Mobile Device Customization via Wireless Charm Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users, especially teenagers and children, desire to personalize and customize their mobile devices but existing technologies lack effective methods for altering device features using physical objects with embedded wireless components.

Innovation Solution

A system and method utilizing charms with embedded wireless components that communicate with mobile devices to alter features such as display images, ring tones, and user interfaces, allowing users to customize their devices by detecting and interacting with these charms through a mobile application.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users want to personalize mobile device features, then customization capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces charms as intermediary objects that contain wireless communication components. These charms serve as mediators between the user's customization desires and the mobile device, allowing feature alteration without modifying the device itself. The charm acts as a portable configuration repository that communicates with the device to apply personalized settings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the customization functionality from the mobile device by placing it in separate charm objects. Instead of integrating all customization features within the device, the system divides customization into independent, removable charm modules that can be individually managed and swapped.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If physical objects with wireless components are used for customization, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The charms are designed to be self-contained units with embedded wireless communication components that automatically communicate with the mobile device when brought into proximity. The system enables self-service operation where the charm itself manages the configuration transfer without requiring complex user intervention or device-side complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple features are made customizable, then adaptability is improved, but loss of information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature customizationVSAvoidconfiguration management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The charm serves as an intermediary information repository that stores configuration data for multiple customizable features. By externalizing this information storage to the charm, the system avoids information loss within the device while enabling comprehensive feature customization through the charm's configurable parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9729708B2Methods and systems for altering features of mobile devices

Publication Date: 2017.08.08 DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC

AI summary

There is provided a method for altering features of a mobile device. The method includes detecting a charm having a charm identification, obtaining the charm identification from the charm, identifying the charm using the charm identification, altering a theme of the mobile device to a new theme based on the charm, in response to the identifying of the charm.