PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8942764-B2
Application Number: US-90619707-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Personal media device controlled via user initiated movements utilizing movement based interfaces

Abstract:
Systems and methods are provided for a media device including one or more movement-based interfaces for interfacing with or controlling the media device.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A media device comprising:
 a proximity sensor for detecting that the media device is being gripped and generating an activation signal based on detecting that the media device is being gripped; 
 a sensor for generating a sensor signal based on a position, orientation, and movement of the media device; 
 a data store including a plurality of movement patterns of the media device, each movement pattern being associated with an application that may be executed by the media device; 
 a processor for i) activating an application based on a received movement pattern and ii) controlling one or more operations of the activated application the media device based at least in part on the activation signal, the sensor signal, and one or more additional received movement patterns; 
 a vibration data store storing a plurality of vibration patterns, wherein each of the vibration patterns is associated with one or more elements of the activated application; 
 an audio data store storing a plurality of audio patterns, wherein each of the audio patterns is associated with one or more elements of the activated application; 
 a vibration source for generating one of the one or more vibration patterns, wherein generating a vibration pattern occurs when the element associated with the vibration pattern is selected using one of the one or more additional received movement patterns; and 
 an audio source for generating one or more audio patterns, wherein generating an audio pattern occurs when the element associated with the audio pattern is selected using one of the one or more additional received movement patterns. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor controls the media device by accessing the plurality of movement patterns and by comparing the sensor signal with one or more of the movement patterns to determine the one or more operations of the activated application. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor ignores detected changes in position, orientation, or movement of the media device that are not based on the user&#39;s hand movements or positioning as indicated by the proximity sensor. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein controlling the one or more operations of the activated application includes stepping through a list of elements associated with the activated application. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the stepping occurs in an increment, the increment being proportional to an intensity of at least one of a rate of change in position, a rate of change in orientation, and a rate of movement. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , wherein an operation of the activated application includes at least one of starting or launching one or more additional applications, stopping or ending one or more applications, selecting or de-selecting one or more elements, increasing or decreasing one or more settings, moving through a list of elements, initiating or ending a communications session, playing music or video, pausing music or video, and initiating or ending an audio or video recording session. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more elements includes at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes at least one accelerometer. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes one or more of an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, IR detector, sonic detector, altimeter, magnetic field detector, RF detector, GPS, light sensor, and doppler detector. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 1 , wherein generating a sensor signal is based on sensing a sequence of the position, orientation, and movement of the media device over a period of time. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising an activation interface for receiving a user input to enable or disable the controlling of the operation of the media device based at least in part on the sensor signal. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the media device includes at least one of a cellular telephone, a wireless communications device, a media player, an MP3 player, a video player, a PDA, and a portable computer. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising an input interface for receiving the sensor signal and storing a movement pattern associated with the sensor signal. 
     
     
       14. A media device comprising:
 a proximity sensor for detecting whether the media device is being gripped and generating an activation signal based on detecting that the media device is being gripped; 
 a pattern recognition unit for identifying movement patterns, the pattern recognition unit being activated based on a first received movement pattern and at least one other interaction with the media device; 
 a vibration source for generating a plurality of vibration signals; 
 an audio source for generating a plurality of audio signals; 
 a vibration data store including a plurality of vibration patterns, wherein each of the vibration patterns is associated with a respective one of a plurality of operations of the media device; 
 an audio data store including a plurality of audio patterns, wherein each of the audio patterns is associated with a respective one of the plurality of operations of the media device; and 
 a processor for i) determining, when a first element is selected based on a second received movement pattern, a first operation of the media device that is associated with the selected first element, ii) identifying a vibration pattern associated with the first operation of the media device, iii) controlling the vibration source to generate a vibration signal associated with the vibration pattern, (iv) determining, when a second element is selected based on a third received movement pattern, a second operation of the media device, (v) identifying an audio pattern associated with the second operation of the media device, and (vi) controlling the audio source to generate an audio signal associated with the audio pattern. 
 
     
     
       15. The media device of  claim 14 , wherein the first and second elements, respectively, include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
     
     
       16. A media device comprising:
 a proximity sensor for detecting that the media device is being gripped and generating an activation signal based on detecting that the media device is being gripped; 
 a pattern recognition unit for identifying movement patterns, the pattern recognition unit being activated based on a known movement pattern of the medial device; 
 a vibration source for generating a plurality of vibration signals; 
 an audio source for generating a plurality of audio signals; 
 a data store including a plurality of combined vibration patterns and audio patterns, wherein each combined vibration pattern and audio pattern is associated with one of a plurality of operations of the media device, and 
 a processor for i) determining, when an element is selected based on a received movement pattern, the operation of the media device that is associated with the selected element, ii) identifying a combined vibration pattern and audio pattern associated with the operation of the media device, and iii) controlling the vibration source and audio source to generate a vibration signal and audio signal associated with the combined vibration and audio pattern to indicate that the selected operation will be executed. 
 
     
     
       17. The media device of  claim 16 , wherein identifying is based at least in part on a statistical model. 
     
     
       18. The media device of  claim 16 , wherein the element includes at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
     
     
       19. A media device comprising:
 a proximity sensor for detecting that the media device is being gripped and generating an activation signal based on detecting that the media device is being gripped; 
 a movement pattern sensor for sensing a plurality of received movement patterns based on a sequence of changes in the position, orientation, and movement of the media device; 
 a pattern recognition unit for receiving and identifying each of the received movement patterns; 
 a vibration data store storing a plurality of vibration patterns, wherein each vibration pattern is associated with at least one element of an application being executed by the media device; 
 an audio data store storing a plurality of audio patterns, wherein each audio pattern is associated with at least one element of the application being executed by the media device; 
 a vibration source for generating the one or more vibration patterns, wherein generating a vibration pattern occurs when the element associated with the vibration pattern is selected based on a received movement of the media device; and 
 an audio source for generating one or more audio patterns, wherein generating an audio pattern occurs when the element associated with the audio pattern is selected based on the received movement of the media device. 
