FREE FINGERS TYPING TECHNOLOGY

• US 20090322673A1
• Filed: 07/16/2006
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ibrahim Farid Cherradi El Fadili
• Original Assignee: Ibrahim Farid Cherradi El Fadili
• Inventors: Cherradi El Fadili, Ibrahim Farid
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

The present invention provides the Free Fingers Typing Technology by fingers tapping on a surface, a technology that allows the user to type, point/select (on the display of a computer or computer-based-device) or play music with bare fingers without keyboard, without display pointing/selecting device and even without computer. The invention provides at least: one methodology to execute the finger movements, one convention to code the finger movements, two techniques to recognize the finger movements, a family of apparatus to optically monitor and recognize finger movements as well as the specifications of a plurality of related computer programmes all used with the objective of interpreting finger-surface taps and converting them into computer characters, keyboard key strokes, functions of display-pointing/selecting device, music notes etc. . . . The invention provides means for free fingers typing, pointing/selecting and music playing suitable for all devices requiring a keyboard such as computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, gaming devices, musical instruments or other keyboard or display pointing/selecting based devices

Claims

1. A method for producing User Commands to execute them on an Information Processing Device. Said method is based on tapping with the fingers on a surface. Said method comprises the following steps:

Acquiring images of said fingers and said surface;

Determining combinations of finger-tapes by means of edge detection techniques;

Associating User Commands with combinations of finger-taps; and

Executing, on Information Processing Device, User Commands associated with said combinations of finger-taps.

2. The method of claim 1 characterized by:

the fact that recognizing a combination of said finger-taps is achieved by considering that all said finger-taps recognized during time interval T belong to said combination of said finger-taps;

the fact that said time interval T of said finger-taps combinations is optimized;

the fact that two successive combinations of said finger-taps are separated by a time interval; and

the fact that said time interval between two successive combinations of said finger-taps is optimized.

3. The method of claim 1 further characterized by the fact that for producing said finger-taps the fingers do not have to touch fixed locations of said surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a finger-tap is recognized in steps including:

recognizing when the finger enters in contact with the surface;

recognizing that the finger is in contact with the surface; and

recognizing when the finger leaves the surface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said combinations of finger-taps are produced by two hands or by one hand only.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said combinations of finger-taps include combinations of:

finger single taps;

finger double taps;

finger-taps where the finger touches the surface and stays in contact the surface for a period of time;

the hand palm in lifted position do not touch the tapping surface; and

the hand palm touches the tapping surface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the speed of movement of the finger preceding the tap and the duration of the contact of the finger with the surface are measured and exploited for producing user commands.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein examples of the Information Processing Device include computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, gaming devices, musical equipment, other computer based devices, as well as other keyboard based devices and display pointer/selector based devices.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein examples of User Commands include producing:

characters in any language;

the result of pressing computer keyboard key;

moving a pointer on a display;

pointing to an object on a display;

selecting an object on a display;

the result of pressing a pointer/selector button such as a mouse;

the result of pressing a button of a joystick or other gaming device or other display pointing/selecting device;

the result of pressing a music instrument keyboard key;

commands of other computer based devices;

commands of other keyboard based devices; and

commands of other display pointer/selector based devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein User Commands are assigned to finger-tap combinations by:

assigning codes to finger-tap combinations; and

assigning User Commands to codes of finger-tap combinations.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said codes include ASCII character codes or other computer keyboard key codes.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein said codes are created according to a coding convention such as the convention where codes are assigned to the fingers and codes are assigned to:

left hand fingers when the hand palm does not touch the surface;

left hand fingers when the hand palm touches the surface;

right hand fingers when the hand palm does not touch the surface;

right hand fingers when the hand palm touches the surface; and

finger-tap combinations comprising combinations of above described codes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the user is able to assign user defined Commands to finger-tap combinations.

14. Means making use of the method of claim 1 to produce User Commands on an Information Processing Device.

15. The means of claim 14 wherein means is used to send via wired or wireless connection User Commands or User Command codes to an Information Processing Device.

16. The means of claim 14 based on means that can be attached to the user.

17. The means of claim 14 based on means that can be placed in the vicinity of the fingers.

18. The means of claim 14 based on means making use of CCD sensors, LED illumination, Laser illumination or other optical devices.

19. Software or firmware that when executed on appropriate system implements the method of claims 1 to 18.