Human interface method and apparatus

• US 20030158692A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ken Tamada
• Original Assignee: Ken Tamada
• Inventors: Tamada, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring one or more physical conditions of a computer operator and for automatically inputting signals corresponding to the physical conditions into a computer (12) for control and monitoring purposes.

Claims

1. A method of inputting information into a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

a. measuring with a sensor used by an operator of the computer a physical condition of the operator when the operator is in a rest state and generating corresponding rest state sensor signals;

b. inputting the rest state sensor signals into the computer;

c. running a computer program on the computer that requires interaction by the operator;

d. measuring with the sensor the physical condition of the operator when the operator is interacting with the computer program and generating corresponding active state sensor signals;

e. inputting the active state sensor signals into the computer;

f. comparing the rest state sensor signals to the active state sensor signals; and

g. changing some aspect of the computer program when the active state signals differ from the rest state signals by a predetermined amount.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including a computer game, step g including the step of increasing difficulty of the computer game.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including a computer game, step g including the step of decreasing difficulty of the computer game.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including a computer game, step g including the step of increasing speed of the computer game.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including a computer game, step g including the step of decreasing speed of the computer game.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of increasing difficulty of the computer game.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of decreasing difficulty of the computer game.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of increasing speed of the computer game.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of decreasing speed of the computer game.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, the physical condition including at least one of the following:

blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, static capacity, skin conductivity, brain wave activity, NO₂ or NO₃ blood density, static electricity, and blood characteristics.

11. A system for inputting information into a computer, the system comprising:

a human interface including—

a sensor that may be worn or touched by the operator to measure a physical condition of the operator when the operator is in a rest state and to generate corresponding rest state sensor signals and to measure the physical condition of the operator when the operator is in an active state and to generate corresponding active state sensor signals, and

a computer interface coupled with the sensor and configured for coupling with the computer for inputting the rest state sensor signals and the active state sensor signals into the computer; and

a computer program stored on a computer readable memory device for instructing the computer to operate as follows—

receiving the rest state sensor signals and the active state sensor signals from the sensor,

comparing the rest state sensor signals to the active state sensor signals,

changing some aspect of an application computer program running on the computer in response to the comparing step.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11, the application program including a computer game, wherein the computer program increases difficulty of the computer game in response to the comparing step.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11, the application program including a computer game, wherein the computer program decreases difficulty of the computer game in response to the comparing step.

14. The system as set forth in claim 11, the application program including a computer game, wherein the computer program increases speed of the computer game in response to the comparing step.

15. The system as set forth in claim 11, the application program including a computer game, wherein the computer program decreases speed of the computer game in response to the comparing step.

16. The system as set forth in claim 11, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of increasing difficulty of the computer game.

17. The method as set forth in claim 11, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of decreasing difficulty of the computer game.

18. The method as set forth in claim 11, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of increasing speed of the computer game.

19. The method as set forth in claim 11, the computer program including an application program, step g including the step of decreasing speed of the computer game.

20. The system as set forth in claim 11, the physical condition including at least one of the following:

blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, static capacity, skin conductivity, brain wave activity, NO₂ or NO₃ blood density, static electricity, and blood characteristics.

21. A method of permitting computer users to interact with one another, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring with a sensor worn by a first operator of a first device a physical condition of the first operator and generating corresponding sensor signals;

transmitting the sensor signals to a second operator of a second device via a communications network; and

displaying the sensor signals on the second device so that the second operator may interact with the first operator or another operator based on the sensor signals.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21, the physical condition including at least one of the following:

blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, static capacity, skin conductivity, brain wave activity, NO₂ or NO₃ blood density, static electricity, and blood characteristics.