 
     
     
       20. The media device of  claim 19 , wherein the element includes at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
     
     
       21. A media device comprising:
 a proximity sensor for detecting that the media device is being held and generating an activation signal based on detecting that the media device is being held; 
 a movement pattern sensor for sensing a plurality of movement patterns based on the position, orientation, and movement of the media device; 
 a pattern recognition unit for receiving and identifying a plurality of received movement patterns; 
 a communications application for i) providing user-based communications to and from the media device and ii) navigating through a contact list of entities associated with the user-based communications in response to a first received movement pattern and based in part on the activation signal; 
 a vibration data store of one or more vibration patterns, each vibration pattern being associated with at least one entity in the contact list of entities; 
 an audio data store of one or more audio patterns, each audio pattern being associated with at least one entity in the contact list of entities; 
 a vibration source for generating the one or more vibration patterns when a respective entity in the contact list of entities is selected using the first received movement pattern; and 
 an audio source for generating one or more audio patterns when the respective entity in the contact list of entities is selected using the first received movement pattern. 
 
     
     
       22. The media device of  claim 21 , wherein the communications application is executed when a second received movement pattern is recognized by the pattern recognition unit.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to personal media devices and, more particularly, to movement-based interfaces for personal media devices. 
     The proliferation of compact portable personal media devices (e.g., portable MP3 players, portable video players, and media capable cellular telephones) has enabled users to interact with such compact portable media devices and access multimedia such a video and audio (e.g., voice and music) while walking, running, driving, or during other activities. 
     One problem with existing portable media devices such as cellular telephones is that users can become distracted from other activities while interfacing with the media device&#39;s video display, graphical user interface (GUI), and/or keypad. For example, a runner may carry a personal media device to listen to music or to send/receive cellular telephone calls while running. In a typical personal media device, the runner must look at the device&#39;s display to interact with a media application in order to select a song for playing. Also, the user likely must depress the screen or one or more keys on its keypad to perform the song selection. These interactions with the personal media device can divert the user&#39;s attention from her surroundings which could be dangerous, force the user to interrupt her other activities, or cause the user to interfere with the activities of others within her surroundings. Accordingly, there is a need for providing a user interface in a personal media device that minimizes either or both a user&#39;s physical and visual interactions with the personal media device, especially while the user is performing other activities that require, for example, the user&#39;s visual senses. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention, in various embodiments, addresses deficiencies in the prior art by providing systems, methods and devices that enable a personal media device user to control a personal media device via user-initiated movements of the device and/or allows the user to receive motion-based information from the personal media device. 
     In various aspects, the invention employs a position, orientation, or movement (POM) sensor in a media device. A POM sensor may include, without limitation, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a light sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, proximity sensor, capacitive proximity sensor, acoustic sensor, sonic or sonar sensor, radar sensor, image sensor, video sensor, global positional system (GPS) detector, RF detector, RF or acoustic doppler detector, video sensor, compass, magnetometer, or other like environment sensor. 
     In one aspect, a media device includes at least one sensor that generates a sensor signal based on at least one of a position, orientation, and movement of the media device. The media device also includes a processor that receives the sensor signal and controls one or more operations of the media device based at least in part on the sensor signal. In one configuration, the media device includes a database or data store having one or more known movement patterns where each movement pattern is associated with an operation of the media device. In one feature, the processor compares the sensor signal with the one or more known movement patterns to determine the associated operation of the media device. The comparing function may include employing a pattern recognition algorithm or technique. 
     In one configuration, an operation includes stepping through a list of elements associated with an application. The stepping may occur in increments that are proportional to an intensity of at least one of a rate of change in position, a rate of change in orientation, and a rate of movement. An operation may include at least one of starting or launching one or more applications, stopping or ending one or more applications, selecting or de-selecting one or more elements, increasing or decreasing one or more settings, moving through a list of elements, initiating or ending a communications session, playing music or video, pausing music or video, and initiating or ending an audio or video recording session. An element may include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
     In one configuration, the sensor includes at least one accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, IR detector, sonic detector, altimeter, magnetic field detector, RF detector, GPS, light sensor, and doppler detector. In one feature, the generation of a sensor signal may be based on sensing a sequence of at least one of position, orientation, and movement of the media device over a period of time. 
     In another configuration, the media device includes an activation interface that receives a user input to enable or disable the controlling of the operation of the media device based on the sensor signal. The media device may include at least one of a cellular telephone, a wireless communications device, a media player, an MP3 player, a video player, a PDA, and a portable computer. The media device may include a vibration source that generates one or more vibration patterns. In one configuration, the media device includes a data store of one or more vibration patterns where each vibration pattern is associated with at least one element of an application of the media device. In one feature, the generation of a vibration pattern occurs when an element is selected by a user. 
     In a further configuration, the media device includes an audio source that generates one or more audio patterns. The media device may include a data store of one or more audio patterns where each audio pattern is associated with at least one element of an application of the media device. In one feature, generation of an audio pattern occurs when an element is selected by a user. In another configuration, the media device includes an input interface for receiving the sensor signal and storing a known movement pattern associated with the sensor signal. The media device may also include a database or data store with a plurality of known combined vibration and audio patterns where each of the combined vibration and audio patterns are associated with an operation and/or element of a the media device. 
     In one feature, a movement pattern recognition application may be activated by a user by holding the media device, touching the display, pressing an icon on the display, pressing a button on the media device interface, and/or touching a bezel either alone or in combination with a particular movement pattern. In another feature, one or more operations of the media device may be initiated by a user by holding the media device, touching the display, pressing an icon on the display, pressing a button on the media device interface, and/or touching a bezel either alone or in combination with a particular known movement pattern. In certain configurations, by requiring a user to explicitly interact with a portion of the media device (e.g, touching the display, button, icon, and/or bezel) while performing a movement pattern, the possibility of inadvertently initiating a media device operation is minimized or eliminated. A media device application may also be called or activated by another application running on a media device. 
     A media device may also employ a grip detector or proximity sensor that senses when the phone is in a user&#39;s hand so that the media device can ignore changes in position, orientation, or movement that are not based on the user&#39;s hand movements and/or positioning, or to enable activation of motion sensing applications. In one feature, the grip detector may include one or more switches and/or buttons to detect the presence of at least one, two, three, and four fingers. 
     In another aspect, a media device includes a transceiver that sends and receives user communications. The media device may include a movement pattern sensor that senses a movement pattern based at least one of the position, orientation, and movement of the media device. The media device may also include a pattern recognition unit that receives and identifies the movement pattern. In one configuration, the identifying is based at least in part on a statistical model. 
     In a further aspect, a media device includes a movement pattern sensor that senses a movement pattern or sequence of movement patterns based at least one of the position, orientation, and movement of the media device or changes thereof. The media device may include a pattern recognition unit that receives and identifies the movement pattern. The media device may also include a communications application that provides user-based communications to and from the media device and enables a user to navigate through a contact list of entities associated with the user in response to the identified movement pattern. In one feature, an entity is another person. 
     Various advantages and applications using movement-based interfaces for a media device in accordance with principles of the present invention are discussed in more detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a media device with an exposed frame assembly according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is another perspective view of a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows the media device of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  with tethered headphones and, alternatively, a wireless earpiece according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a simplified functional block diagram of a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a transverse sectional view of a media device including an vibration source and POM sensor according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective transparent view of an three-dimensional accelerometer within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective transparent view of a pair of two-dimensional accelerometers within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective transparent view of a pair of three-dimensional accelerometers within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective transparent view of a plurality of POM sensors within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a conceptual diagram of a computer processing environment  900  including various applications or routines running within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of a database or list associating movement patterns with data elements of an application within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  shows an exemplary process whereby a user steps through or navigates a list of items displayed by an application on a media device by rotating and/or flicking their hand or wrist according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 12  shows the various dimensions of movement capable of detection, identification, and/or recordation according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 13  is an exemplary movement sequence or pattern used for control of a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  is flow diagram of a process for interfacing with and/or controlling an application running on a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a diagram of a database or list associating vibration patterns with data elements of an application within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram of a database or list associating audio patterns with data elements of an application within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 17  is a flow diagram of a process for inputting and identifying movement patterns based on one or more pattern recognition algorithms according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a media device  100  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The media device  100  includes a housing  102 , a first housing portion  104 , a second housing portion  106 , a display  108 , a keypad  110 , a speaker housing aperture  112 , a microphone housing aperture  114 , a headphone jack  116 , and frame sidewall  122 . Although not shown, in certain embodiments, the frame sidewall  122  is the exposed portion of a frame residing within or adjacent to the housing  102  that provides structural support for the media device  100  and various internal components. The housing  102  also includes various gaps  118  that may include openings, separations, vents, or other pathways between elements of the housing  102  that enable the passage of air or sound through the housing  102 . 
     In one embodiment, the housing  102  includes a first housing portion  104  and a second housing portion  106  that are fastened together to encase various components of the media device  100 . In certain embodiments, the housing  102  also includes an exposed frame  120  that provides structural support for the media device  100 . The housing  102  and its housing portions  104  and  106  may include polymer-based materials that are formed by, for example, injection molding to define the form factor of the media device  100 . In one embodiment, the housing  102  surrounds and/or supports internal components such as, for example, one or more circuit boards having integrated circuit components, internal radio frequency (RF) circuitry, an internal antenna, a speaker, a microphone, a hard drive, a processor, and other components. Further details regarding certain internal components are discussed later with respect to  FIG. 3 . The housing  102  provides for mounting of a display  108 , keypad  110 , external jack  116 , data connectors, or other external interface elements. The housing  102  may include one or more housing apertures  112  to facilitate delivery of sound, including voice and music, to a user from a speaker within the housing  102 . The housing  102  may including one or more housing apertures  114  to facilitate the reception of sounds, such as voice, for an internal microphone from a media device user. 
     In certain embodiments, the housing  102  includes one or more gaps  118  associated with the housing  102 . These gaps  118  may result from the manufacturing and/or assembly process for the media device  100 . For example, in certain circumstances, the mechanical attachment of the first housing portion  104  with the second housing portion  106  or the sidewall  122  results in a crease  120  or joint between the portions  104  and  106 . In certain media devices  100 , the crease  120  is not air tight, resulting in gaps  118  along the crease. Other gaps may be formed during assembly between, for example, one or more keys of the keypad  110  and the housing  102  or the display  108  and the housing  102 , resulting in additional gaps  118 . In other embodiments, the housing  102  may include addition portions that are integrated to form the housing  102  for the media device  100 . 
     The media device  100  may include a wireless communications device such as a cellular telephone, satellite telephone, cordless telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), pager, portable computer, or any other device capable of wireless communications. In fact,  FIG. 1  shows an exemplary cellular telephone version of a broad category of media device  100 . 
     The media device  100  may also be integrated within the packaging of other devices or structures such a vehicle, video game system, appliance, clothing, helmet, glasses, wearable apparel, stereo system, entertainment system, or other portable devices. In certain embodiments, device  100  may be docked or connected to a wireless enabling accessory system (e.g., a wi-fi docking system) that provides the media device  100  with short-range communicating functionality. Alternative types of media devices  100  may include, for example, a media player such as an iPod or iphone that are made available by Apple Inc., of Cupertino, Calif., pocket-sized personal computers such as an iPAQ Pocket PC available by Hewlett Packard Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. and any other device capable of communicating wirelessly (with or without the aid of a wireless enabling accessory system). 
     In certain embodiments, the media device  100  may synchronize with, for example, a remote computing system or server to receive media (using either wireless or wireline communications paths). Wireless syncing enables the media device  100  to transmit and receive media and data without requiring a wired connection. Media may include, without limitation, sound or audio files, music, video, multi-media, and digital data, in streaming and/or discrete (e.g., files and packets) formats. 
     During synchronization, a host system may provide media to a client system or software application embedded within the media device  100 . In certain embodiments, media and/or data is “downloaded” to the media device  100 . In other embodiments, the media device  100  is capable of uploading media to a remote host or other client system. Further details regarding the capabilities of certain embodiments of the media device  100  are provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/423,490, filed on Apr. 25, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIG. 1B  is another perspective view of a media device  100  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, as opposed to the embodiment of  FIG. 1A , the media device&#39;s frame and/or the frame&#39;s sidewalls are not exposed to an external surface of the device. However, in certain embodiments, the frame is connected internally with at least a portion of one of the first housing portion  104  or the second housing portion  106 . 
