Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090054123 | INFORMATION COLLECTION DURING GAME PLAY - Systems and methods allow an on-line game to extract information relevant to a specific need of a game platform or service platform. The specific need relates to management and use of digital content, and is addressed by designing and playing an on-line collaborative game. The rules of the game intend to solve a specific task dictated by the specific need. Players' responses to the game generate a wealth of information related to a specific task objective, such as ranking, sorting, and evaluating a set of digital content items. To compel participation in a game, players can be rewarded with monetary value rewards. As a game illustration, an image selection game (ISG) that exploits human contextual inference is described in detail. The information extracted from ISG is a list of key-image associations, relevant for the task of image sorting and ranking. | 02-26-2009 |
20090100340 | ASSOCIATIVE INTERFACE FOR PERSONALIZING VOICE DATA ACCESS - The claimed subject matter according to one aspect provides systems and/or methods that effectuate user development, customization, or utilization of dynamically configurable dialogue flow systems. The system can include devices and components that employ data associated with a user to retrieve navigation panes unique with respect to the user, scans the navigation panes and identifies adjustable attributes, utilizes the adjustable attributes to generate voice prompts communicated to the user via handheld devices, the user in reply to the voice prompts utters personalized responses associated with the voice prompts, and based at least on the personalized responses initiates actions associated with the adjustable attributes. | 04-16-2009 |
20090144238 | HIDE AND SEEK GAME TO ELICIT HUMAN INPUT - A hide and seek style game is utilized to elicit human input for use in improving search. Content (e.g., text, image, audio, video . . . ) is uniquely identified and revealed to users. Queries are then specified by users in an attempt to locate the content. In addition to utilizing these queries to return results for the game, the queries, and/or query-derived information, can also be employed to improve search engine retrieval and relevancy, among other things. | 06-04-2009 |
20090150341 | GENERATION OF ALTERNATIVE PHRASINGS FOR SHORT DESCRIPTIONS - The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that effectuate generation of alternative expressions or phrasings for short descriptions, proper nouns or places. The system can include devices that select and associate an item with a prompt, displays the selected item and then obscures the item with the prompt associated with the item, elicits a response from users to the prompt based on a motivational statement constructed to solicit an appropriate response from the user. The response elicited from the user and the item selected associated with one another and then persisted to storage media. | 06-11-2009 |
20090313572 | PHRASE BUILDER - Real-time query expansion (RTQE) is a process of supplementing an original query with additional terms or expansion choices that are ranked according to some figure of merit and presented while users are still formulating their queries. As disclosed herein, individual terms may be combined and submitted as a phrase into a query. By building the phase term-by-term, users can compositionally formulate queries while maintaining the same benefits that other RTQE interfaces offer. The benefits include, reducing the number of keystrokes and improving retrieval performance. To promote greater flexibility in its working environment, the number of terms that are presented on a display may be reduced. In place of some terms, placeholders may be used and expanded by the user when necessary. This allows phrases to be readily presented on small displays (e.g., hand-held devices). | 12-17-2009 |
20090313573 | TERM COMPLETE - Real-time query expansion (RTQE) is a process of supplementing an original query with additional terms or expansion choices that are ranked according to some figure of merit and presented while users are still formulating their queries. As disclosed herein, individual terms may be combined and submitted as a phrase into a query. By building the phase term-by-term, users can compositionally formulate queries while maintaining the same benefits that other RTQE interfaces offer. To promote greater flexibility in its working environment, the number of terms that are presented on a display may be reduced. In place of some terms, placeholders may be used and expanded by the user when necessary. This allows phrases to be readily presented on small displays (e.g., hand-held devices). | 12-17-2009 |
20100222109 | PROTECTIVE SHROUD FOR HANDHELD DEVICE - An apparatus for communicating with a handheld device (e.g., a cellular telephone) is provided herein. A protective shroud is configured to enclose the handheld device and protect it against incidents that commonly cause damage to handheld devices. Integral to the protective shroud is at least one of an input component configured to receive user input and a wireless transceiver configured to transmit signals to and/or receive signals from the handheld device. In one example, where both the input component and the wireless transceiver are integral to the protective shroud, signals related to received user input (e.g., where the shroud serves as a keypad) may be transmitted to the handheld device even if the protective shroud is removed from the handheld device. | 09-02-2010 |
