Configuring the functionality of control elements of a control device based on orientation.

(54) Title: CONFIGURATION OF FUNCTIONALITY OF CONTROL ELEMENTS OF A CONTROL DEVICE BASED ON ORIENTATION.

(54) Title: CONFIGURING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF CONTROL ELEMENTS OF A CONTROL DEVICE BASED ON ORIENTATION.

(57) Summary

A control device controls the functionality of two or more sets of control elements. A processing unit of the control device determines that it is oriented in a first zone or in a second zone based on the input received from a magnetometer. The first and second zones are defined with respect to a magnetic reference point and are oriented with respect to a controlled device or an electronic device. If the processing unit determines that the control device is oriented in the first zone, the processing unit will configure a first functionality for the first set of control elements. If the orientation of the control device changes from oriented in the first zone to oriented in the second zone, the processing unit will configure the first set of control elements with a second functionality.

(57) Abstract

A control device Controls the functionality of two or more sets of control elements. A Processing unit of the control device determines that it is oriented in a first zone or in a second zone based on input received from a magnetometer. The first and second zones are defined with respect to a magnetic reference point and are oriented relative to a controlled device or an electronic device. If the Processing unit determines that the control device is oriented in the first zone, the Processing unit configures a first functionality for the first set of control elements. If the control device's orientation changes from being oriented in the first zone to being oriented in the second zone, the Processing unit configures the first set of control elements with a second functionality.

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PATENT TITLE NO. 336718 _SE_ tiesoMi ».

Headlines):

Home:

Denomination:

Classification:

Inventor (s):

Institute

Mexican Property

Industrial

ECHOSTAR TECHNOLOGIES LLC

100 Inverness Terrace East, Englewood, Colorado, 80112, USA

CONFIGURATION OF FUNCTIONALITY OF CONTROL ELEMENTS OF A CONTROL DEVICE BASED ON ORIENTATION lnt.CI.8: G06F3 / 02; H04Q9 / 00

WILLIAM R. REAMS

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ia: Twenty years has to expire, the reference entity is in conformity with article 23 of day 1 and from the date of the presen

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hey from 05/1999, action V jstríal.

igables, I saw the following: ulo ha * with fundamei fi cial of the I Federation (□. '/ 2006, 0 € H) 5 / 2009,06 / 01/2010, 1 I and III d &lt;Regulations of the Institute 72004 and 7 '9/2007); articles 1 ', 3', 4 ', 5' fi piedad l || iaÍÚWUibb

7 «bis 2 of 12/26/1997, 1 articles 1 °, 3 ° (DOF 14/12/1999, I laughed Triado el and II I and 30 of the Organic Statute 3 ° __. __ΙΜβϋβΒΜΟΜΤ): 1 and 5 subsection a ) of the Agreement that delegates powers to the Deputy Directors General, Coordinator, Divisional Directors, Head of the Regional Offices, Divisional Deputy Directors, Departmental Coordinators and other subordinates of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. (DOF 12/15/1999, amended on 02/04/2000, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007).

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Issue Date: January 28, 2016

THE DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF PATENTS

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NAHANNY CANAL REYES

Sand! No. 550, Floor 1,

Co!. Pueblo Santa María Tepepan Xochimilco Delegation,

CP 16020, Mexico City

Tel. (55) 53 34 07 00 www.impigob.inx

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MX / 2016/9409 i

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FUNCTIONALITY CONFIGURATION OF ELEMENTASUE LUNTROL DD TO

GUIDANCE BASED CONTROL DEVICE

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This description generally refers to 5 controls for electronic devices, and more specifically to configuring the functionality of control elements of an orientation based control device.

The present disclosure describes computer program systems, methods, and products for configuring the functionality of control elements of an orientation-based control device relative to a controlled device. A control device, either alone or in combination with an associated electronic device, can control the functionality of two or more sets of control elements of the control device. A control device processing unit may determine that the control device is oriented in a first zone or in a second zone based on the input received from at least one magnetometer, and possibly in conjunction with other sensors such as accelerometers. The first and second zones can be defined with respect to a magnetic reference point and can be oriented with respect to an electronic device controlled by the control device. If the processing unit determines that the control device is oriented in the first zone, the de unit

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INDUSTRY!,

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Processing can configure a first functionality for the first set of control elements. If the orientation of the control device then changes from oriented in the first zone to oriented in the second zone, the processing unit can configure the first set of control elements with second functionality.