       FIG. 2  shows the media device  100  of  FIG. 1  with tethered headphones  200  and, alternatively, a wireless earpiece  206  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The tethered headphones  200  include a cable  212  that connects to the media device  100  via external jack  116 . In one embodiment, the cable provides for transport of an audio signal from the media device  100  to the headphones  100 . In another embodiment, the headphones  200  includes a left housing  202  and a right housing  204 , corresponding to the left and right ears of a user, respectively. Each housing  202  and  204  may include a speaker and/or an acoustic assembly as described later with respect to  FIG. 4 . The headphones  200  may optionally include a microphone to facilitate sending sounds from the user to the media device  100 . As an alternative to the headphones  200 , a user may utilize the wireless earpiece  206  which includes a housing  208 . In one embodiment, the earpiece  206  employs wireless channel  210  to receive audio signals from the device  100  or transmit audio signals to the device  100 . The housing  208  may include a speaker, microphone, and/or acoustic assembly as described later with respect to  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a simplified functional block diagram of the media device  100  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The media device or player  300  may include a processor  302 , storage device  304 , user interface  308 , display  310 , CODEC  312 , bus  318 , memory  320 , communications circuitry  322 , a speaker or transducer  324 , a microphone  326 , a vibration source driver  328 , and a POM sensor  330 . Processor  302  may control the operation of many functions and other circuitry included in media player  300 . Processor  302  may drive display  310  and may receive user inputs from the user interface  308 . 
     Storage device  304  may store media (e.g., music and video files), software (e.g., for implanting functions on device  300 , preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), lifestyle information (e.g., food preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment), transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), wireless connection information (e.g., information that may enable media device to establish wireless communication with another device), subscription information (e.g., information that keeps tracks of podcasts or television shows or other media a user subscribes to), and any other suitable data. Storage device  304  may include one more storage mediums, including for example, a hard-drive, permanent memory such as ROM, semi-permanent memory such as RAM, or cache. 
     Memory  320  may include one or more different types of memory which may be used for performing device functions. For example, memory  320  may include cache, ROM, and/or RAM. Bus  318  may provide a data transfer path for transferring data to, from, or between at least storage device  304 , memory  320 , and processor  302 . Coder/decoder (CODEC)  112  may be included to convert digital audio signals into an analog signal for driving the speaker  324  to produce sound including voice, music, and other like audio. The CODEC  112  may also convert audio inputs from the microphone  326  into digital audio signals. 
     User interface  308  may allow a user to interact with the media device  300 . For example, the user input device  308  can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, a click wheel, or a touch screen. Communications circuitry  322  may include circuitry for wireless communication (e.g., short-range and/or long range communication). For example, the wireless communication circuitry may be wi-fi enabling circuitry that permits wireless communication according to one of the 802.11 standards. Other wireless network protocols standards could also be used, either in alternative to the identified protocols or in addition to the identified protocol. Other network standards may include Bluetooth, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and code division multiple access (CDMA) based wireless protocols. Communications circuitry  322  may also include circuitry that enables device  300  to be electrically coupled to another device (e.g., a computer or an accessory device) and communicate with that other device. 
     In one embodiment, the media device  300  may be a portable computing device dedicated to processing media such as audio and video. For example, media device  300  may be a media player (e.g., MP3 player), a game player, a remote controller, a portable communication device, a remote ordering interface, an audio tour player, or other suitable personal device. The media device  300  may be battery-operated and highly portable so as to allow a user to listen to music, play games or video, record video or take pictures, communicate with others, and/or control other devices. In addition, the media device  300  may be sized such that it fits relatively easily into a pocket or hand of the user. By being handheld, the media device  300  (or media device  100  shown in  FIG. 1 ) is relatively small and easily handled and utilized by its user and thus may be taken practically anywhere the user travels. 
     As discussed previously, the relatively small form factor of the media devices  300  enables a user to easily manipulate the devices position, orientation, and movement. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention provide for improved techniques of sensing such changes in position, orientation, and movement to enable a user to interface with or control the media device  300  by affecting such changes. Further, the media device  300  may include a vibration source  328 , under the control of processor  302 , for example, to facilitate sending motion, vibration, and/or movement information to a user related to an operation of the media device. 
       FIG. 4  shows a transverse sectional view of a media device  400  including a vibration source  414  and/or POM sensor  416  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The media device  400  comprises an upper housing  402 . The main structural frame  404  is secured to the housing  402  which may be fabricated from a die-castable material using a die-casting process. The frame  404  includes a surrounding sidewall  406  and a web or backplane  408 . The web  408  extends between the sidewall  406  and forms a printed circuit board compartment between the housing  402  and web  408 . The printed circuit board compartment is bounded on the top by the housing  402  and on the bottom by the web  408 . The printed circuit board compartment includes a printed circuit board  410  and associated electrical components  412 . The web  408  supports or houses a battery  414  which, in turn, forms the back of the cellular telephone  400 . 
     The media device  400  may employ a unitized frame member  404  which is composed of a single die-castable material, typically magnesium or zinc, where the sidewall  406  and the web  408  are constructed of the same or different material via a die-cast fabrication technique. In one embodiment, the media device  400  includes at least one vibration source  414 . In another embodiment, the media device  400  includes at least one POM sensor  416 . In certain embodiments, one or both of the at least one vibration source  414  and POM sensor  416  are in communication with the web  408 , the circuit board  410 , and/or a portion of a sidewall  406 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the POM sensor  416  and vibration source  414  are in communication with the web  408  and/or frame  404 . In certain embodiments, at least one of the POM sensor  416  and vibration source  414  are mounted to and/or in communication with one or more of the web  408 , the frame  404 , the circuit board  410 , the housing  402 , and any other component or element of the media device  400 . 
     In one embodiment, a portion of the printed circuit board  410 , the memory  320 , storage  304 , processor  302 , a battery, and a driver circuit  328  or  418 , operate to form a vibration generating circuit for the vibration source  414 . In certain embodiments, the vibration source  414  includes a generating motor. In other embodiments, the vibration source includes a solenoid or other elements that generates a vibration, vibration pattern, and/or vibration sequence in response to an application running on the processor  302 . 
     By way of example, one of the vibration generating motors, “FM16, FM23, FM25 or FM29” or “CM-5”, manufactured by the Tokyo Parts Industries Corporation, LTD of Tokyo, Japan, may be utilized as a vibration source  414 . By further example, the “FM” motor employs an eccentric member that is attached to a rotating shaft incorporated in a cylindrical case. The eccentric member is rotated according to a rotation of the rotation shaft, and thereby, a vibration is generated from the vibration source  414  that is coupled to at least one of the web  408 , the frame  404 , the circuit board  410 , the housing  402 , and any other component or element of the media device  400 . By another example, the “CM” motor employs a armature coil that is mounted in an eccentric manner. By rotating the armature, a vibration is generated. Further, if the vibration source  414  employs a solenoid, a core within the solenoid is reciprocally moved and, thereby, a vibration is generated. 
