Method and Devices for Displaying Graphical User Interfaces Based on User Contact

• US 20140282051A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Modarres, Ali
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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

Method and devices for displaying graphical user interface configurations based detected user contact are disclosed. One disclosed method comprises displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) according to a first GUI configuration on a display of a handheld device, receiving a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor coupled to the handheld device, the sensor signal indicating a contact with the handheld device, determining a grasping contact based at least in part on the sensor signal, determining a second GUI configuration based at least in part on the grasping contact, and displaying the GUI on the display according to the second GUI configuration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) according to a first GUI configuration on a display of a handheld device;

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor coupled to the handheld device, the sensor signal indicating a contact with the handheld device;

determining a grasping contact based at least in part, on the sensor signal;

determining a second GUI configuration based at least in part on the grasping contact; and

displaying the GUI on the display according to the second GUI configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a pressure based on the sensor signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determination of the pressure comprises determining a magnitude of the pressure based at least in part on the sensor signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising outputting a haptic effect based on the determined magnitude of the pressure.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination of the grasping contact is based on the magnitude of the pressure.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the handheld device comprises a housing and wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors coupled to the handheld device, wherein one or more pressure sensors of the plurality of pressure sensors are coupled to the housing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor of a plurality of sensors and the sensor signal is a first sensor signal received from the first sensor, and further comprising receiving a second sensor signal from a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, and wherein determining the grasping contact is based at least in part on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined grasping contact is one of a vertically-oriented left-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented right-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented two-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented left-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented right-handed grasp, or a horizontally-oriented two-handed grasp.

9. A computer readable medium comprising software program code executable by a processor to:

display a graphical user interface (GUI) according to a first GUI configuration on a display of a handheld device;

receive a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor coupled to the handheld device, the sensor signal indicating a contact with the handheld device;

determine a grasping contact based at least in part on the sensor signal;

determine a second GUI configuration based at least in part on the grasping contact; and

display the GUI on the display according to the second GUI configuration.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising software program code executable by a processor to:

determine a pressure based on the sensor signal.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the determination of the pressure comprises determining a magnitude of the pressure based at least in part on the sensor signal.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising software program code executable by a processor to cause an actuator of the handheld device to output a haptic effect based on the determined magnitude of the pressure.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the determination of the grasping contact is based on the magnitude of the pressure.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the handheld device comprises a housing and wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors coupled to the handheld device, wherein one or more pressure sensors of the plurality of pressure sensors are coupled to the housing.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the sensor is a first sensor of a plurality of sensors and the sensor signal is a first sensor signal received from the first sensor, and further comprising software program code executable by a processor to:

receive a second sensor signal from a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, and

wherein determining the grasping contact is based at least in part on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the determined grasping contact is one of a vertically-oriented left-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented right-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented two-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented left-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented right-handed grasp, or a horizontally-oriented two-handed grasp.

17. A handheld device comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a sensor coupled to the handheld device; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising computer program code executable by the processor to;

display a graphical user interface (GUI) according to a first GUI configuration on the display;

receive a sensor signal from the sensor, the sensor signal indicating a contact with the handheld device;

determine a grasping contact based at least in part on the sensor signal;

determine a second GUI configuration based at least in part on the grasping contact; and

display the GUI on the display according to the second GUI configuration.

18. The handheld device of claim 17, wherein the memory further comprises software program code executable by the processor to:

determine a pressure based on the sensor signal.

19. The handheld device of claim 18, wherein the determination of the pressure comprises determining a magnitude of the pressure based at least in part on the sensor signal.

20. The handheld device of claim 19, further comprising an actuator in communication with the processor, and wherein the memory further comprises computer program code executable by the processor to cause the actuator to output a haptic effect based on the determined magnitude of the pressure.

21. The handheld device of claim 19, wherein the determination of the grasping contact is based on the magnitude of the pressure.

22. The handheld device of claim 18, further comprising a housing and wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors coupled to the handheld device, wherein one or more of the plurality of pressure sensors are coupled to the housing.

23. The handheld device of claim 17, wherein the sensor is a first sensor of a plurality of sensors and the sensor signal is a first sensor signal received from the first sensor, and the memory further comprises software program code executable by the processor to:

receive a second sensor signal from a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, and

wherein determining the grasping contact is based at least in part on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

24. The handheld device of claim 17, wherein the determined grasping contact is one of a vertically-oriented left-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented right-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented two-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented left-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented right-handed grasp, or a horizontally-oriented two-handed grasp.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor coupled to a handheld device, the sensor signal indicating a contact with the handheld device;

determining a grasping contact based at least in part on the sensor signal; and

providing grasping contact information based on the grasping contact.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining a pressure based on the sensor signal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the determination of the pressure comprises determining a magnitude of the pressure based at least in part on the sensor signal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the determination of the grasping contact is based on the magnitude of the pressure.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the handheld device comprises a housing and wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors coupled to the handheld device, wherein one or more pressure sensors of the plurality of pressure sensors are coupled to the housing.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the sensor is a first sensor of a plurality of sensors and the sensor signal is a first sensor signal received from the first sensor, and further comprising receiving a second sensor signal from a second sensor of the plurality of sensors, and wherein determining the grasping contact is based at least in part on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the determined grasping contact is one of a vertically-oriented left-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented right-handed grasp, a vertically-oriented two-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented left-handed grasp, a horizontally-oriented right-handed grasp, or a horizontally-oriented two-handed grasp.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein providing grasping contact information comprises providing an application programming interface for retrieving the grasping contact information.