ADVANCED TOUCH CONTROL OF A MEDIA PLAYER APPLICATION VIA FINGER ANGLE USING A HIGH DIMENSIONAL TOUCHPAD (HDTP) TOUCH USER INTERFACE

• US 20130185636A1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: New Renaissance Institute
• Inventors: LIM, Seung E.
• Application Number:
  US13/786,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 21/00 Systems for transmitting the position of an object with respect to a predetermined reference system, e.g. tele-autographic system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A method for controlling a media player executing on a computing device is disclosed. A user interface touch sensor is configured to be responsive to at least one angle of contact with at least one finger. A change in an angle of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor is measured by the touch sensor to produce measured data. Real-time calculations on the measured data are performed to produce a measured-angle value. The measured-angle value is used to control the value of at least one user interface parameter of the media player. At least one aspect of the media player changes in response to the angle of the position of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a media player application executing on a computing device, the method comprising:

configuring a user interface touch sensor to be responsive to at least one angle of contact with at least one finger, the finger belonging to a human user of a computing device and the user interface touch sensor in communication with an operating system of the computing device;

measuring at least one change in at least one angle of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor to produce measured data, the measuring performed by at least the touch sensor;

performing real-time calculations on the measured data to produce a measured-angle value; and

using the measured-angle value to control the value of at least one user interface parameter of the media player;

wherein at least one aspect of the media player changes responsive to the angle of the position of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control manipulation of one of:

skip, repeat, playback speed, rewind, and fast-forward commands associated with the media player.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control manipulation of one or more audio levels associated with at least one media file currently being played on the media player.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control manipulation of one or more visually perceptible attribute levels associated with at least one media file currently being played on the media player.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control manipulation of a playlist window of the media player.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control manipulation of a menu of a plurality of playlists associated with the media player.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the measured-angle value to control changing of at least one visual attribute associated with a graphical user interface of the media player.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises pitch of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises roll of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises yaw of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to left-right movement of the finger on the touch sensor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to forward-backward movement of the finger on the touch sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to at least one gesture comprising changes to movement of the finger on the touch sensor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to gestures comprising changes to pressure applied by the finger to the touch sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is further configured to be responsive to simultaneous changes in at least two of finger roll angle, finger pitch angle, finger yaw angle, and finger downward pressure.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a speed of change of the finger angle, and using the speed of the change of the finger angle to control an aspect of the media player.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one finger angle is used in a natural metaphor to control an aspect of the media player.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more touch gestures performed by the finger on the surface of the touch sensor; and

using the measured-angle value and the one or more touch gestures to control the value of at least one user interface parameter of the media player.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a sequence of touch gestures performed by the finger on the surface of the touch sensor; and

determining the measured-angle value based on the sequence of touch gestures.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device.