INTERACTIVE BADGE

• US 20140232632A1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hodges, Stephen Edward, Helmes, John, Paek, Timothy S., Apacible, Johnson Tan, Pohl, Norman Timo, Villar Martinez, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 9,606,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards a wearable interactive device, such as a wearable identity badge. When a user moves the device, such as to position a display (e.g., part) of the device a sensed distance at a sensed horizontal and vertical angle, the device outputs content that is based on the position. Context data also may be used in determining the content to output, as well as any other sensed data that may be available.

Claims

1. A method performed at least in part on at least one processor, comprising, sensing a position of a wearable interactive device relative to a wearer of the device to provide position data, in which manipulation of the device that causes the device to move to the position comprises at least part of an interaction with the device, and rendering output via the wearable interactive device based upon the interaction with the device, including determining, based at least in part upon the position data, the output that is rendered via the wearable interactive device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, using context data to determine the output that is rendered via the wearable interactive device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing the position of the wearable interactive device to provide the position data comprises sensing coordinates corresponding to a distance, a vertical angle and a horizontal angle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, obtaining data corresponding to at least part of the output to be rendered from a remote device, or obtaining content corresponding to the output to be rendered from a remote content source.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the output comprises a displayed representation of a part of content, and wherein rendering the output on the wearable interactive device based upon the interaction with the device, comprises panning, scrolling, or zooming, or any combination of panning, scrolling or zooming to display a different representation of the content as the position data is changed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein rendering the output via the wearable interactive device based upon the interaction with the device comprises rendering a badge image when there is no manual interaction or substantially no manual interaction with the device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, inputting touch-based data, proximity-based data, gesture-based data, button-based data, pressure-based data, magnetometer-based data, accelerometer-based data, or gyroscope-based data, or any combination of touch-based data, proximity-based data, gesture-based data, button-based data, pressure-based data, magnetometer-based data, accelerometer-based data, or gyroscope-based data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein rendering the output via the wearable interactive device based upon the interaction with the device comprises outputting control data for controlling a remote device or unlocking a remote device, or both controlling and unlocking a remote device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein rendering the output via the wearable interactive device comprises augmenting an image with virtual data.

10. In a computing environment, a system comprising, a wearable interactive device, the wearable interactive device including an output mechanism configured to render output content, in which the output content is rendered based at least in part upon interaction with the wearable interactive device that positions the wearable interactive device at a position relative to a wearer of the interactive wearable device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the output mechanism comprises an always on display or a substantially always on display.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein at least part of the wearable interactive device comprises an identity badge.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising a sensor set including at least one sensor that senses the position.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor set comprises a sensor that provides a distance of the wearable interactive device relative to the wearer based upon movement of a retractable string coupled to the wearable interactive device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor set comprises a distance sensor that provides a distance of the wearable interactive device relative to the wearer, and at least one sensor that provides at least one angle of the wearable interactive device relative to the wearer.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the wearable interactive device comprises a display part and a belt clip part or a lanyard part, and wherein at least part of the sensor set is incorporated into the belt clip part or the lanyard part of the wearable interactive device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the belt clip part or the lanyard part provides at least some power to another part of the wearable interactive device, or wherein the belt clip part or the lanyard part receives at least some power from another part of the wearable interactive device.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein at least part of the output content is provided by a companion device.

19. The method of claim 10 further comprising, a sensor configured to detect whether the wearable interactive device is currently being worn.

20. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

obtaining context data;

sensing position data of a wearable interactive badge relative to a wearer, including sensing distance data and angular data;

determining content based upon the position data and the context data; and

rendering the content via the wearable interactive badge.