Physically Navigating a Digital Space Using a Portable Electronic Device
OwnerAdrian Westaway, Clara Gaggeroinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Software which allows users of a portable electronic device 201 to intuitively switch between programs by moving the device from one location 103 to another 101,102. The motion is sensed by the device and used to determine how and when to change the program visible on the display of the device. A plurality of programs can effectively be anchored virtually to a physical space, allowing the user to move the device to that physical space, which will update the program visible on the display. The user can choose to digitally move content from one program to another in a natural way.
Claims23
A method of enabling control of a portable electronic device using the position of the portable electronic device in physical space, which device comprises a display, a memory, a processing unit adapted to process application code from one or more applications and to display one or more application windows on the display, the method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a first position of the portable electronic device in physical space and defining said first position as a first application window position for displaying a first application window on the display of the portable electronic device, and
- establishing a second position of the portable electronic device in physical space and defining said second position as a second application window position for displaying a second application window on the display of the portable electronic device,
- whereby subsequent movement of the portable electronic device between the first and second positions is adapted to change an application window displayed on the display between the first application window and the second application window.
A method of providing a user interface for a portable electronic device, which device comprises a display, a memory, a processing unit adapted to process application code from one or more applications and to display one or more application windows on the display, the method comprising the steps of:
- recovering from the memory a first application window position defined for a first application window by a first position of the portable electronic device in physical space, and
- moving the portable electronic device to the first application window position, whereupon the portable electronic device displays the first application window.
(canceled)
-19. (canceled)
A portable electronic device comprising a display, a memory, means for detecting a position of the portable electronic device in physical space, and a processing unit adapted to process application code from one or more applications and to display one or more application windows on the display, wherein the processing unit is programmed to perform a method of enabling control of a portable electronic device using the position of the portable electronic device in physical space, which device comprises a display, a memory, a processing unit adapted to process application code from one or more applications and to display one or more application windows on the display, the method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a first position of the portable electronic device in physical space and defining said first position as a first application window position for displaying a first application window on the display of the portable electronic device, and
- establishing a second position of the portable electronic device in physical space and defining said second position as a second application window position for displaying a second application window on the display of the portable electronic device,
- whereby subsequent movement of the portable electronic device between the first and second positions is adapted to change an application window displayed on the display between the first application window and the second application window.
-24. (canceled)
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.