The control device can configure a first functionality for the second set of control elements. In some cases, the control device can also configure a second functionality for the second set of control elements. The first and second functionalities can be configured based on whether the control device is oriented in the first or second zone.

The above general description and the following detailed description are. for purposes of example and explanation and not necessarily limiting the present description. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the subject matter of the description. Together, the descriptions and drawings serve to explain the principles of the description.

SHORT DESCRIPTION DB THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for configuring the functionality of elements of

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<img file="MX336718B_D0011.tif" />

control of an orientation based control device.

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for configuring the functionality of orientation-based control device control elements. This method can be performed by the system of Figure 1.

Figures 3A and 3B are top plan and bottom plan views, respectively, of a

<td>control system</td><td>. The control device can from Figure 1.</td><td>be part of</td><td>the</td>

<td></td><td>Figures 4A to 4F are diagrams</td><td>which illustrate</td><td>a</td>

<td>user</td><td>using a system to</td><td>set up</td><td>the</td>

<td colspan="2">functionality of control elements</td><td>a device</td><td>of</td>

<td>control system</td><td colspan="2">based on orientation. The system can be from Figure 1.</td><td>the</td>

The following description includes exemplary computer program systems, methods, and products representing various elements of the present description. The narrative description, however, can be practiced in a variety of ways in addition to those described herein.

Electronic devices (such as set-top box, television receivers, desktop computers, laptop computers, televisions, computer monitors, kitchen electronics, stereo equipment, system components

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entertainment, digital VCRs, digital video disc player, etc.) perform a variety of different functions. Users of such electronic devices can use remote control devices to control the functions performed by electronic devices remotely compared to having to directly manipulate the selection or control elements (such as buttons, touch screens, etc.) incorporated directly into the electronics devices. In fact, some control devices may even include selection or control elements to control functions of electronic devices for which the electronic device does not have direct, physical selection or control elements, in fact they rely on a remote control device to provide an interconnection to such functionality (for example, a television may not have a physical keyboard or touch screen physically associated with it, but the television remote control device may include a physical or touch screen keyboard).

Some control devices may include one or more sets of control elements, such as a numeric keypad, a QWERTY keyboard, one or more navigation devices, volume and channel controls, as well as various other dedicated or multifunctional buttons or control elements.

IMPI 'MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

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selection and control. For control devices with two or more sets of control elements, the multiple sets of control elements may have different orientations. For example, a remote control device with a long axis and a short axis may have a QWERTY keyboard oriented along the long axis of the device, and a numeric keypad oriented along the short axis of the device. Furthermore, some sets of control elements (such as a navigation device) may only have an orientation with respect to a certain reference point.

Some control devices may have one or more sets of control elements on one side (eg, the top) of the control device, and one or more sets of control elements on a second face (eg, the bottom) ) of the control device. For example, a remote control device may have a QWERTY keyboard at the bottom, a numeric keypad at the top, and a navigation device at the bottom, at the top, or both at the top and bottom. As another example, a control device may have a touchscreen at the bottom, and a numeric keypad with other dedicated keys at the top. Many other provisions are possible. Some sets of control elements can be designed to

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be used in a certain orientation. For example, a QWERTY keyboard can be designed so that a user types with the keys oriented similarly to a keyboard for a laptop or laptop computer with the upper parts of the letters on the keyboards facing a display device, such as a television. . By way of another example, other sets of control elements, such as navigation devices, may not have an intuitive orientation unless associated with a certain reference point. If the orientation of the control device is determined, the orientation information may facilitate the correct operation of the control element assemblies, as intended by the user.

For control devices with multiple sets of control elements, the functionality of certain sets of control elements can be altered depending on the orientation of the control device. For example, if the control device has a QWERTY keyboard at the bottom and a numeric keypad at the top, the numeric keypad may be disabled when the control device is oriented so that the user uses the QWERTY keyboard. As another example, if the control device has a navigation device such as a touch pad, trackball, optical pointing navigation device (OFN), or

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Similarly, the XY coordinate plane of the navigation device may change (for example, by rotating 90 degrees, etc.) when the orientation of the control device changes. Specifically, if the long axis of the remote control is generally perpendicular to an electronic device, such as a television, then the Y component of the XY coordinate plane of the navigation device may be parallel to the long axis of the remote control, although if the short axis of the remote control is generally perpendicular to the electronic device, then the Y component of the XY coordinate plane of the navigation device can be perpendicular to the long axis of the remote control.

