Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for sensing motion of a portable terminal

US5656804A · kind A · utility

107Cited by
10References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 12, 1996
Grant dateAug 12, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 12, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06K7/10881
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A portable terminal has a housing with a motion detector housed therein. Movement of the housing from a a rest position is detected by sensing the motion of a coil or magnet located within the housing. A controller activates circuitry within the housing responsive to the detected movement. The terminal may include a touch sensitive display, on a flat front surface of the housing. A light emitter and an optical detector may also be disposed within the housing. Preferably, the terminal also houses a sensor for sensing different specific positional orientations of the terminal and activating or deactivating terminal functions depending on the sensed orientation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.