Patent Publication Number: US-2009235206-A1

Title: Portable device operating method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a portable device operating method, and more particularly, to an operating method capable of shaking a portable device by different shaking directions to browse a three-dimensional function menu of the portable device and operate functions. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  shows a simplified diagram of a conventional cellphone  10  appearance and a function menu  200  thereof. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the cellphone  10  comprises a display screen  12 , a first function key  110 , a second function key  120 , and a direction key  130 . In general, the operating method of the cellphone  10  is using the direction key  130  to browse the function menu  200  in the display screen  12  of the cellphone  10 . When browsing an item of the function menu  200 , the first function key  110  is utilized for selecting the item and executing the function of the selected item. After the function of the selected item is executed, the second function key  120  is utilized for stopping executing the function of the selected item. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  shows a simplified diagram of a structure of the function menu  200 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the structure of the function menu  200  is a tree structure. There are nine items in the first layer list  210  of the function menu  200 : the internet  211 , the phonebook  212 , the call history  213 , the message  214 , the organizer  215 , the camera  216 , the media player  217 , the games  218 , and the settings  219 , wherein each item has its own sub tree structure. For example, there are eight items in the second layer list  220  after entering the settings  219 : the phone settings  221 , the display settings  222 , the ringtone settings  223 , the profiles settings  224 , the call settings  225 , the connect settings  226 , the network settings  227 , and the security settings  228 . There are also eight items in the third layer list  230  after entering the call settings  225 : the answer mode  231 , the minute minder  232 , the caller identity  233 , the call divert  234 , the call waiting  235 , the auto redial  236 , the fixed dialing No.  237 , the user group  238 . In general, the items in the same sub tree structure are related with each other, but when the related items are in the different sub tree structures, it is not convenient for the user to move from one item to another related item. For example, the phone settings  221  in the second layer list  220  in  FIG. 2  and the phonebook  212  in the first layer list  210  are related items. When the user moves to the phone settings  221  in the second layer list  220 , the user may want to use the phonebook  212 . At this time, the user has to press the second function key  120  in  FIG. 1  to exit from the second layer list  220  to the first layer list  210  at first, and then use the direction key  130  in  FIG. 1  to move to the phonebook  212  by moving upward, downward, leftward, or rightward, and then press the first function key  110  in  FIG. 1  to enter the phonebook  212 . This conventional operating method is very complex due to the tree structure, and the conventional operating method is not easy to use for the user and wastes the user&#39;s time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore one of the objectives of the present invention to provide a portable device operating method. The operating method can browse a three-dimensional function menu of the portable device and operate functions of the portable device according to different shaking directions of the portable device, so as to solve the above problem. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a portable device operating method is disclosed. The operating method comprises: displaying a three-dimensional function menu on a display of a portable device, wherein a plurality of items of the three-dimensional function menu are positioned on different directions in a three-dimensional coordinate; detecting a shaking direction of the portable device; and selecting one of the plurality of the items according to the shaking direction. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a portable device operating method is disclosed. The operating method comprises: receiving a shaking signal generated by a shaking sensor of a portable device; identifying a shaking direction according to the shaking signal; and selecting an item of a function menu according to the shaking direction, wherein the function menu is a three-dimensional function menu, and a plurality of items of the three-dimensional function menu are positioned on different directions in a three-dimensional coordinate. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a simplified diagram of a conventional cellphone appearance and a function menu thereof. 
         FIG. 2  shows a simplified diagram of a structure of the function menu. 
         FIG. 3  shows a simplified diagram of a cellphone appearance according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a three-dimensional function menu on a display screen of the cellphone. 
         FIG. 5  shows a three-dimensional function menu on a display screen of the cellphone. 
         FIG. 6  shows a three-dimensional function menu on a display screen of the cellphone. 
         FIG. 7  shows a simplified diagram of a net structure of the three-dimensional function menu. 
         FIG. 8  shows a three-dimensional function menu on a display screen of the cellphone. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to a portable device operating method. The operating method can shake a portable device by different shaking directions to browse a three-dimensional function menu of the portable device and operate functions of the portable device, and this document will describe several exemplary embodiments that apply the operating method of the present invention. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the present invention can be applied for various types of portable device and is not limited to the particular embodiments described in the following paragraphs or to the particular manner in which any features of such embodiments are implemented. 
     In general, the operating method of the present invention can be applied to all kinds of portable device. An operating method applied to a cellphone comprising a 3-axis accelerometer sensor is disclosed in this document, wherein the 3-axis accelerometer sensor is utilized as a shaking sensor. However, this is only for illustration purposes and is not meant to be a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the cellphone will be used in this document as an example to illustrate the operation principles of the method according to the present invention. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 3  shows a simplified diagram of the appearance of a cellphone  30  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cellphone  30  comprises a 3-axis accelerometer sensor (not shown).  FIG. 4  shows a three-dimensional function menu  400  on a display screen  32  of the cellphone  30 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , after a user start function menu of the cellphone  30 , the operating method of the present invention firstly displays the three-dimensional function menu  400  on the display screen  32  of the cellphone  30 . The three-dimensional function menu  400  has a plurality of items which are positioned on different directions in a three-dimensional coordinate. 