In the present description, a control device, either alone or in combination with an associated electronic device, can control the functionality of control elements of the control device. The device may determine that the control device is oriented in a first zone, or in a second zone based on the input received from a magnetometer. The first and second zones can be defined with respect to the magnetic reference point (such as magnetic north) and can be oriented with respect to an electronic device. If the processing unit determines that the control device is oriented in the first zone based on the data received from the magnetometer, the

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Processing can configure the first set of control elements with first functionality. If the orientation of the control device then changes from oriented in the first zone to oriented in the second zone, the processing unit can configure the first set of control elements with second functionality.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for configuring the functionality of control elements 122, 124 of a control device 110. The system may include an electronic device 150, one or more display devices 160, and a control device 110. The system may also include one or more additional electronic devices 170. The electronic device may be any type of electronic device such as a set top box, a television receiver, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a television, a computer monitor, a kitchen electronic appliance, a component Stereo, an entertainment system component, a digital VCR, a digital video disc player, an AV amplifier, a video game system, etc. The electronic device can be controlled by the control device. The display device can be any type of display device such as

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a television, a computer monitor, a cathode ray tube screen, a liquid crystal display, etc. The control device can be any type of device that can be configured to control the electronic device such as a remote control, a mobile computer (such as a Tablet computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, etc.) including software to implement the functionality of the remote control, etc. The additional electronic devices 10 can be any of the things listed above as possible electronic devices.

Electronic device 150 may include one or more processing units 132, one or more non-transient storage means 134 (which may take the form of, but are not limited to, magnetic storage medium; optical storage medium; medium magneto-optical storage; read-only memory; random access memory; erasable and programmable memory; flash memory; etc.), and one or more communication components 136. The processing unit can execute instructions stored on the non-transient storage medium, and can also execute commands received from at least the control device 110 through the communication component 136.

The control device 110, which can be be

IMPI

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a remote control device may include one or more more processing units 112, one or more non-transient storage means 114, one or more communication components 116 (such as infrared, radio frequency, wireless Ethernet that includes any of the IEEE standards 802.11 a / b / g / n, or any other communication protocol), magnetometer 118, a first set of control elements 122, and a second set of control elements 124. In some embodiments, the control device may include one or more additional measurement devices 120 (such as an accelerometer or gyroscope) 120. The control device's processing unit may execute instructions stored on the device's non-transient storage medium Control to configure the functionality of control elements of a control device. Specifically, the processing unit can determine that the control device is oriented in a first zone or in a second zone based on the input received from a magnetometer 118. The first and second zones can be defined with respect to a magnetic reference point (such as magnetic north, or some displacement thereof) and can be oriented with respect to an electronic device, such as the electronic device, associated with the control device . If the processing unit determines that the

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control is oriented in the first zone based on the data received from the magnetometer, the processing unit can configure the first set of control elements 122 with a first functionality. However, if the processing unit determines that the control device is oriented in the second zone based on the data received from the magnetometer, or if the orientation of the control device changes from oriented in the first zone to oriented in the second zone , the processing unit can configure the first set of control elements with a second functionality. The processing unit may continue to monitor the orientation of the device based on the input of the magnetometer, and continue to change the functionality of the first set of control elements based on the determined orientation of the control device.

FIG. 1 also shows an additional measurement device 120, such as an accelerometer or gyroscope, which can provide additional guidance information to the processing unit 112 of the control device 110 to further define functionality for the configuration of the first set. of control elements 122. Figure 1 also shows a second set of control elements 124 of the control device. Similar to defining the functionality of the first set of elements

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of control, the processing unit can determine the orientation of the control device and define a first or second functionality for the configuration of the second set of control elements depending on whether the control device is oriented in the first or second zone.

The processing unit 112 of the control device 110 and / or the processing unit 132 of the electronic device 150 in the system 100 can carry out an initial configuration process to define the first and second zones, and the limit between them. This configuration process may involve a user orienting the control device in certain positions with respect to the electronic device so that the processor or processors learn the placement of the electronic device and the locations where the control device is likely to be used. Alternatively, or in addition to the initial setup process, the processing unit (s) can learn the placement of the electronic device and the locations where the control device is used by monitoring the orientation of the control device as it is used. This continuous learning process can help system 100 define the boundary or boundaries between the first and second zones for increased precision in unique circumstances of a user.

