Input association

• US 20070083820A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Blythe, Michael, Pinard, Daniel, Blythe, Gregory, Anthony, Kenneth, Pierce, J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,389,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Embodiments of associating a plurality of inputs with one or more applications are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating a plurality of substantially simultaneous inputs to a graphical user interface with one or more applications,

wherein the plurality of inputs are provided by a plurality of users that interact with the one or more applications substantially simultaneously.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the plurality of inputs includes unacceptable inputs; and

ignoring the unacceptable inputs.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the plurality of inputs includes acceptable inputs; and

providing the acceptable inputs to the one or more applications associated with the acceptable inputs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein individual of the plurality of inputs have a style corresponding to the one or more applications with which the individual of the plurality of inputs is associated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein individual of the plurality of inputs have a style selected from a group comprising a single click, a double click, a gesture, and a drag.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inputs are provided using one or more input devices selected from a group comprising a pointing device, a key-based input device, a touch input, a camera, and an object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality of graphical user interfaces.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality of windows.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality of windows and at least one of the plurality of windows is active.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality of windows and wherein at least one window is active for each user.

11. A system comprising:

a display to display at least one graphical user interface; and

a computing device configured to receive a plurality of substantially simultaneous inputs directed to the graphical user interface and provided by a plurality of users through at least two input devices and configured to associate the plurality of inputs with one or more applications to enable the plurality of users to interact with the one or more applications substantially simultaneously.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device includes a configuration to determine if the plurality of inputs includes unacceptable inputs and to ignore the unacceptable inputs.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device includes a configuration to determine if the plurality of inputs includes acceptable inputs and to provide the acceptable inputs to the one or more applications associated with the acceptable inputs.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein individual of the plurality of inputs have a style corresponding to the one or more applications with which the input is associated.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein individual of the plurality of inputs have a style selected from a group comprising a single click, a double click, a gesture, and a drag.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the at least two input devices, wherein the at least two input devices are selected from a group comprising a pointing device, a key-based input device, a touch input, a camera, and an object.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality of graphical user interfaces.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the display comprises a plurality of displays.

19. The system as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an image capture device configured to capture one or more images corresponding to the plurality of inputs.

20. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the computing device includes a vision processing device configured to execute instructions to determine occurrence of the plurality of inputs using the one or more images; and

the computing device includes a processing device configured to execute instructions to associate the plurality of inputs with the one or more applications.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein:

the processing device includes a configuration to execute instructions to adjust operation of the vision processing device according to a type of the at least two input devices used to provide the plurality of inputs.

22. A computer-readable medium comprising:

stored instructions to associate a plurality of substantially simultaneous inputs to a graphical user interface with one or more applications,

wherein the plurality of inputs are provided by a plurality of users that interact with the one or more applications substantially simultaneously.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising stored instructions to ignore those of the plurality of inputs that are unacceptable inputs.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising stored instructions to provide those of the plurality of inputs that are acceptable inputs to the one or more associated applications.

25. A method comprising:

step for displaying a graphical user interface capable of receiving a plurality of inputs; and

step for passing the plurality of inputs to one or more applications associated with one or more regions of the graphical user interface.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising step for detecting the plurality of inputs.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of substantially simultaneous inputs to a graphical user interface; and

means for associating the plurality of inputs with one or more applications,

wherein the plurality of inputs are provided by a plurality of users that interact with the one or more applications substantially simultaneously.