     Regardless of the physical element employed, the vibration source  414  may be driven by the driver circuit  328  and/or  418  in response to the processor  302 . The consumption of electric power by the vibration source  414  may be substantial. Accordingly, an application may be employed to provide for the activation and/or deactivation of the vibration source  414  depending on the power needs of the media device  400 . In certain embodiments, the vibration source driver circuit  328  and/or  418  is configured to adjust at least one of the frequency of vibration, strength of vibration, and/or period of vibration in one or more pre-selected or defined sequences and/or patterns. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective transparent view of an three-dimensional acceleration sensor or accelerometer  502  within a media device  500  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In certain embodiments, the POM sensor  416  includes an acceleration sensor and/or accelerometer  502  that detects an acceleration in three axial directions of the media device  500 , i.e., the up-down direction (Y-axis), the left-right direction (X-axis), and the front-rear direction (the Z-axis). The acceleration sensor allows the inclinations and movements of the media device  500  in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions to be determined. In one embodiment, acceleration data detected by the acceleration sensor  502  is transmitted to the processor  302  for processing to enable determination of the position, orientation, and/or movement of the media device  500 . 
     In one embodiment, the media device  500  includes a three-axis or three-dimensional, linear acceleration sensor  502  that detects linear acceleration in each of the three axial directions shown in  FIG. 5 . In an alternative embodiment, a two-axis linear accelerometer is employed that detects linear acceleration along each of the X-axis and Y-axis (or other pair of axes). A two-axis sensor may be sufficient depending on the types of positions, orientations, and movements that are desired to be detected and/or used to control the media device  500 . By way of example, the three-axis or two-axis linear accelerometer  502  may be of the type available from Analog Devices, Inc. or STMicroelectronics. The acceleration sensor  502  may be an electrostatic capacitance or capacitance-coupling type that is based on silicon micro-machined MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology. In certain embodiments, other forms of accelerometer technology such as, without limitation, piezoelectric or piezoresistance based sensors may be employed to provide three-axis or two-axis acceleration detection. 
     Because the linear acceleration sensor  502  may only be capable of detecting acceleration along a straight line corresponding to each axis of the acceleration sensor, the acceleration sensor  502  may not be capable of directly detecting movement in the form of a non-linear (e.g. circular) path, a rotation, a rotational movement, an angular displacement, a tilt, a position, an attitude or another physical characteristic. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, through additional processing of the linear acceleration signals output from the acceleration sensor  502 , additional information relating to the position, orientation, or movement of the media device  500  may be inferred or calculated by an application running on the processor  302 . 
     For example, by detecting a static, linear acceleration (i.e., gravity), the linear acceleration output of the acceleration sensor  502  may be used to infer or calculate tilt or inclination of the media device  500  relative to the gravity vector by correlating tilt angles with detected linear acceleration. In this way, the acceleration sensor  502  may be used in combination with the processor  302  (or another processor) to determine tilt, attitude or position of the media device  502 . Similarly, various movements, patterns of movement, and/or positions of the media device may be calculated or inferred through processing of the linear acceleration signals generated by the acceleration sensor  502  when the media device  500  is subjected to dynamic accelerations by, for example, the hand of a user. In one embodiment, the acceleration sensor  502  may include an embedded signal processor or other type of dedicated processor for performing any desired processing of the acceleration signals output from the acceleration sensor  502  and/or other accelerometers in the media device  500  prior to outputting signals to the processor  302 . In certain embodiments, the embedded or dedicated processor or processors may convert the detected acceleration signal to a corresponding tilt angle when the acceleration sensor  502  is intended to detect static acceleration (i.e., gravity). 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective transparent view of a pair of two-dimensional accelerometers  602  and  604  within a media device  600  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In certain embodiments, instead of using a single three-dimensional accelerometer, two two-dimensional accelerometers  602  and  604  may be arranged in relation to each other so as to enable three-dimensional sensing of the position, orientation, and movement of the media device  600 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective transparent view of a pair of three-dimensional accelerometers  702  and  704  within a media device  700  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In certain embodiments, two or more three-dimensional accelerometers may be employed by the media device  700  for enhanced sensing capabilities. In other embodiments, a plurality of accelerometers  702  and  704  may be positioned within the media device  700  at any one of a plurality of locations. 
       FIG. 8  shows a perspective transparent view of a plurality of POM sensors  802 ,  804 , and  806  within or attached to a media device  800  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, a gyro-sensor or gyroscope  802  may be employed instead of or in addition to an acceleration sensor  804 . In certain embodiments, the gyro-sensor  802  may include a rotating or vibrating element. Exemplary MEMS gyro-sensors that may be used in this embodiment are available from Analog Devices, Inc. Unlike the linear acceleration sensor  804 , a gyro-sensor  802  is capable of directly detecting rotation (or angular rate) around an axis defined by the gyroscopic element (or elements) of the gyro-sensor  802 . Because there are fundamental differences between a gyro-sensor  802  and a linear acceleration sensor  804  (e.g., angle-based vs. vector-based output), different processing operations are performed on the output signals from these different sensors devices. 
     For example, when tilt or inclination is calculated using a gyro-sensor  802  instead of the acceleration sensor, different algorithms and/or applications may be employed by the processor  302  to determine position, orientation, and/or movement of the media device  800 . In one embodiment, when using a gyro-sensor  802 , the value of inclination is initialized at the start of detection. Then, data on the angular velocity which is output from the gyroscope  802  is integrated. Furthermore, a change in amount of inclination from the value of inclination previously initialized is calculated. In this case, the calculated inclination corresponds to an angle. In contrast, when an acceleration sensor  804  is used, the inclination may be calculated by comparing the value of the acceleration of gravity of each axial component with a predetermined reference. Accordingly, the calculated inclination may be represented as a vector and, without initialization, an absolute direction may be determined with an accelerometer. In certain embodiments, one or more POM sensors may be employed to detect at least one of absolute and relative position, orientation, and movement information. 
     The type of the value calculated as an inclination may also be different between a gyroscope  802  and an accelerometer  804 . For example, the value may be an angle when a gyroscope  802  is used, but a vector when an acceleration sensor  804  is used. Accordingly, when a gyroscope  802  is used instead of an acceleration sensor  804  or vice versa, the sensor data on inclination may be processed by a predetermined conversion that takes into account the fundamental differences between a gyro-sensor  802  and an accelerometer  804 . Due to the fact that the nature of gyroscopes is known to one skilled in the art, as well as the fundamental differences between linear accelerometers and gyroscopes, further details are not provided herein. While gyro-sensors provide certain advantages due to their ability to directly detect rotation, linear acceleration sensors may be more cost effective when used in connection with portable media device  800 . 