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Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 for configuring the control element functionality of a control device based on orientation. Method 200 can be performed by the control device 110 of Figure 1, either alone or in combination with the electronic device 150 of Figure 1. Flow begins at block 202 and proceeds to block 204 where the control device operates . The flow then proceeds to block 206 where the control device processing unit 112 (alone or together with the electronic device processing unit 132) determines whether or not a configuration is required. If so, the flow proceeds to block 208, and then to block 210. Otherwise, the flow proceeds to block 210.

Generally, the control device may need configuration to define the first and second zones (and / or to define a boundary or limits between the first and second zones) with respect to a magnetic reference point (such as magnetic north or certain displacement thereof) and with respect to the electronic device and / or the display device. The configuration process may involve the electronic device or control device directing a user to orient the control device in certain ways with respect to the electronic device and / or with respect to the display device, and take action by

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Measurement on one or more than the device to determine the direction of the magnetometer or other orientation device. This may allow control or the approximate electronic device of the electronic device or display device with respect to a magnetic reference point.

At block 210, the orientation of the control device is determined and the flow proceeds to block 212. Determining the orientation of the control device may involve determining whether the control device is oriented in the first or second zone. At block 212, processing unit 112 (alone or in combination with electronic device processing unit 132) determines whether the functionality of control elements needs to be altered based on the current orientation of the control device. If so, the flow proceeds to block 214, where the control elements are configured with the first or second functionality, depending on whether the control device is oriented in the first or second zone, respectively. If the functionality of control elements does not need to be altered, or after the functionality is altered in block 214, the flow proceeds to block 216.

In some embodiments, during configuration of the control elements at block 214, the unit 112

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INDUSTRIAL processing can use the orientation determined in 210 to define the input of the first and second sets of control elements 122 and 124 in different ways before sending the commands to the electronic device 150. For example, data from a navigation device (eg OFN, trackball, etc.) may be sent in a coordinate system while the bearing is in the first zone, but the processing unit may rotate and / or translate the navigation data coordinate system when the orientation is changed to the second zone before sending the information to the electronic device 150.

At block 216, control device 110 can receive input from a user; if so, the flow proceeds to block 218, otherwise the flow returns to block 204 where the control device operates. If an input is received, the processing unit 112 (alone or together with the electronic device processing unit 132) determines whether the input that was received was expected based on the orientation of the device. For example, the input may be unexpected if the control device has a QWERTY keyboard, the QWERTY keyboard is disabled based on the control device that is oriented in a certain area, and the input received on one or more keystrokes pressed in the QWERTY keyboard. If the input is

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As expected, the flow proceeds to block 224, where the received input is transmitted to the electronic device 150, and the flow then returns to block 204 where the control device operates.

If the entry was not expected, the flow can proceed to block 226, where a count of the number of unexpected entries received can be updated. After the update, the flow can continue to block 228, where it is determined whether a threshold number of unexpected entries has been received. A threshold number for unexpected entries, for example, can be three. If the threshold is set to three, and three unexpected inputs have actually been received, the flow continues from block 228 to block 230, where adjustments are avoided with respect to the boundary or boundaries between the first and second zones. After the settings in block 230 are avoided, the flow can then proceed to block 224 where the unexpected input is transmitted to the electronic device. Note that the unexpected input can be transmitted without necessarily altering the functionality of control elements because the input, by nature of being unexpected, was not expected under the functionality from the time the input was received by the control device. In other modes, however, the functionality of control elements may be altered before transmitting input

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unexpected.

Returning to block 228, if the threshold number of unexpected inputs has not been reached, the flow can proceed to block 232, where it is determined (based on a user's preference) whether the unexpected input is transmitted or the input is ignored unexpected until you meet the threshold number. If the preference is to transmit the input despite everything, the flow proceeds to block 224 where the unexpected input is transmitted to the electronic device. If the preference is not to always transmit the unexpected input, the flow proceeds to block 204 where the control device operates. Unexpected entry proceeds in blocks 218, 226, 228, 230, and 232 allows the control device, in some modes, to learn or reset the limit or limits of the first and second zones based on the individual, unique circumstances of a user .

