HAPTIC/VOICE-OVER NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE

• US 20110161810A1
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: STALLINGS, Heath, HWANG, Sok Y.
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method includes displaying a user interface on a touch display, receiving a user input on the touch display, determining whether the user input is associated with a navigational assistance area of the user interface, outputting one or more vibrations, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface, and outputting an auditory navigational cue that corresponds to a name associated with the navigational assistance area, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, by a user device that includes a touch display, a user interface;

receiving, by the user device, a user input on the touch display;

determining, by the user device, whether the user input is associated with a navigational assistance area of the user interface;

outputting, by the user device, one or more vibrations, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface; and

outputting, by the user device, an auditory navigational cue that corresponds to a name associated with the navigational assistance area, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, where the navigational assistance area corresponds to an interactive area of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving file information that corresponds to the navigational assistance area of the user interface; and

obtaining the name associated with the navigational assistance area based on the file information received.

4. The method of claim 3, where the file information includes one or more of path information associated with a file corresponding to the navigational assistance area of the user interface, the name of the file, or a file type associated with the file.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating the name based on the file information; and

generating a vocalization of the name, where the vocalization of the name corresponds to the auditory navigational cue.

6. The method of claim 5, where the name includes a word not present in the file information.

7. The method of claim 1, where the user interface includes a graphical user interface and the navigational assistance area corresponds to one of an icon, an object, a keypad, or a selectable item associated with a software application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

omitting to output the auditory navigational cue and the one or more vibrations, when it is determined that the user input is not associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface.

9. A device comprising:

a touch display;

one or more memories to store instructions; and

one or more processors to execute the instructions in the one or more memories to;

display a user interface on the touch display;

detect a user input on the touch display;

determine whether the user input is directed to a navigational assistance area of the user interface, where the navigational assistance area of the user interface includes a selectable item; and

when it is determined that the user input is directed to the navigational assistance area of the user interface;

obtain a name associated with the selectable item of the user interface,

output an auditory navigational cue that corresponds to a vocalization of the name associated with the navigational assistance area, and

output a vibrational navigational cue.

10. The device of claim 9, where the device comprises a telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a personal computer, or a multimedia playing device.

11. The device of claim 9, where the one or more processors execute the instructions to:

receive file information associated with the navigational assistance area, and where the name associated with the navigational assistance area is obtained based on the file information.

12. The device of claim 11, where the file information includes one or more of a file name, a directory, or a file type.

13. The device of claim 11, where the one or more processors execute the instructions to:

generate the name based on the file information.

14. The device of claim 13, where the name includes a word not included in the file information.

15. The device of claim 9, where the vibrational navigational cue occurs only in an area of the touch display corresponding to the navigational assistance area.

16. The device of claim 9, further comprising a speaker, where the auditory navigational cue is output via a speaker or other audio output device.

17. A computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer-readable medium storing instructions for:

detecting a user input associated with a touch screen;

determining whether the user input is directed to a selectable item of a user interface displayed on the touch screen;

obtain a name associated with the selectable item when it is determined that the user input is directed to the selectable item of the user interface;

output a vocalization of the name when it is determined that the user input is directed to the selectable item of the user interface; and

output a vibrational cue on the touch screen when it is determined that the user input is directed to the selectable item of the user interface.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising one or more instructions for:

generating the name based on file information associated with the selectable item.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, where the file information includes at least one of a name of a file associated with the selectable item, path information associated with the file, and a type of the file.