I have two very interesting Apple patents published by the USPTO to share with you this week. The first patent is US 8,286,103 – Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image. The other is a patent application filed by Apple, patent number US 20120258773 Devices and methods for providing access to internal component.
8,286,103
Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image
Patent Background
Touch-sensitive displays (also known as “touch screens” or “touchscreens”) are well known in the art. Touch screens are used in many electronic devices to display graphics and text, and to provide a user interface through which a user may interact with the devices. A touch screen detects and responds to contact on the touch screen. A device may display one or more soft keys, menus, and other user-interface objects on the touch screen. A user may interact with the device by contacting the touch screen at locations corresponding to the user-interface objects with which she wishes to interact.
Touch screens are becoming more popular for use as displays and as user input devices on portable devices, such as mobile telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). One problem associated with using touch screens on portable devices is the unintentional activation or deactivation of functions due to unintentional contact with the touch screen. Thus, portable devices, touch screens on such devices, and/or applications running on such devices may be locked upon satisfaction of predefined lock conditions, such as upon entering an active call, after a predetermined time of idleness has elapsed, or upon manual locking by a user.
Devices with touch screens and/or applications running on such devices may be unlocked by any of several well-known unlocking procedures, such as pressing a predefined set of buttons (simultaneously or sequentially) or entering a code or password. These unlock procedures, however, have drawbacks. The button combinations may be hard to perform. Creating, memorizing, and recalling passwords, codes, and the like can be quite burdensome. These drawbacks may reduce the ease of use of the unlocking process and, as a consequence, the ease of use of the device in general.
Accordingly, there is a need for more efficient, user-friendly procedures for unlocking such devices, touch screens, and/or applications. More generally, there is a need for more efficient, user-friendly procedures for transitioning such devices, touch screens, and/or applications between user interface states (e.g., from a user interface state for a first application to a user interface state for a second application, between user interface states in the same application, or between locked and unlocked states). In addition, there is a need for sensory feedback to the user regarding progress towards satisfaction of a user input condition that is required for the transition to occur.
The Invention
In some embodiments, a method of controlling an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display includes: detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display while the device is in a user-interface lock state; moving an image corresponding to a user-interface unlock state of the device in accordance with the contact; transitioning the device to the user-interface unlock state if the detected contact corresponds to a predefined gesture; and maintaining the device in the user-interface lock state if the detected contact does not correspond to the predefined gesture.
In some embodiments, a method of controlling a device with a touch-sensitive display includes: displaying an image on the touch-sensitive display while the device is in a user-interface lock state; detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display; transitioning the device to a user-interface unlock state if the detected contact corresponds to moving the image to a predefined location on the touch-sensitive display; and maintaining the device in the user-interface lock state if the detected contact does not correspond to moving the image to the predefined location.
In some embodiments, a method of controlling a device with a touch-sensitive display includes: displaying an image on the touch-sensitive display while the device is in a user-interface lock state; detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display; and transitioning the device to a user-interface unlock state if the detected contact corresponds to moving the image on the touch-sensitive display according to a predefined path on the touch-sensitive display; and maintaining the device in the user-interface lock state if the detected contact does not correspond to moving the image according to the predefined path.
In some embodiments, a method of controlling a device with a touch-sensitive display includes: displaying first and second images on the touch-sensitive display while the device is in a user-interface lock state; detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display; transitioning the device to a first active state corresponding to the first image if the detected contact corresponds to a predefined gesture with respect to the first image; and transitioning the device to a second active state distinct from the first active state if the detected contact corresponds to a predefined gesture with respect to the second image.
The aforementioned methods may be performed by a portable electronic device having a touch-sensitive display with a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing these methods. In some embodiments, the portable electronic device provides a plurality of functions, including wireless communication.
Instructions for performing the aforementioned methods may be included in a computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors. In some embodiments, the executable computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium (e.g., one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state memory devices) and an executable computer program mechanism embedded therein.
20120258773
Devices and methods for providing access to internal component.
Patent Background
The present disclosure relates generally to the industrial design of an electronic device and, more particularly, to techniques for hiding components of an electronic device behind a window, such as a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) window, while such components are not in use.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, capable of performing a multitude of tasks from image capture to identity verification through biometric sensors. Providing increased functionality often involves adding components to such electronic devices. However, adding more components can lead to a cluttered, unattractive electronic device.
Current techniques for incorporating components into an electronic device may be limited by the relative sizes of the components and the electronic device. The larger the components and the smaller the electronic device, the less spatial area there may be to incorporate additional components. For example, a small electronic device where a large display covers most of the face of the electronic device may not allow for any additional components, such as a fingerprint reader, to be added to the electronic device. Furthermore, under the current techniques, adding new components may harm the aesthetic appeal of the device by cluttering the electronic device enclosure, even though these additional components may be seldom or never used by many users. An electronic device that incorporates multiple components may lose its aesthetic appeal when covered by visible components, particularly as compared to a seamless electronic device where very few, if any, components of the electronic device are visible.
The Invention
A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.
The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for concealing components of an electronic device behind a window that can change between opaque and transparent configurations, such as a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) window. Since such a window may be hidden behind a transparent display or color-matched to seamlessly integrate into an enclosure of the electronic device, the components may remain hidden from view while not in use. When desired, the electronic device may expose the concealed components by causing the electronic window to change opacity, allowing the components to suddenly appear as from out of nowhere. In accordance with one embodiment, an electronic device may include a window with a component of the electronic device disposed behind the window. Upon detecting an event associated with the component, a window controller may make transparent, or “open,” the window to expose the component. To provide one example, such an event may occur when a feature of the electronic device requests exposure of concealed components. For example, when an image capture application of the electronic device is not in use, an image capture device and/or associated strobe may remain hidden behind an electronic window in the enclosure of the electronic device. Upon detecting this request, the window controller may open the window, causing the image capture device and/or the associated strobe to suddenly appear from out of the enclosure.
Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in any combination. Again, the brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter.
Source: USPTO
Image Credit: Engadget