Although Figure 2 shows two blocks associated with a configuration process (blocks 206 and 208) and five blocks associated with a learning process (218, 226, 228, 230, and 232), any of these processes can be used, none can be used , or both can be used (as in Figure 2). For example, the setup process may be skipped entirely, and the control device 110 (possibly in conjunction with an electronic device) may

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define the first and second zones entirely by a learning process similar to that shown in blocks 218, 226, 228, 230, and 232. Alternatively, there may be an initial setup process similar to that shown in blocks 206 and 208, without learning continuous. Also, although a learning modality has been described so far, many other continuous learning methods can be employed to define and adjust the first and second defined zones, and the boundary (s) between them. For example, in some modes, the orientation of the control device can be measured every time the control device receives some kind of input, while in other modes, the orientation of the control device can only be measured and determined every few seconds. In some embodiments, the targeting information may be used only to determine the correct functionality of one or more sets of control elements 122, 124, while in other embodiments, the control device processing unit 112 and / or the control unit 132 Processing of the electronic device 150 can analyze and / or store the orientation data for each input received, and adjusting the first and second defined zones or the limit or limits between them based on those analyzed and / or stored data. Many other learning processes are also within the spirit of this description.

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Furthermore, system 100 and method 200 may additionally allow a user to manually adjust certain settings. For example, a user may choose to have one or both of the initial setup processes or the continuous learning process. Or, a user can change the sensitivity of the keys or measuring instruments. If the continuous learning process in Figure 2 is implemented, a user can choose the unexpected threshold count (which can be for example 2 times, or 4 times, or

10 times, etc.), or a user can choose whether an unexpected input is transmitted even if the threshold count has not been reached.

Also, a control device 110 may have more than one setting that is learned. For example, a remote control may have one setting for a user to sit on the far left of a sofa and a second setting for a user to sit. typically on the far right of the sofa. Additionally, various control devices 110 that communicate with a common electronic device 150 can use different settings for the first and second operational zones. Using multiple settings can help avoid situations where different users want different functionality, even when the device's magnetic is almost the same.

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As with the general orientation determination at block 210 in Figure 2, the orientation data for the setup and / or the continuous learning process can be measured by a magnetometer 118 either alone or in combination with additional measurement device 120, such as an accelerometer or gyroscope.

Generally, the configuration and / or learning processes can be performed by the processing unit 112 in the control device, by the processing unit 134 in an electronic device 150, or by processing units working in combination with each other.

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a possible embodiment of a control device 110. In this example, the control device in Figures 3A and 3B is the remote control device 310 for operating a television set-top box implementation of an electronic device 150. Figure 3A is a top plan view of the remote control device, and shows a first side or top 330 of the remote control device. Figure 3A shows a first navigation device 334, and other keys 332 including a numeric keypad and various other dedicated buttons including volume, channel, play, fast forward, pause, etc. Figure 3B is a plan view

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bottom of the remote control device, and shows a second side or bottom 340 of the remote control device. Figure 3B shows a second navigation device 344, and a QWERTY keyboard 342. Many other control devices can be used in conjunction with the present description. For example, a remote control device may include only one navigation device, or it may include a touch screen instead of the QWERTY keyboard or instead of the numeric keypad and dedicated keys. As described above, the control device can be any type of device that can be configured to control one or more electronic device 150 such as the remote control device shown in Figure 3, a mobile computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, an e-book reader or any other device that has or can be configured to control an electronic device.

Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the control device 110 may have a second set of control elements 124. In other embodiments, the control device may have three, four, or more sets of control elements. For example, the remote control device 310 in Figures 3A and 3B has at least four sets of control elements: the first navigation device 334 and other keys 332 that include a numeric keypad (both in

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the top 330), as well as the second navigation device 344 and the QWERTY keyboard (both at the bottom 340). Some of the different types of control element sets can be various types of QWERTY keyboards (such as one similar to the one shown in Figure 3B, a dropdown, a scrollable one, etc.), a virtual keyboard, various navigation devices (such such as one similar to that shown in Figures 3A and 3B, a touch pad, a track pad, a track point, a track ball, a pointing pen, a joystick, a touch screen, etc.), numeric keypads, dedicated keyboards (such as volume controls and controls), scroll wheels (implemented with a physical wheel or with a capacitive touch device), and generally any other element that can control or act as a mechanism for selection for an electronic device. Generally, a control device can have any number of sets of control elements. In the discussion that follows, however, the operation of the exemplary remote control device 310 of Figures 3A and 3B will be discussed.