     In this embodiment, the item in the center position of the three-dimensional function menu  400  is defined as a current item such as the phonebook  412  shown in  FIG. 4 . A back position, a left back position, a left position, a left front position, a front position, a right front position, a right position, a right back position, a up position, and a down position of the three-dimensional function menu  400  are respectively defined as the internet  411 , the call history  413 , the message  414 , the organizer  415 , the camera  416 , the media player  417 , the games  418 , the settings  419 , the exit  440  (i.e. quit a current list of the three-dimensional function menu  400 ), and the select  450  (i.e. select to enter/execute a current item in the center position of the three-dimensional function menu  400 ). In this way, the operating method of the present invention use the 3-axis accelerometer sensor of the cellphone  30  to detect a shaking direction of the cellphone  30 , and then select an item at the shaking direction of the three-dimensional function menu  400 . For example, when the user activates a shaking control function of the cellphone  30 , the 3-axis accelerometer sensor of the cellphone  30  will start to detect a shaking direction of the cellphone  30  to generate a shaking signal. For example, when the user shakes the cellphone  30  right backward once, the 3-axis accelerometer sensor of the cellphone  30  will generate a right backward shaking signal. Next, the cellphone  30  can identify a shaking direction according to the shaking signal, and finally select an item corresponding to the shaking direction of the three-dimensional function menu  400 . In this embodiment, the user shakes the cellphone  30  right backward, and thus the item of “settings  419 ” in the right back position of the three-dimensional function menu  400  will be selected. That is, the item of “settings  419 ” is moved to the center position of the three-dimensional function menu  400  as shown in  FIG. 5 . At this time, if the user shakes the cellphone  30  downward, this action will let the three-dimensional function menu  400  enters the item of “settings  419 ”. 
     An embodiment of the present invention can further detecting a specific shaking condition of the cellphone  30  to determine whether entering or executing the item directly. For example, as shown in the three-dimensional function menu  400  in  FIG. 4 , when the user shakes the cellphone  30  right backward two time continuously, the cellphone  30  will enter the item of “settings  419 ” directly. 
     In this embodiment, the items of the three-dimensional function menu  400  of the cellphone  30  connect to each other to form a net structure. Please refer to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 6  shows a three-dimensional function menu  600  of the cellphone  30  under the item of “settings  419 ”.  FIG. 7  shows a part of the net structure of the three-dimensional function menu of the cellphone  30 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the operating method can move from the phone settings  621  to the other related items or the items that the user frequently uses, for example, the display settings  622 , the ringtone settings  623 , the profiles settings  624 , the call settings  625 , the connect settings  626 , the network settings  627 , the security settings  628 , and the phonebook  412 , in multi-direction by utilizing the net structure of the three-dimensional function menu. In this embodiment, the phonebook  412  is the item that the user frequently uses, and thus disposing the phonebook  412  in the list shown in  FIG. 6  can let user move to the phonebook  412  fast when selecting the phone settings or finishing the phone settings. In this way, the problems caused by the tree structure in the conventional cellphone operating method can be solved. For example, in the conventional cellphone shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , when a user wants to move from the phone settings  221  to the phonebook  212  in the function menu of the conventional cellphone, he or she requires a complex and long operating process because the phone settings  221  to the phonebook  212  are respectively disposed in the second layer list  220  and the first layer list  210  in the conventional tree structure in  FIG. 2 , and only the phone settings  221  and the settings  219  can connect to each other between the second layer list  220  and the first layer list  210 . In comparison with the conventional tree structure, the net structure in the present invention can let the phone settings  621  directly connect to the related items such as the display settings  622 , the ringtone settings  623 , profiles settings  624 , the call settings  625 , the connect settings  626 , the network settings  627 , the security settings  628 , and the phonebook  412 , and thus the present invention operating method can move directly from the phone settings  621  to the phonebook  412  via the net structure. 
     Similarly, the other items in the three-dimensional function menu  600  of the present invention also can move to the other related items in multi-direction like the phone settings  621 . In addition, it is also practical to let the user define the connection between each item in the three-dimensional function menu  600 . For example, the user can shake the cellphone  30  left forward to select the call settings  625 , and the function menu displayed in the screen of the cellphone  30  will become the three-dimensional function menu  800  in  FIG. 8  from the three-dimensional function menu  600  in  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the call settings  625  also can move to the other related items in multi-direction. Please note that the item in the right back position of the three-dimensional function menu  800  is the call history  413 , which is different from the phonebook  412  in the right back position of the three-dimensional function menu  600 . When the user handle the call settings, the user may want to refer to previous call records, and thus the three-dimensional function menu  800  can let the user directly connect to the call history  413  from the call settings  625 . 
     In addition, please note that the above embodiment is only for an illustrative purpose and is not meant to be a limitation of the present invention. The setting of connection relations among the items in the three-dimensional function menu can be a customized setting, and it is also practical to let the user set the setting. For example, please refer to  FIG. 6  again. The user can define more different items in the different positions of the three-dimensional function menu  600  (such as right up position, left up position, right down position, and left down position). That is, the phone settings  621  in  FIG. 6  can directly connect to more different items (For example, the user can define that shaking the cellphone  30  right up will move to the internet  411 ). 
     A person of ordinary skill in the art should be able to easily understand that the cellphone applying the present invention operating method can let the user be able to easily browse a function menu of the cellphone and operate functions of the cellphone. In comparison with a cellphone applying the conventional operating method, the cellphone applying the present invention operating method can let the user move from one item to another related item faster to save the user&#39;s precious time. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.