Modular, attachable objects with tags as intuitive physical interface facilitating user interaction with a computer

• US 20050182857A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kong, Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads

Abstract

A method, system, and device for adding modular tags, that can be associated with particular configurations, that can be attached to and/or read by a computer peripheral device and/or computer is described. A modular tag reader in a computer peripheral device and/or computer recognizes a modular tag and its associated software configuration, thereby directly initiating user intended actions without the user interacting with the software interfaces. A user can attach modular tags that are intuitively recognizable as performing a particular function, such as a color change, font size change, font style change, highlight operation, and application program initiation. Such modular tags are interpreted by a processor within the host computer and/or within the computer peripheral device to change a configuration in accordance with the tag.

Claims

1. A method for configuration of a computer related device, the method comprising steps of:

receiving data associated with a modular tag; and

configuring the computer related device in response to the received data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer related device is a computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer related device is a computer peripheral device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the modular tag associates a mechanism of the computer related device to a predefined configuration.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined configuration is one of a setting, a parameter, an operation, and a function.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of reading the data associated with the modular tag.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of authenticating the modular tag.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring comprises a step of changing an application program specific element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring comprises a step of changing a device specific element.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring comprises a step of changing a user specific element.

11. A computer related device, comprising a modular tag reader configured to read a modular tag and to interface with software for configuration of an interface mechanism in response to information of the modular tag.

12. The computer related device of claim 11, wherein the interface mechanism is an interface mechanism of the computer related device.

13. The computer related device of claim 11, further comprising a power supply configured to supply power to the modular tag.

14. The computer related device of claim 11, further comprising an access port configured to interface with the modular tag.

15. The computer related device of claim 14, wherein the access port is configured to permit the modular tag to be inserted into the computer related device.

16. The computer related device of claim 11, wherein the modular tag reader is further configured to receive sensor information.

17. The computer related device of claim 16, wherein the sensor information includes one of:

temperature information, touchpad information, pressure information, and biomedical identification information.

18. The computer related device of claim 11, wherein the computer related device is an electronic mouse type computer related device.

19. A device for configuring a computer system, the system comprising a portable memory configured to store data associated with a first configuration of a computer related device, wherein the computer related device is automatically configured in response to the portable memory.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the portable memory is programmable.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the portable memory is only accessible when the device is connected to a power supply.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the portable memory is configured to store data associated with a second configuration of the computer related device.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the second configuration is different for a different application program than the first configuration.

24. The device of claim 19, wherein the portable memory is further configured to store data associated with a first configuration of a second computer related device.