 760 may likewise
generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g.,
in a handset of device 750. Such sound may include sound from voice
telephone calls, may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages,
music files, etc.) and may also include sound generated by
applications operating on device 750.
[0110] The computing device 750 may be implemented in a number of
different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be
implemented as a cellular telephone 780. It may also be implemented
as part of a smartphone 782, personal digital assistant, or other
similar mobile device.
[0111] Various implementations of the systems and techniques
described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry,
integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application
specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware,
software, and/or combinations thereof. These various
implementations can include implementation in one or more computer
programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable
system including at least one programmable processor, which may be
special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and
instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a
storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output
device.
[0112] These computer programs (also known as programs, software,
software applications or code) include machine instructions for a
programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level
procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in
assembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms
"machine-readable medium" "computer-readable medium" refers to any
computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic
discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs))
used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable
processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives
machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term
"machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide
machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.
[0113] To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and
techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a
display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid
crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user
and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball)
by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of
devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well;
for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of
sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or
tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any
form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
[0114] The systems and techniques described here can be implemented
in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as
a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an
application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g.,
a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web
browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of
the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of
such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components
of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of
digital data communication (e.g., a communication network).
Examples of communication networks include a local area network
("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), peer-to-peer networks (having
ad-hoc or static members), grid computing infrastructures, and the
Internet.
[0115] The computing system can include clients and servers. A
client and server are generally remote from each other and
typically interact through a communication network. The
relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer
programs running on the respective computers and having a
client-server relationship to each other.
[0116] Although a few implementations have been described in detail
above, other modifications are possible. Moreover, other mechanisms
for selecting operations to perform in response to non-touchscreen
housing contact may be used. In addition, the logic flows depicted
in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or
sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be
provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and
other components may be added to, or removed from, the described
systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of
the following claims.
* * * * *