20100315266 | PREDICTIVE INTERFACES WITH USABILITY CONSTRAINTS - A “Constrained Predictive Interface” uses predictive constraints to improve accuracy in user interfaces such as soft keyboards, pen interfaces, multi-touch interfaces, 3D gesture interfaces, EMG based interfaces, etc. In various embodiments, the Constrained Predictive Interface allows users to take any desired action at any time by taking into account a likelihood of possible user actions in different contexts to determine intended user actions. For example, to enable a virtual keyboard interface, various embodiments of the Constrained Predictive Interface provide key “sweet spots” as predictive constraints that allow the user to select particular keys regardless of any probability associated with the selected or neighboring keys. In further embodiments, the Constrained Predictive Interface provides hit target resizing via various piecewise constant touch models in combination with various predictive constraints. In general, hit target resizing provides dynamic real-time virtual resizing of one or more particular keys based on various probabilistic criteria. | 12-16-2010 |
20110107242 | TASK PREDICTION - This patent application pertains to computing scenarios that allow users to more readily accomplish desired tasks. One implementation includes at least one dictionary of potential auto-suggestions that can be generated in relation to user-input. The implementation also includes a text framework configured to weight at least some of the potential auto-suggestions based upon one or more parameters. This implementation further includes a task engine configured to associate tasks with at least some of the potential auto-suggestions. | 05-05-2011 |
20110201387 | REAL-TIME TYPING ASSISTANCE - An apparatus and method are disclosed for providing feedback and guidance to touch screen device users to improve the text entry user experience and performance through the use of indicators such as feedback semaphores. Also disclosed are suggestion candidates, which allow a user to quickly select next words to add to text input data, or replacement words for words that have been designated as incorrect. According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving text input data, providing an indicator for possible correction of the text input data, displaying suggestion candidates associated with alternative words for the data, receiving a single touch screen input selecting one of the suggestion candidates, and modifying the input data using the word associated with the selected suggestion candidate. | 08-18-2011 |
20110202836 | TYPING ASSISTANCE FOR EDITING - Apparatus and methods are disclosed for providing feedback and guidance to touch screen device users to improve the text entry user experience and performance. According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a text entry, receiving input on a touch screen in the form of a first single touch input located over a word of previously entered text, and presenting the user with one or more suggestion candidates indicated possible replacement words related to the selected word. The user can then select one of the suggestion candidates using a second single touch input to replace the selected word with a word associated with the selected suggestion candidate. | 08-18-2011 |
20110202876 | USER-CENTRIC SOFT KEYBOARD PREDICTIVE TECHNOLOGIES - An apparatus and method are disclosed for providing feedback and guidance to touch screen device users to improve text entry user experience and performance by generating input history data including character probabilities, word probabilities, and touch models. According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving first input data, automatically learning user tendencies based on the first input data to generate input history data, receiving second input data, and generating auto-corrections or suggestion candidates for one or more words of the second input data based on the input history data. The user can then select one of the suggestion candidates to replace a selected word with the selected suggestion candidate. | 08-18-2011 |
20120270607 | PROTECTIVE SHROUD FOR HANDHELD DEVICE - An apparatus for communicating with a handheld device (e.g., a cellular telephone) is provided herein. A protective shroud is configured to enclose the handheld device and protect it against incidents that commonly cause damage to handheld devices. Integral to the protective shroud is at least one of an input component configured to receive user input and a wireless transceiver configured to transmit signals to and/or receive signals from the handheld device. In one example, where both the input component and the wireless transceiver are integral to the protective shroud, signals related to received user input (e.g., where the shroud serves as a keypad) may be transmitted to the handheld device even if the protective shroud is removed from the handheld device. | 10-25-2012 |
