POINTING INTERFACE FOR PERSON-TO-PERSON INTERACTION THROUGH AD-HOC NETWORKS
First Claim
1. A system for pointing-initiated person-to-person communication comprising:
- a first portable computing device operated by a first user, the first portable computing device including a first location sensor, an orientation sensor, a user aiming portion, and a first wireless communication link, the first wireless communication link enabling an establishment of at least one ad hoc network with other enabled portable computing devices within a local proximity of the first portable computing device;
a plurality of second portable computing devices, each of the second portable computing devices including a second location sensor and a second wireless communication link, the second wireless communication link enabling the establishment of at least one ad-hoc networks with other enabled portable computing device within a local proximity of the second portable computing device;
targeting routines running on the first portable computing device for performing a targeting determination as to whether the user aiming portion of the first portable computing device is aimed substantially at a particular second portable computing device, the targeting determination being performed at least in part based on a substantially current location value of the first portable computing device, a substantially current aiming orientation value of the first portable computing device, and substantially current locative data indicating a location of the particular second portable computing device, the locative data being received by the first portable computing device from the particular second portable computing device over an intervening ad hoc network; and
communication routines running on at least one of the first portable computing device and the particular second portable computing device for enabling person-to-person communication between the first user of the first portable computing device and a second user of the particular second portable computing device, the enabling being performed in response to the targeting determination being affirmative.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention comprises methods and apparatus that enable a user of a portable computing device to selectively communicate with other users of portable computing devices while those devices are engaged in an ad-hoc network. More specifically, the present invention enables a first user of a first portable computing device to gain information about and/or send a message to a second user of a second portable computing device by pointing a portion of the first portable computing device at the then current physical location of the second user. In this way a first user of a first portable computing device may naturally and conveniently select a second user of a second portable computing device from among a plurality of users of other portable computing devices engaged in an ad-hoc network and selectively gain information about the second user and/or send a message to the second user.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A system for pointing-initiated person-to-person communication comprising:
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a first portable computing device operated by a first user, the first portable computing device including a first location sensor, an orientation sensor, a user aiming portion, and a first wireless communication link, the first wireless communication link enabling an establishment of at least one ad hoc network with other enabled portable computing devices within a local proximity of the first portable computing device;
a plurality of second portable computing devices, each of the second portable computing devices including a second location sensor and a second wireless communication link, the second wireless communication link enabling the establishment of at least one ad-hoc networks with other enabled portable computing device within a local proximity of the second portable computing device;
targeting routines running on the first portable computing device for performing a targeting determination as to whether the user aiming portion of the first portable computing device is aimed substantially at a particular second portable computing device, the targeting determination being performed at least in part based on a substantially current location value of the first portable computing device, a substantially current aiming orientation value of the first portable computing device, and substantially current locative data indicating a location of the particular second portable computing device, the locative data being received by the first portable computing device from the particular second portable computing device over an intervening ad hoc network; and
communication routines running on at least one of the first portable computing device and the particular second portable computing device for enabling person-to-person communication between the first user of the first portable computing device and a second user of the particular second portable computing device, the enabling being performed in response to the targeting determination being affirmative. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of providing pointing initiated person-to-person communication, comprising:
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detecting a location and pointing orientation of a first portable computing device of a first user, the pointing orientation being associated with an aiming portion of the first portable computing device;
receiving substantially current location data for a second portable computing device over an intervening ad-hoc network, the second portable computing device being associated with a second user;
determining, using at least the detected location and pointing orientation of the first portable computing device and the received location data of the second portable computing device, whether the second portable computing device was substantially pointed at by the aiming portion of the first portable computing device; and
communicating a message from the first user of the first portable computing device to a second user of the second portable computing device in response, at least in part, to the determining. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of providing pointing initiated person-to-person communication, comprising:
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detecting a first location and pointing orientation of a first portable computing device of a first user, the pointing orientation being associated with an aiming portion of the first portable computing device;
detecting a second location of a second portable computing device;
determining, using the detected location and orientation of the first portable computing device and at least one piece of locative data communicated between the first portable computing device and the second portable computing device over an ad-hoc network, whether the first portable computing device has successfully targeted the second portable computing device through a pointing of an aiming portion of the first portable computing device at the second portable computing device; and
initiating communication between the first user of the first portable computing device and a second user of the second portable computing device at least in part in response to the determining being affirmative. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification