Method, system, and software for interactive communication and analysis

• US 20050012715A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Charles Shann Hubird Ford
• Original Assignee: Peter Charles Shann Hubird Ford
• Inventors: Ford, Peter Charles Shann Hubird
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection

Abstract

A method, system, and software for interactive communication for a user responsive to electric signals generated by the user, includes (A) providing an interactive display to the user representative of lists of target items; (B) receiving detected electric signals generated by the user responsive to the interactive display; (C) processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data; and (D) analyzing the digital data to associate with the user'"'"'s selection one of the lists of target items presented to the user using the interactive display. Steps (A)-(D) are iteratively repeated based on a hierarchical relationship of lists of target items presented to the user to select a target item desired by the user.

Claims

1. An interactive communication method for a user responsive to electric signals generated by the user, comprising:

(A) providing an interactive display to the user representative of lists of target items;

(B) receiving detected electric signals generated by the user responsive to the interactive display;

(C) processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data;

(D) analyzing the digital data to associate with the user'"'"'s selection one of the lists of target items presented to the user using the interactive display; and

(E) iteratively repeating steps (A)-(D) based on a hierarchical relationship of lists of target items presented to the user to select a target item desired by the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving detected electric signals comprises receiving electric signals generated at neuromuscular sites of the user;

and the step of processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data comprises filtering and converting the received electric signal into a digital datastream signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of receiving electric signals further comprises receiving the electric signals as a two byte hexadecimal code per time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data comprises converting the received two byte hexadecimal code into a single decimal value per time period.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data further comprises displaying the decimal value in a graphical display wherein the decimal value for a latest time period replaces the decimal value for an earlier time period for a rolling range of successive time periods displayed on the graphical display.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process of analyzing the digital data to associate with a user'"'"'s selection comprises comparing the detected electric signal to a threshold value for the electric signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the threshold value comprises a midline value between the maximum and minimum detected electric values over a time period.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process of analyzing the digital data to associate with a user'"'"'s selection comprises analyzing parameters related to the shape of a graph corresponding to the detected electric values.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the parameters includes a slope (rate of change) of the graph.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the maximum value and minimum value for the graphical display is determined automatically by determining the maximum value and minimum value of the detected electric signal over a time period.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing an interactive display to the user comprises displaying n lists, each containing a set of target items, wherein the user'"'"'s selection indicates one of the n lists that contains the target item desired by the user.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein n=2.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step (E) is iteratively repeated until a list selected by the user contains only one target item.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detected electric signals comprise electromyograph (EMG) signals.

15. A computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code programmed to cause a computing system to perform the steps comprising:

(A) providing an interactive display to the user representative of lists of target items;

(B) receiving detected electric signals generated by the user responsive to the interactive display;

(C) processing and converting the detected electric signals into digital data;

(D) analyzing the digital data to associate with the user'"'"'s selection one of the lists of target items presented to the user using the interactive display; and

(E) iteratively repeating steps (A)-(D) based on a hierarchical relationship of lists of target items presented to the user to select a target item desired by the user.

16. An interactive communication system comprising:

a display unit that iteratively provides an interactive display to a user representative of lists of target items;

a signal processing unit configured to receive detected electric signals from sensors that detect electric signals generated by the user responsive to the interactive display, and convert the received detected electric signals into digital data; and

a selection unit that analyzes the digital data to associate with the user'"'"'s selection one of the lists of target items provided to the user by the display unit.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, further comprising a filter and A/D converter operatively connected to the sensors for generating a digital datastream representative of electric signals received from the sensors, wherein the filter and A/D converter generates a two byte hexadecimal code representative of the detected electric signals for a time period.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the signal processing unit converts the received two byte hexadecimal code to a decimal value for the time period, and

wherein the display unit displays the decimal value in a graphical display

wherein the decimal value for a latest time period replaces the decimal value for a earliest time period for a rolling range of successive time periods displayed on the graphical display.

19. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the selection unit compares the detected electric signal to a threshold value to determine selection of a displayed list contemporaneous to the detected electric signal.

20. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the selection unit analyzes parameters related to the shape of a graph corresponding to the detected electric signal to determine selection of a displayed list contemporaneous to the detected electric signal.

21. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the display unit determines the maximum value and minimum value for a graphical display based on automatically determining the maximum value and minimum value of the detected electric signal over a time period.

22. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the display unit provides an interactive display to the user comprising n lists, each containing a set of target items, wherein the selection unit determines the user'"'"'s selection of one of the n lists that contains the target item desired by the user.

23. The communication system according to claim 22, wherein n=2.

24. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the detected electric signals comprise electromyograph (EMG) signals.

25. A method of processing and displaying electric signals, comprising:

generating a digital datastream representative of a received electric signal;

generating a decimal value representative of a value of the electric signal over a time period;

displaying the decimal value in a graphical display wherein a decimal value of a latest time period replaces the decimal value of an earliest time period for a rolling range of successive time periods displayed on the graphical display.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the maximum value and minimum value for the graphic display is automatically determined based on a received maximum value and minimum value of the received electric signal over a time period or over successive time periods.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the electric signals represent biologic activity.

28. The method according to claim 25, further comprising detecting a selection indication based on comparison of the detected electric signal to a threshold value.

29. The method according to claim 25, further comprising detecting a selection indication based on analyzing a parameter associated with the graphical display of electric signal values.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the parameter includes a slope or rate of change of the graphical display.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the electric signals represent one of geologic data, meteorological data, astronomical data, self-regulating device data, or biomedical monitoring data.

32. A method of interactive selection from a list of target items, comprising:

(A) dividing the target items into n lists;

(B) displaying the n lists to a user;

(C) determining a user'"'"'s selection of one of the n lists;

(D) iteratively repeating steps (A)-(C) by using only the target items in the list selected in step (C) in step(A), until the selected list in step (C) has only 1 target item.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein n=2.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein a target item in a list also represents a list.