     In certain embodiments, the media device  800  may include an environmental or POM sensor  806  in addition to at least one of an accelerometer  804  and a gyro-sensor  802 . The additional sensor  806  may be a light sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, proximity sensor, capacitive proximity sensor, acoustic sensor, a microphone, sonic or sonar sensor, radar sensor, image sensor, video sensor, global positional system (GPS) detector, RF detector, RF triangulation detector, RF or acoustic doppler detector, or other like environment sensor. In one embodiment, the media device  800  employs a plurality of POM and environmental sensors  802 ,  804 , and  806  to determine the position, orientation, and/or movement of the media device  800 . 
     As discussed previously, there is a need for providing a user interface in a personal media device that minimizes either or both a user&#39;s physical and visual interactions with the personal media device, especially while the user is performing other activities that require, for example, the user&#39;s visual senses. In one embodiment, this need is addressed by providing a media device including an environmental or POM sensor that generates a sensor signal based on at least one of a position, orientation, and movement of the media device. The media device also includes a processor that receives the environmental or POM sensor signal and controls one or more operations of the media device based at least in part on the sensor signal. For example, by performing one or more defined or pre-selected movements of the media device, a user can control various operations of the media device. 
     One operation may include stepping through a list of elements associated with an application. The stepping may occur in an increment where the increment is proportional to an intensity of at least one of a rate of change in position, a rate of change in orientation, and a rate of movement from an environment sensor of the media device. An operation may include at least one of starting or launching one or more applications, stopping or ending one or more applications, selecting or de-selecting one or more elements, increasing or decreasing one or more settings, moving through a list of elements, initiating or ending a communications session, playing music or video, pausing music or video, and initiating or ending an audio or video recording session. An element may include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. 
       FIG. 9  is a conceptual diagram of a computer processing environment  900  including various applications or routines running within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The processing environment  900  includes a movement pattern recognition application  902 , a movement pattern training application  904 , a vibration control application  906 , and a audio control application  908 . The processing environment  900  also includes a movement pattern database  910 , a vibration pattern database  912 , and an audio pattern database  914 . In certain embodiments, the processing environment  900  runs on the processor  302  and/or on another processor within a media device such as media device  100 . 
     In operation, the movement pattern recognition application  902  receives sensor signal inputs from at least one environment sensor such as, for example, acceleration sensor  804  of  FIG. 8 , and compares the received sensor signal with a list of known sensor signals in the database  910  to determine an operation of the media device to perform. In one embodiment, the sensor signal includes sensor signals associated with a sequence or pattern of movements, positions, and/or orientations of the media device  100  over a period of time. Hence, the application  902 , in certain embodiments, recognizes position, orientation, and/or movement patterns using the list of pattern and/or POM fingerprint information in the database  910 . 
     The movement pattern recognition application  902  may be activated by a user by holding the display, pressing an icon on the display, pressing a button on the media device interface, and/or touching a bezel either alone or in combination with a particular movement pattern. In certain embodiments, one or more operations of the media device may be initiated by a user by holding the display, pressing an icon on the display, pressing a button on the media device interface, and/or touching a bezel either alone or in combination with a particular known movement pattern. By requiring the user to explicitly interact with a portion of the media device (e.g, touching the display, button, icon, and/or bezel) while performing a movement pattern, the possibility of inadvertently initiating a media device operation is minimized or eliminated. In one embodiment, the application  902  may be called or activated by another application running on a media device. 
     The media device may employ a grip detector or proximity sensor that senses when the phone is in a user&#39;s hand to ignore changes in position, orientation, or movement that are not based on the user&#39;s hand movements and/or positioning, or to enable activation of motion sensing applications. In one embodiment, the grip detector may include one or more switches and/or buttons to detect the presence of at least one, two, three, and four fingers. 
       FIG. 10  is a diagram of a database  1000  including one or more lists associating movement patterns with data elements of one or more applications within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, as discussed above, an element may include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. The database  1000 , which corresponds to database  910  in certain embodiments, may include multiple lists  1002 ,  1004 , and  1006  of elements  1008  where each list is associated with a particular application of the media device  100 . In certain embodiments, an element may include an operation to be performed by an application. 
     In operation, in one embodiment, elements  1  through N are associated with movement patterns  1  through N respectively. Thus, when application  1002  is running and the movement pattern recognition application or routine  902  is running, the application  902  may continuously compare received sensor signals with the list of movement patterns associated with application  1002  to determine when one of the elements is to be selected. For example, while running the media device&#39;s telephone application, the user may move the media device in a known sequence or pattern to initiate a cellular telephone call to a particular contact. By monitoring the sensor signal inputs from the environmental or POM sensors, the application  902  recognizes the received sensor signal as being associated with, for example, movement pattern  1  which is associated with element  1 . Element  1  may, for example, include the particular contact&#39;s telephone number. By selecting element  1  while the telephone application is running, the telephone application initiates a call to the particular contact. The inputting, training, and/or storing of known movement patterns is discussed in detail later herein with respect to  FIG. 17 . 
       FIG. 11  shows an exemplary process whereby a user steps through a list  1102  of items displayed by an application on a media device  1100  by rotating and/or flicking their hand  1104  or wrist according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
     In operation, as the user rotates his hand  1104 , the media device  1100  rotates in the direction  1106 . This triggers a sensor signal which is received by an application that then initiates the movement or shifting of the displayed list or display window of items in the direction  1108  on the display  1110 . Because each item  1112  may be an element, by repeatedly tilting or rotating his hand  1104  and then returning to it to the original position, the user steps through the list of elements displayed by the application. In one embodiment, the stepping occurs in an increment proportional to an intensity of at least one of a rate of change in position, a rate of change in orientation, and a rate of movement of the user&#39;s flicking action as sensed by at least one environmental sensor of the media device  1100 . Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the movement pattern recognition application  902  recognizes changes in position, orientation, and movement at different rates as different movement patterns that may be associated with different elements and/or operations. Accordingly, the user may increase the rate of moving through the list by flicking his hand or wrist more rapidly. 
       FIG. 12  shows the various dimensions of position, orientation, and movement of a media device  1200  that are capable of detection, identification, and/or recordation according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , because the one or more environmental sensors of the media device  1200  are able to sense position, orientation, and movement in any direction, a user of the media device  100  may generate an unlimited set movement patterns that are sensible, recordable, and identifiable by the movement pattern recognition application  902  of the media device  1200 . 
       FIG. 13  shows an exemplary movement sequence or pattern used for control of a media device  1300  according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In this illustrative movement, the user moves the media device  1300  in the circular direction indicated by path  1302 . However, this is only one example of an unlimited number of movement patterns that a user may perform while holding the media device  1300 . For example, without limitation, the media device  1300  may be shaken back and forth, up and down, side-to-side, moved in various looping patterns, titled, twisted, rotated, flipped, swung, cradled, twirled, and/or moved in a any sequence within a three-dimensional space by the user. A user may desire to use a movement pattern that emulates some other activity or action such as, for example, a baseball swing, golf swing, hockey slap shot, or any other known action or expression. The time period for sensing and/or inputting a movement pattern may be adjustable and/or vary based on user selection and/or application selection. Further, an application may adjust its pattern recognition period depending on which subroutine or feature is running. For example, a contact list application may have a relatively short pattern recognition period to enable a user to quickly step through a list of contacts by the user flicking his wrist. Such action may only require about 1-2 seconds. However, to initiate a call to a friend, the pattern recognition period may be adjusted to about 3-5 seconds to allow the user to, for example, emulate a golf swing to initiate a call to a particular telephone number. 
     In certain embodiments, the application  902  accounts for background changes, either physically or algorithmically, in position, orientation, and movement by sampling the surrounding environment, via at least one POM sensor, either before or after the user performs a movement pattern. For example, if a user is on a train, the application may detect the velocity of the train and account for this background velocity when detecting a movement pattern. In other embodiments, movement patterns include information associated with environmental conditions such as global position, gravity, magnetic field, navigation information, angular momentum, and velocity. By including additional orthogonal vectors of position, orientation, and movement information, the selectivity of pattern recognition is advantageously enhanced. In one embodiment, the media device includes a camera that provides visual and/or graphical measures of the environment surrounding the media device. In certain embodiments, the media device employs a level set method to analyze objects in space which may to used in conjunction with other POM sensors to enhance the determination of the position, orientation, and/or movement of the media device. 
       FIG. 14  is flow diagram of a process  1400  for interfacing with and/or controlling an application running on a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In certain embodiments, the user interface of a media device, such as media device  100 , enables a user to activate or deactivate one or more motion control or interface applications such as at least one of the applications  902 ,  904 ,  906 , and  908  of  FIG. 9 . In other embodiments, one or more applications may include an option or feature that allows a user to activate any one of the applications  902 - 908  for that application or for a feature of the application [Step  1402 ]. Once, for example, the application  902  is activated, the user performs a movement pattern (e.g., shaking the media device up and down) to activate a desired application (e.g., cellular telephone application) [Step  1404 ]. Next, the user views the display and/or feels a known vibration pattern or hears a known audio pattern to confirm that the telephone application has been activated or launched [Step  1406 ]. Once activated, the telephone application may present a list of contacts and/or pre-programmed phone numbers that the user may call. The user may then perform another movement pattern (e.g., tipping the media device up and down) to scroll through the list of contacts [Step  1408 ]. When a desired contact is highlighted and/or designated in the list, the user may view the display, feel a known vibration pattern associated with that contact, and/or hear a known audio pattern associated with that contact, or any combination of the above [Step  1410 ]. Once the contact is highlighted and/or identified, the user may then perform a further movement pattern (e.g., shake side-to-side) to initiate a call to the contact person [Step  1412 ]. Certain aspects of user interface operations and navigation with the media device are also described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/295,694, filed on Dec. 5, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , a user, in certain embodiments, can navigate through the menus and application features presented by a user interface of a media device using movement patterns and by receiving motion and/or audio based feedback without the need to view the interface. 
       FIG. 15  is a diagram of a database  1500  or list associating vibration patterns with data elements of one or more applications within a media device. In one embodiment, as discussed above, an element may include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. The database  1500 , which corresponds to database  912  in certain embodiments, may include multiple lists  1502 ,  1504 , and  1506  of elements  1508  where each list is associated with a particular application of a media device such as media device  100  of  FIG. 1 . In certain embodiments an element may include an operation to be performed by an application. Thus, when a user selects a particular contact in a list which, for example, corresponds to element  1  of list  1502 , the vibration control application  906  retrieves the vibration pattern  1  from the database  1500  and uses the vibration pattern  1  to control vibration source driver  328 , which then drives a vibration source, e.g., vibration source  414 , resulting in a vibration of the media device in the known vibration pattern  1 . The known vibration pattern  1  is then felt by the media device user and recognized as being associated with the desired contact or element. 
     In one embodiment, elements  1  through N are associated with vibration patterns  1  through N respectively. Thus, when application  1502  is running and the vibration pattern recognition application or routine  906  is running, the application  906  controls the vibration source  414  to initiate a vibration pattern when a particular element is selected. 
       FIG. 16  is a diagram of a database  1600  or list associating audio patterns with data elements of an application within a media device according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, as discussed above, an element may include at least one of a song, a video, a music file, an audio file, a video file, a photograph, a media file, an application icon, an activation icon, a control button, a data file, and contact data. The database  1600 , which corresponds to database  914  of  FIG. 9  in certain embodiments, may include multiple lists  1602 ,  1604 , and  1606  of elements  1608  where each list is associated with a particular application of a media device such as media device  100  of  FIG. 1 . In certain embodiments an element may include an operation to be performed by an application. Thus, when a user selects a particular contact in a list which, for example, corresponds to element  1  of list  1602 , the audio control application  908  retrieves the audio pattern  1  from the database  1600  and uses the audio pattern  1  to control a speaker, e.g., speaker  324 , resulting in a audio sequence being emitted from the media device in a known audio pattern. The known audio pattern is then heard by the media device user and recognized as being associated with a desired contact. 
     In one embodiment, elements  1  through N are associated with audio patterns  1  through N respectively. Thus, when application  1602  is running and the audio control application or routine  908  is running, the application  908  controls the speaker  324  output to initiate a audio pattern when a particular element is selected. The audio pattern may include, without limitation, a portion of a song, a portion of a recording, a portion of an audio file, a sequence of tones, a sequence of rings, and/or a combination of the foregoing audio outputs. 