20130157607 | PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE EXPERIENCE BASED ON INFERRED VEHICLE STATE - A mobile device is described herein that provides a user interface experience to a user who is operating the mobile device within a vehicle. The mobile device provides the user interface experience using mode functionality. The mode functionality operates by receiving inference-input information from one or more input sources. At least one input source corresponds to at least one movement-sensing device, provided by the mobile device, that determines movement of the mobile device. The mode functionality then infers a state of the vehicle based on the inference-input information and presents a user interface experience that is appropriate for the vehicle state. In one scenario, the mode functionality can also infer that the vehicle is in a distress condition. In response, the mode functionality can solicit assistance for the user. | 06-20-2013 |
20130297307 | DICTATION WITH INCREMENTAL RECOGNITION OF SPEECH - A dictation module is described herein which receives and interprets a complete utterance of the user in incremental fashion, that is, one incremental portion at a time. The dictation module also provides rendered text in incremental fashion. The rendered text corresponds to the dictation module's interpretation of each incremental portion. The dictation module also allows the user to modify any part of the rendered text, as it becomes available. In one case, for instance, the dictation module provides a marking menu which includes multiple options by which a user can modify a selected part of the rendered text. The dictation module also uses the rendered text (as modified or unmodified by the user using the marking menu) to adjust one or more models used by the dictation model to interpret the user's utterance. | 11-07-2013 |
20130342363 | Ambient Vehicle and Pedestrian State Detection for Device Notification - Described is a technology by which ambient data related to a vehicle is sensed and processed, for use in determining a state change related to external traffic awareness. Based upon the state change, an allowed level of interactivity with a user interface may be changed, and/or a notification may be output. Images and/or depth data may be sensed as part of determining whether a user who is interacting with a device in a stopped vehicle is to be made aware of the changed condition with respect to other vehicles, pedestrians and/or the like. | 12-26-2013 |
20130345958 | Computing Recommendations for Stopping During a Trip - Described is a technology by which context data such as time, location and user-specific data is used to generate a stop recommendation during a vehicle trip. When a user is at a location or travels along a route, one or more stop recommendations may be computed for providing to the user. A cloud service may compute the stop recommendations, and send them to an automotive device of the user, which may be a smartphone coupled to the vehicle, for output to the user. | 12-26-2013 |
20140098036 | TEXT ENTRY USING SHAPEWRITING ON A TOUCH-SENSITIVE INPUT PANEL - Described herein are various technologies pertaining to shapewriting. A touch-sensitive input panel comprises a plurality of keys, where each key in the plurality of keys is representative of a respective plurality of characters. A user can generate a trace over the touch-sensitive input panel, wherein the trace passes over keys desirably selected by the user. A sequence of characters, such as a word, is decoded based upon the trace, and is output to a display or a speaker. | 04-10-2014 |
20140101545 | PROVISION OF HAPTIC FEEDBACK FOR LOCALIZATION AND DATA INPUT - Various technologies pertaining to provision of haptic feedback to users of computing devices with touch-sensitive displays are described. First haptic feedback is provided to assist a user in localizing a finger or thumb relative to a graphical object displayed on a touch-sensitive display, where no input data is provided to an application corresponding to the graphical object. A toggle command set forth by the user is subsequently identified; thereafter, an input gesture is received on the touch-sensitive display, and second haptic feedback is provided to aid the user in setting forth input data to the application. | 04-10-2014 |
20140101593 | ARCED OR SLANTED SOFT INPUT PANELS - A soft input panel (SIP) for a computing device is configured to be used by a person holding a computing device with one hand. For example, a user grips a mobile computing device with his right hand at the bottom right corner and uses his right thumb to touch the various keys of the SIP, or grips a mobile computing device with his left hand at the bottom left corner and uses his left thumb to touch the various keys of the SIP. The SIP comprises arced or slanted rows of keys that correspond to the natural pivoting motion of the user's thumb. | 04-10-2014 |
20140232632 | INTERACTIVE BADGE - The subject disclosure is directed towards a wearable interactive device, such as a wearable identity badge. When a user moves the device, such as to position a display (e.g., part) of the device a sensed distance at a sensed horizontal and vertical angle, the device outputs content that is based on the position. Context data also may be used in determining the content to output, as well as any other sensed data that may be available. | 08-21-2014 |
