The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 26, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 08, 1996
Ellis A Pinder, Davie, FL (US);
Charles P Schultz, Hialeah, FL (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
An orientation controlled method of switching the operational mode of an electronic device adds additional functionality to existing buttons or switches. The electronic device (10) typically contains an orientation detector (30) which is sensitive to its position in space. One or more of these orientation detectors is linked to appropriate sections of the electronic device and act to switch between the various operational modes of the device. When the user orients the device to a predetermined position in space, the orientation detectors are activated or engaged, thus sending a signal to the device to change the operational mode. The user then has the option of pushing a button (22, 24) to select that particular operational mode or to toggle between various submodes of that operational mode. When the user input is complete and the device is returned to the original orientation, the orientation detectors are deactivated or disengaged and the device is then used in a normal operating fashion.