Because the remote control device 310 has multiple sets of control elements, and because the navigation devices in the remote control device can be considered to have at least two

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Possible orientations for its XY coordinate plane, a user may wish to alter the functionality of one or more of the four sets of control elements based on the detected orientation of the device. For example, if the long axis of remote control device 310 is parallel to display device 160, this may indicate that a user is using the QWERTY keyboard 342 at the bottom of remote control 340. In this case, the two sets of control elements on top of the remote control (the first navigation device 334 and the other keys 332 including the numeric keypad) can be disabled, while the QWERTY keyboard and the second navigation device 344 can be disabled. be enabled. Disabling certain keyboards can prevent an unintended input from being transmitted to the electronic device, and it can also save battery power because so much data need not be transmitted. In some embodiments, however, the functionality of the different sets of control elements may not disable them, but in fact it may be that the controlled electronic device ignores the input of certain sets of control elements and / or treats the input in a way different.

Returning again to the example where the long axis of the remote control device is parallel to the display device, the X component of the X-coordinate plane.

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And the second navigation device 344 can be configured to be parallel to the long axis of the remote control device. In this example, the input from the first navigation device 334 can be ignored. Alternatively, the processing unit 112 can process the data from the navigation device 334 that is parallel to the short axis as a valid Y axis or scroll wheel type data while ignoring the X axis data.

If the user changes the orientation of the remote control device 310 so that the short axis of the remote control device is parallel to the display device 160 or the electronic device 150, this may indicate that a user uses the numeric keypad and other keys 332 or the first navigation device 334 on top 330 of the remote control device. Accordingly, the QWERTY keyboard 342 and the second navigation device 344 can be disabled, while the first navigation device and the numeric and other keyboard can be enabled. Also, in this case, the X component of the XY coordinate plane of the first navigation device can be configured to be perpendicular to the long axis of the remote control device. As mentioned in the foregoing, alternatively to be ignored, the second navigation device 334 can be used even though with a change in its coordinate system.

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An additional measurement device 120, such as an accelerometer or gyroscope, can provide information to processing unit 112 of a control device 110 (and / or electronic device 150) regarding which side of the remote control is below or which side points to the floor. This information may further allow various sets of control elements 122, 124 in the control device to be configured with desired functionality. Some modalities, however, may only have a magnetometer 118, while others have a magnetometer along with an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope. However, the magnetometer, alone or in conjunction with an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope, measures the data and provides that data to a processing unit with respect to the current orientation of the control device, the data of which can be used to configure or alter the functionality of one or more sets of control elements.

As described above, two different functionalities of one or more sets of control elements 122, 124 of a control device 110 may (1) be enabled / activated or (2) disabled / deactivated. Also as described above, two different functionalities of one or more sets of control elements such as navigation devices may be that the X component of the XY coordinate plane is parallel or

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<img file="MX336718B_D0036.tif" />

perpendicular to the long axis of the control device. Other functionalities are also possible. For example, if a set of control elements is a touch screen, the possible functionalities of the touch screen may include disabled, enabled with the X component of the XY coordinate plane parallel to the long axis of the control device, and a lower portion of the touchscreen near an edge of the long axis of the remote control device, enabled with the X component of the XY coordinate plane parallel to the long axis of the control device, and a lower portion of the touch screen near the other edge of the long axis of the remote control device, enabled with the X component of the XY coordinate plane perpendicular to the long axis of the control device, and a lower portion of the touch screen near an edge of the long axis of the remote control device, enabled with the X component of the XY coordinate plane perpendicular to the long axis of the control device, and a lower portion of the touch screen near the second edge of the long axis of the remote control device.

Other functionalities for any type of keyboard may include backlighting for items such as keys. For example, pressed keys may light, or all sets of control elements may light if it is determined that the

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1- t THE INDUSTRIAL PROHEDao

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Accelerometer or possible can set of control elements 122, 124 be used or likely to be used in the near future, based on orientation and / or changes in device orientation (measured by magnetometer 118 and / or gyroscope 120) . Still another functionality involves increasing or decreasing the sensitivity of one or more sets of control elements when oriented in a certain orientation. For example, if it is determined that the QWERTY keyboard is not in use, the functionality of the QWERTY keyboard may not be completely disabled, but it responds only to buttons pressed enough to pass a certain threshold; and if the QWERTY keyboard is subsequently determined to be in use, then the functionality may change so that the QWERTY keyboard receives and the control device transmits each button that is pressed, very lightly. Another functionality may be to cause something to happen on the electronic device. For example, if the user orients the control device so that the QWERTY keyboard is in use, the electronic device may open a user interface that allows the user to enter text into the user interface.

