User interface apparatus and method
First Claim
1. For use with a display area, an apparatus for selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a receiver for receiving a movement related signal including a first image of a body member of a user, the first image indicating a first location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying a plurality of first selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of first selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a first region on the display area; and
(2) selecting a particular one of the first selectable regions in response to an intersection of the first location and the particular first selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the first location and the particular first selectable region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The apparatus and method of the invention relate to data entry and menu selection. Applications include: (a) data entry for ideographic languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean; (b) fast food ordering; (c) correction of documents generated by optical character recognition; and (d) computer access and speech synthesis by persons temporarily or permanently lacking normal motor capabilities. In a preferred embodiment, each option of a menu is associated respectively with a selectable region displayed adjacent an edge of a display, forming a perimeter menu and leaving a region in the center of the perimeter menu for the output of an application program. Selectable regions may be on the display, outside the display, or both. A menu option may be selected by clicking on the associated selectable region, by dwelling on it for a selection threshold period or by a cursor path toward the selectable region, or by a combination thereof. Remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region is preferably indicated by the brightness of the selectable region. Submenus of a perimeter menu may also be perimeter menus and the location of a submenu option may be foretold by the appearance of its parent menu option. Menu options may be ideographs sharing a sound, a structure or another characteristic. Ideographs, which may be homophones of one another, may be associated with colored indicating regions and selection of an ideograph may be made by speaking the name of the associated color.
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Citations
70 Claims
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1. For use with a display area, an apparatus for selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a receiver for receiving a movement related signal including a first image of a body member of a user, the first image indicating a first location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying a plurality of first selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of first selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a first region on the display area; and
(2) selecting a particular one of the first selectable regions in response to an intersection of the first location and the particular first selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the first location and the particular first selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. For use with a display area, an apparatus for selecting a menu option from a plurality of menu options, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a receiver for receiving a movement related signal including an image of a body member of a user, the image indicating a location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying a plurality of selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display area, each of the selectable regions associated respectively with one of the menu options; and
(2) selecting a particular one of the menu options in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region associated with the particular menu option and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. For use with a display area, an apparatus for selecting a desired submenu option from a menu hierarchy, the menu hierarchy including a menu including a plurality of menu options, the menu options including a desired menu option associated with a submenu including a plurality of submenu options, the submenu options including the desired submenu option, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a receiver for receiving a movement related signal including each of a first and a second image of the body member of the user, the first image indicating a first location on the display area, the second image indicating a second location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying a plurality of first selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of first selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a first region on the display area, each of the first selectable regions associated respectively with one of the menu options;
(2) selecting the desired menu option in response to an intersection of the first location and the particular one of the first selectable regions associated with the desired menu option, and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the first location and the particular first selectable region;
(3) simultaneously displaying a plurality of second selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of second selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a second region on the display area, each of the second selectable regions associated respectively with one of the submenu options; and
(4) selecting the desired submenu option in response to an intersection of the second location and the particular one of the second selectable regions associated with the desired submenu option, and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the second location and the particular second selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. For use with a computer system including a display, an apparatus for selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a carrier readable by the computer system; and
(b) a program on the carrier, the program executable by the computer system, for;
(1) receiving a movement related signal responsive to movement of a body member of a user, the movement related signal including successive images of the body member of the user, each of the images indicating a location on the display;
(2) simultaneously displaying a plurality of selectable regions on the display, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display; and
(3) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of a particular one of the successive locations and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a quantity equalling or exceeding a predetermined quantity, the quantity being a function of the durations of one or more periods of intersection of two or more of the successive locations and the particular selectable region; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the particular location and the particular selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. For use with a display area, a user interface allowing a user, without touching a pointing device, to select a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the user interface comprising:
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(a) a receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to a movement of a body member of the user, the movement related signal including an image of the body member of the user, the image indicating a location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying the plurality of selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display area; and
(2) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region;
thereby allowing the user, without touching a pointing device, to select the particular selectable region from the plurality of selectable regions.
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60. For use with a computer system including a display, an apparatus allowing a user of the apparatus, without touching a pointing device, to select a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a medium readable by the computer system; and
(b) a program on the medium, the program executable by the computer system, for;
(1) receiving a movement related signal responsive to a movement of a body member of the user, the movement related signal including an image of the body member of the user, the image indicating a location on the display;
(2) simultaneously displaying the plurality of selectable regions on the display, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display; and
(3) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region;
thereby allowing the user, without touching a pointing device, to select the particular selectable region from the plurality of selectable regions. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62)
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63. For use with a display area, a user interface allowing a user, without touching a pointing device, to select a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the user interface comprising:
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(a) a receiver for receiving an image of the body member of the user, the image indicating a location on the display area; and
(b) a processor, coupled to the display area and the receiver, for;
(1) simultaneously displaying the plurality of selectable regions on the display area, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display area; and
(2) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region;
thereby allowing the user, without touching a pointing device, to select the particular selectable region from the plurality of selectable regions.
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64. For use with a display area, an apparatus for selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the plurality of selectable regions simultaneously displayed on the display area, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display area, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) movement related signal receiving means for receiving a movement related signal indicating a position of a body member of a user, the position indication including an image of the body member of the user, the image indicating a location on the display area; and
(b) selection means, operatively connected to the movement related signal receiving means, for selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66)
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67. For use with a display area, a method of selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions, the plurality of selectable regions simultaneously displayed on the display area, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display area, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving a movement related signal including a first image of a body member of a user, the first image indicating a location on the display area; and
(b) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user at or near the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69)
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70. For use with a computer coupled to a display, a method for a user of the computer, without touching a pointing device, of selecting a selectable region from a plurality of selectable regions displayed on the display, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving a movement related signal responsive to a movement of a body member of the user, the movement related signal including an image of the body member of the user, the image indicating a location on the display;
(b) simultaneously displaying a plurality of selectable regions on the display, the plurality of selectable regions together at least partially circumscribing a region on the display; and
(c) selecting a particular one of the selectable regions in response to an intersection of the location and the particular selectable region and not in response to either one or both of;
(i) a dwell event; and
(ii) an operation of a switch by the user substantially at the time of the intersection of the location and the particular selectable region.
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Specification