| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080214233 | CONNECTING MOBILE DEVICES VIA INTERACTIVE INPUT MEDIUM - A mobile device connection system is provided. The system includes an input medium to detect a device position or location. An analysis component determines a device type and establishes a connection with the device. The input medium can include vision systems to detect device presence and location where connections are established via wireless technologies. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080231611 | INTERACTION BETWEEN OBJECTS AND A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT DISPLAY - An interactive table has a display surface on which a physical object is disposed. A camera within the interactive table responds to infrared (IR) light reflected from the physical object enabling a location of the physical object on the display surface to be determined, so that the physical object appear part of a virtual environment displayed thereon. The physical object can be passive or active. An active object performs an active function, e.g., it can be self-propelled to move about on the display surface, or emit light or sound, or vibrate. The active object can be controlled by a user or the processor. The interactive table can project an image through a physical object on the display surface so the image appears part of the object. A virtual entity is preferably displayed at a position (and a size) to avoid visually interference with any physical object on the display surface. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20090002344 | CALIBRATION OF AN INTERACTIVE DISPLAY SYSTEM - In an interactive display system, a projected image on a display surface and a vision system used to detect objects touching the display surface are aligned, and optical distortion of the vision system is compensated. Also, calibration procedures correct for a non-uniformity of infrared (IR) illumination of the display surface by IR light sources and establish a touch threshold for one or more uses so that the interactive display system correctly responds to each user touching the display surface. A movable IR camera filter enables automation of the alignment of the projected image and the image of the display surface and help in detecting problems in either the projector or vision system. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090088233 | DYNAMIC PROBLEM SOLVING FOR GAMES - The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates enhancing a game, game play or playability of a game. An experience component can collect a portion of data related to a game in which the portion of data indicates at least one of a tip or a tactic for the game. A game component can dynamically incorporate the portion of data into the game during game play to enhance playability of such game for a user with assistance provided by at least one of the tip or the tactic. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090091553 | DETECTING TOUCH ON A SURFACE VIA A SCANNING LASER - The detection of touch on an optical touch-sensitive device is disclosed. For example, one disclosed embodiment comprises a touch-sensitive device including a display screen, a laser, and a scanning mirror configured to scan light from the laser across the screen. The touch-sensitive device also includes a position-sensitive device and optics configured to form an image of at least a portion of the screen on the position-sensitive device. A location of an object relative to the screen may be determined by detecting a location on the position-sensitive device of laser light reflected by the object. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090262070 | Method and System for Reducing Effects of Undesired Signals in an Infrared Imaging System - Effects of undesired infrared light are reduced in an imaging system using an infrared light source. The desired infrared light source is activated and a first set of imaging data is captured during a first image capture interval. The desired infrared light source is then deactivated, and a second set of image data is captured during a second image capture interval. A composite set of image data is then generated by subtracting from first values in the first set of image data corresponding second values in the second set of image data. The composite set of image data thus includes a set of imaging where data all infrared signals are collected, including both signals resulting from the IR source and other IR signals, from which is subtracted imaging in which no signals result from the IR course, leaving image data including signals resulting only from the IR source. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090268945 | ARCHITECTURE FOR CONTROLLING A COMPUTER USING HAND GESTURES - Architecture for implementing a perceptual user interface. The architecture comprises alternative modalities for controlling computer application programs and manipulating on-screen objects through hand gestures or a combination of hand gestures and verbal commands. The perceptual user interface system includes a tracking component that detects object characteristics of at least one of a plurality of objects within a scene, and tracks the respective object. Detection of object characteristics is based at least in part upon image comparison of a plurality of images relative to a course mapping of the images. A seeding component iteratively seeds the tracking component with object hypotheses based upon the presence of the object characteristics and the image comparison. A filtering component selectively removes the tracked object from the object hypotheses and/or at least one object hypothesis from the set of object hypotheses based upon predetermined removal criteria. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20100020026 | Touch Interaction with a Curved Display - Touch interaction with a curved display (e.g., a sphere, a hemisphere, a cylinder, etc.) is enabled through various user interface (UI) features. In an example embodiment, a curved display is monitored to detect a touch input. If a touch input is detected based on the act of monitoring, then one or more locations of the touch input are determined. Responsive to the determined one or more locations of the touch input, at least one user UI feature is implemented. Example UI features include an orb-like invocation gesture feature, a rotation-based dragging feature, a send-to-dark-side interaction feature, and an object representation and manipulation by proxy representation feature. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100023895 | Touch Interaction with a Curved Display - Touch interaction with a curved display (e.g., a sphere, a hemisphere, a cylinder, etc.) is facilitated by preserving a predetermined orientation for objects. In an example embodiment, a curved display is monitored to detect a touch input on an object. If a touch input on an object is detected based on the monitoring, then one or more locations of the touch input are determined. The object may be manipulated responsive to the determined one or more locations of the touch input. While manipulation of the object is permitted, a predetermined orientation is preserved. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100026470 | FUSING RFID AND VISION FOR SURFACE OBJECT TRACKING - The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates detecting and identifying objects within surface computing. An interface component can receive at least one surface input, the surface input relates to at least one of an object, a gesture, or a user. A surface detection component can detect a location of the surface input utilizing a computer vision-based sensing technique. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag can transmit a portion of RFID data, wherein the RFID tag is associated with the surface input. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) fusion component can utilize the portion of RFID data to identify at least one of a source of the surface input or a portion of data to associate to the surface input. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100027843 | SURFACE UI FOR GESTURE-BASED INTERACTION - Disclosed is a unique system and method that facilitates gesture-based interaction with a user interface. The system involves an object sensing configured to include a sensing plane vertically or horizontally located between at least two imaging components on one side and a user on the other. The imaging components can acquire input images taken of a view of and through the sensing plane. The images can include objects which are on the sensing plane and/or in the background scene as well as the user as he interacts with the sensing plane. By processing the input images, one output image can be returned which shows the user objects that are in contact with the plane. Thus, objects located at a particular depth can be readily determined. Any other objects located beyond can be “removed” and not seen in the output image. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100066675 | Compact Interactive Tabletop With Projection-Vision - The subject application relates to a system(s) and/or methodology that facilitate vision-based projection of any image (still or moving) onto any surface. In particular, a front-projected computer vision-based interactive surface system is provided which uses a new commercially available projection technology to obtain a compact, self-contained form factor. The subject configuration addresses installation, calibration, and portability issues that are primary concerns in most vision-based table systems. The subject application also relates to determining whether an object is touching or hovering over an interactive surface based on an analysis of a shadow image. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100079369 | Using Physical Objects in Conjunction with an Interactive Surface - An interaction management module (IMM) is described for allowing users to engage an interactive surface in a collaborative environment using various input devices, such as keyboard-type devices and mouse-type devices. The IMM displays digital objects on the interactive surface that are associated with the devices in various ways. The digital objects can include input display interfaces, cursors, soft-key input mechanisms, and so on. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for establishing a frame of reference for governing the placement of each cursor on the interactive surface. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for allowing users to make a digital copy of a physical article placed on the interactive surface. The IMM also provides a mechanism which duplicates actions taken on the digital copy with respect to the physical article, and vice versa. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100138798 | System and method for executing a game process - A 3-D imaging system for recognition and interpretation of gestures to control a computer. The system includes a 3-D imaging system that performs gesture recognition and interpretation based on a previous mapping of a plurality of hand poses and orientations to user commands for a given user. When the user is identified to the system, the imaging system images gestures presented by the user, performs a lookup for the user command associated with the captured image(s), and executes the user command(s) to effect control of the computer, programs, and connected devices. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100146464 | Architecture For Controlling A Computer Using Hand Gestures - Architecture for implementing a perceptual user interface. The architecture comprises alternative modalities for controlling computer application programs and manipulating on-screen objects through hand gestures or a combination of hand gestures and verbal commands. The perceptual user interface system includes a tracking component that detects object characteristics of at least one of a plurality of objects within a scene, and tracks the respective object. Detection of object characteristics is based at least in part upon image comparison of a plurality of images relative to a course mapping of the images. A seeding component iteratively seeds the tracking component with object hypotheses based upon the presence of the object characteristics and the image comparison. A filtering component selectively removes the tracked object from the object hypotheses and/or at least one object hypothesis from the set of object hypotheses based upon predetermined removal criteria. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100151946 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXECUTING A GAME PROCESS - A 3-D imaging system for recognition and interpretation of gestures to control a computer. The system includes a 3-D imaging system that performs gesture recognition and interpretation based on a previous mapping of a plurality of hand poses and orientations to user commands for a given user. When the user is identified to the system, the imaging system images gestures presented by the user, performs a lookup for the user command associated with the captured image(s), and executes the user command(s) to effect control of the computer, programs, and connected devices. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100205190 | SURFACE-BASED COLLABORATIVE SEARCH - The claimed subject matter relates to architectures that can provide rich features associated with information-based collaborative searches by leveraging a multi-touch surface computing-based display. In particular, a first architecture can include a multi-touch surface configured to support interactivity with multiple collocated users simultaneously. Based upon such interaction, the first architecture can transmit to a search engine a multiuser surface identifier and a set of search terms input by collocated users that share a collaborative task. In response, the architecture can receive a set of search results from a second architecture, and present those results to the multi-touch surface in a variety of ways. The second architecture can relate to a search engine that can process the search terms to generate corresponding search results and also process information associated with the multiuser surface identifier. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100218249 | AUTHENTICATION VIA A DEVICE - The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates authentication of a user in a surface computing environment. A device or authentication object can be carried by a user and employed to retain authentication information. An authentication component can obtain the authentication information from the device and analyze the information to verify an identity of the user. A touch input component can ascertain if a touch input is authentication by associating touch input with the user. In addition, authentication information can be employed to establish a secure communications channel for transfer of user data. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20110025601 | Virtual Controller For Visual Displays - Virtual controllers for visual displays are described. In one implementation, a camera captures an image of hands against a background. The image is segmented into hand areas and background areas. Various hand and finger gestures isolate parts of the background into independent areas, which are then assigned control parameters for manipulating the visual display. Multiple control parameters can be associated with attributes of multiple independent areas formed by two hands, for advanced control including simultaneous functions of clicking, selecting, executing, horizontal movement, vertical movement, scrolling, dragging, rotational movement, zooming, maximizing, minimizing, executing file functions, and executing menu choices. | 02-03-2011 |