Figures 4A-4F illustrate a user 426 using a 400A-400F system to configure the functionality of elements 122.

124 control in a

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OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

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control device 110 similar to remote control device 310 of Figure 3. The system may be the system of Figure 1. In Figure 4A a user points a remote control device 410 towards an electronic device 450 such as a box converter-decoder and a display device 460 such as a television. The remote control device has a first set of control elements, specifically a numeric keypad 432 and a navigation device 434. As illustrated, the long axis of the remote control device is generally oriented perpendicular to the electronic device and the display device, and as described in the next paragraph, this orientation places the remote control device in the first defined zone. Because the remote control device is oriented in the first zone, the first set of control elements on top of the remote control device (the numeric keypad and the first navigation device) are active or enabled, while the Second set of control elements at the bottom of the remote control device (QWERTY keyboard and second navigation device) are inactive or disabled.

Figure 4B shows system 400b from above, with a dotted line 402 representing an example of a possible boundary between a primar and a second zone, with the

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remote control device 410 in this example oriented in the first zone. The remote control device in Figure 4B is shown oriented with its long axis perpendicular to the electronic device 450 and the display device 460. The processing unit in the remote control device (and / or the processing unit in the electronic device) can be enabled to determine this orientation based on the data received from the magnetometer. The magnetometer for example, determining that the remote control device is oriented a certain number of degrees west of north (or some other magnetic reference point), which can be associated with being parallel to the electronic device or display device based on a configuration process and / or continuous learning process. This can be true even if, for example, the user were to lie on their side on a sofa

As in Figure 4B, Figure 4C is a top view of system 400c with a dotted line 402 representing an example of a possible boundary between a first and a second zone. The remote control device 410 in Figure 4C, however, is oriented with its long axis parallel to the electronic device 450 and the display device 460. The processing unit in the remote control device (and / or the processing unit in the electronic device) may be able to determine this and »¹

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ÜL INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY guidance based on the data received from the magnetometer, as above. Because the remote control device in Figure 4C is oriented in the second zone, the first set of control elements on top of the remote control device (the numeric keypad and the first navigation device) are inactive or disabled, while the second set of control elements at the bottom of the remote control device (the QWERTY keyboard and the second navigation device) are active or enabled.

Figure 4D illustrates a user pressing a number button with the remote control device 410 oriented as in Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4E illustrates a user pointing the remote control device as in Figure 4C, and Figure 4F illustrates a user typing on the QWERTY keyboard 442 with the remote control device oriented as in Figures 4C and 4E.

In the present description, the described methods can be implemented as instruction sets or device-readable software. Furthermore, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods described are examples of exemplary procedures. In other modalities, the specific order or hierarchy of stages in the method can be reorganized as long as they remain within the

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described subject matter. The attached method claims present elements from the various stages in an exemplary order and are not necessarily intended to limit themselves to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The narrated description may be provided as a product of a computer program, or software, which may include a non-transient machine-readable medium that has stored in the same instructions, which can be used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the present description. A non-transient machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a machine-readable form (eg, software, processing application) (eg, a computer). The non-transient machine-readable medium can take the form of, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage medium (eg, floppy disk, cassette, etc.); optical storage medium (eg CD-ROM); magneto-optical storage medium; read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); erasable and programmable memory (eg EPROM and EEPROM); Flash memory; etc.

It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its intended advantages will be understood from the above disclosure, and it will be apparent that various changes can be made

IMPI

MEXICAN INSTITUTE Df ΙΑ INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

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in form, construction and arrangement of the components without departing from the described subject matter or without sacrificing all its material advantages. The manner described is explanatory only, and it is the intent of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.

Although the present disclosure has been narrated with reference to various embodiments, these embodiments are illustrative only, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. More generally, the modalities according to the present description have been narrated in the context of particular modalities. The functionality may be separated or combined in blocks differently in various embodiments of the description or described with different terminology. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the description as defined in the claims that follow.

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IMPI

Mexican Institute OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

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