20140267045 | Adaptive Language Models for Text Predictions - Adaptive language models for text predictions are described herein. In one or more implementations, text prediction candidates corresponding to detected text characters are generated according to an adaptive language model. The adaptive language model may be configured to include multiple individual language model dictionaries having respective scoring data that is combined together to rank and select prediction candidates for different interaction scenarios. In addition to a pre-defined general population dictionary, the dictionaries may include a personalized dictionary and/or interaction-specific dictionaries that are learned by monitoring a user's typing activity to adapt predictions to the user's style. Combined probabilities for predictions are then computed as a weighted combination of individual probabilities from multiple dictionaries of the adaptive language model. In an implementation, dictionaries corresponding to multiple different languages may be combined to produce multi-lingual predictions. | 09-18-2014 |
20140278349 | Language Model Dictionaries for Text Predictions - Techniques are described to generate text prediction candidates corresponding to detected text characters according to an adaptive language model that includes multiple individual language model dictionaries. Respective scoring data from the dictionaries is combined to select prediction candidates in different interaction scenarios. In an implementation, dictionaries corresponding to multiple different languages are combined to produce multi-lingual predictions. Predictions for different languages may be weighted proportionally according to relative usage by a user. Weights used to combine contributions from multiple dictionaries may also depend upon factors such as how recently a word is used, number of times used, and so forth. Further, the dictionaries may include interaction-specific dictionaries that are learned by monitoring a user's typing activity to adapt predictions to corresponding usage scenarios. Interaction-specific dictionaries may be applied selectively for predictions in respective usage scenarios, including interaction with a particular application, application type, person, contact group, or location. | 09-18-2014 |
20140310213 | USER-CENTRIC SOFT KEYBOARD PREDICTIVE TECHNOLOGIES - An apparatus and method are disclosed for providing feedback and guidance to touch screen device users to improve text entry user experience and performance by generating input history data including character probabilities, word probabilities, and touch models. According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving first input data, automatically learning user tendencies based on the first input data to generate input history data, receiving second input data, and generating auto-corrections or suggestion candidates for one or more words of the second input data based on the input history data. The user can then select one of the suggestion candidates to replace a selected word with the selected suggestion candidate. | 10-16-2014 |
20140329487 | PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE EXPERIENCE BASED ON INFERRED VEHICLE STATE - A mobile device is described herein that provides a user interface experience to a user who is operating the mobile device within a vehicle. The mobile device provides the user interface experience using mode functionality. The mode functionality operates by receiving inference-input information from one or more input sources. At least one input source corresponds to at least one movement-sensing device, provided by the mobile device, that determines movement of the mobile device. The mode functionality then infers a state of the vehicle based on the inference-input information and presents a user interface experience that is appropriate for the vehicle state. In one scenario, the mode functionality can also infer that the vehicle is in a distress condition. In response, the mode functionality can solicit assistance for the user. | 11-06-2014 |
20140359434 | PROVIDING OUT-OF-DICTIONARY INDICATORS FOR SHAPE WRITING - Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for providing out-of-dictionary indicators for shape writing. According to one exemplary technique, a first shape-writing shape is received by a touchscreen and a failed recognition event is determined to have occurred for the first shape-writing shape. Also, a second shape-writing shape is received by the touchscreen and a failed recognition event is determined to have occurred for the second shape-writing shape. The first shape-writing shape is compared to the second shape-writing shape. Additionally, at least one out-of-dictionary indicator is provided based on the comparing of the first shape-writing shape to the second shape-writing shape. | 12-04-2014 |
20140365878 | SHAPE WRITING INK TRACE PREDICTION - Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for providing one or more ink-trace predictions for shape writing. According to one exemplary technique, a portion of a shape-writing shape is received by a touchscreen. Based on the portion of the shape-writing shape, an ink trace is displayed. Also, predicted text is determined. The ink trace corresponding to a first portion of the predicted text. Additionally, an ink-trace prediction is provided connecting the ink trace to at least one or more keyboard keys corresponding to one or more characters of a second portion of the predicted text. | 12-11-2014 |