Method and apparatus for interactive transmission and reception of tactile information

• US 20040125120A1
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael L. Weiner
• Original Assignee: Michael L. Weiner
• Inventors: Weiner, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/297,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125120A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/701
• 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

An apparatus and method for interactive transmission and reception of tactile information, comprising means for creating a signal representative of a human tactile event, means for transmitting the signal to a remote recipient, and, means for decoding the signal in a manner which conveys tactile information to a recipient.

Claims

1. ) A method for interactive transmission and reception of tactile information, comprising:

a) creating a signal representative of a human tactile event;

b) transmitting said signal to a remote recipient; and

,

c) decoding said signal in a manner which conveys tactile information to a recipient.

2. ) A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said human tactile event is selected from the group consisting of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision.

3. ) A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said signal further comprises a nonhuman tactile component.

4. ) A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal is a digital signal.

5. ) A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal is created by sensing tactile inputs of a living being and converting said sensed input into a digital signal.

6. ) A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said sensed inputs are stored as a digital signal.

7. ) A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said decoding comprises communicating said signal to a robotic device that, in turn, provides programmed tactile communication to the recipient.

8. ) An apparatus for interactive transmission and reception of tactile information, comprising:

a) means for creating a signal representative of a human tactile event;

b) means for transmitting said signal to a remote recipient; and

,

c) means for decoding said signal in a manner which conveys tactile information to a recipient.