       FIG. 17  is a flow diagram of a process  1700  for inputting and identifying movement patterns based on one or more pattern recognition algorithms according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In certain embodiments, the movement pattern recognition application  902  and movement pattern training application  904  employ one or more pattern recognition algorithms and/or techniques to identify various movement pattern of a media device. First, the media device  100  is subjected to a surrounding physical three-dimensional environment where the device experiences various changes in position, orientation, and movements [Step  1702 ]. The media device  100  employs one or more POM sensors to measure changes in position, orientation, and movement. In certain embodiments, the applications  902  and  904  account for bandwidth, resolution, sensitivity, distortion, signal-to-noise ratio, latency, and other issues with regard to data acquisition using the one or more POM sensors [Step  1704 ]. 
     The applications  902  and  904  may perform pre-processing of the sensor signals to remove noise and/or to isolate patterns of interest from background information [Steps  1706  and  1720 ]. Then, the applications  902  and  904  may perform feature extraction by finding new representations in terms of identified features of sensor signals [Steps  1708  and  1722 ]. Particular features of sensor signals may be identified as being more relevant for pattern identification [Steps  1712  and  1724 ]. Feature selection may include identifying discriminative features of sensor signals such as similar values for similar patterns or different values for different patterns. Feature selection may include identifying invariant features such as with respect to translation, rotation, and/or scale of sensor signals. Feature selection may include identifying robust features with respect to occlusion, distortion, deformation, and variations in environment. 
     The training application  904  may capture training data in the form of an input from the user [Step  1718 ]. In one embodiment, an application may provide an option associated with an element that enables a user to input a movement pattern into the database  910  and/or  1000  associated with the element. In another embodiment, the user is prompted to perform the movement once, twice, thrice, or more times as part of a training process for the movement pattern training application  904 . In other embodiments, the user may be given the option after a particular movement to indicate that it is associate with a particular element. This may be advantageous where the media device selects the wrong element because the user will have the opportunity to identify the intended element which can then be used as further training data. 
     After pre-processing, feature extraction, and selection, the application  904  may then perform model learning and estimation whereby the application  904  learns to map between features and pattern groups and categories of sensor signals [Step  1726 ]. The application  904  may select a pattern recognition model that is parametric or non-parametric. The application  904  may select a type of model that include at least one of templates, decision-theoretic or statistical, syntactic or structural, neural, and hybrid forms of pattern recognition analysis [Step  1728 ]. 
     Once a particular model is selected, the movement pattern recognition application  902  performs a classification and/or matching of the received sensor signal using features and learned models from the movement pattern training application  904  to assign the received movement pattern to a category of patterns. The application  902  may then compare the received sensor signal with the set of movement patterns in the database  1000  to find the closest match between the received sensor signal and the stored array of known movement patterns [Step  1712 ]. The application  902  may perform post-processing by evaluating its confidence in the decision [Step  1714 ]. The application  902  may then decide which known pattern of the database  1000  corresponds to the received sensor signal. 
     In certain embodiments, the features of the known movement patterns may be limited to minimize costs in processing power and storage. Accordingly, the selectivity of identifying a particular pattern may vary depending on the number of points or features stored or used for each known movement pattern. In another embodiment, the known movement pattern can be pre-generated and stored in the media device by the manufacturer or another entity. 
     The movement pattern recognition application  902  may perform pattern recognition based on at least one of Bayes Decision Theory, Generative methods, discriminative methods, non-metric methods, algorithm-independent machine learning, unsupervised learning and clustering, and like techniques. The Bayes Decision techniques may include, without limitation, at least one of Bayes Decision Rule, minimum error rate classification, normal density and discriminant functions, error integrals and bounds, Bayesian networks, and compound decision theory. The Generative methods may include, without limitation, at least one of maximum likelihood and Bayesian parameter estimation, sufficient statistics, various common statistical distributions, dimensionality and computational complexity, principal components analysis, fisher linear discriminant, expectation maximization, sequential data, hidden Markov models, and non-parametric techniques including density estimation. The discriminative methods may include, without limitation, distance-based methods, nearest neighbor classification, metrics and tangent distance, fuzzy classification, linear discriminant functions (hyperplane geometry, gradient descent and perceptrons, minimum squared error procedures, and support vector machines), and artificial neural networks. The non-metric methods may include, without limitation, recognition with strings and string matching. The algorithm-independent machine learning techniques may include, without limitation, no-free lunch theorem, bias and variance, re-sampling for estimation, bagging and boosting, estimation of misclassification, and classifier combinations. 
     In certain embodiments, a remote device in communication with the media device may include one or more POM sensors. The remote device may relay POM information to the media device to facilitate control of the media device. For example, the remote device may be a wireless headset or earpiece. The media device may include an application that requires a yes or no input from the user. By nodding his head up and down (indicating “yes”), the user causes the earpieces position and orientation to change. This change in POM is then relayed wirelessly from the earpiece to the media device which then compares the sensor signal with its known database of motion patterns to determine that the user nodded “yes.” If the user shook his head from side to side (indicating “no”), the media device would detect his head shaking. Any suitable wireless device interfacing with the media device may include this capability. The device may support any suitable wireless standard or interface such as, without limitation, CDMA, GSM, Bluetooth, wi-fi, 802.x, TDMA, and any like public or private wireless protocols. 
     The media device may support motion-based control and interfacing for numerous application including, without limitation, e-mail, texting, word processing, interface navigation, data searching, web surfing, database management, remote control systems, multimedia applications, or any application operating with a media device. 
     It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that methods involved in the present invention may be embodied in a computer program product that includes a computer usable and/or readable medium. For example, such a computer usable medium may consist of a read only memory device, such as a CD ROM disk or conventional ROM devices, or a random access memory, such as a hard drive device or a computer diskette, or flash memory device having a computer readable program code stored thereon. 
     It is understood that the various features, elements, or processes of the foregoing figures and description are interchangeable or combinable to realize or practice the invention describe herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation, and the invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20071001
Publication Date: 20150127
Grant Date: 20150127
Priority Date: 20071001
Inventors: CULBERT MICHAEL
FORSTALL SCOTT
KING NICHOLAS V.
LEE MICHAEL M.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/0381", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/0381", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1637", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1637", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0346", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0346", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/017", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0346", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/017", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/017", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/0381", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/16", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1637", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/017", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1637", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0346", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/0381", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/72454", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 40508993