EXTENDING THE FREE FINGERS TYPING TECHNOLOGY AND INTRODUCING THE FINGER TAPS LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY

• US 20150084884A1
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cherradi El Fadili, Ibrahim Farid
• Original Assignee: Cherradi El Fadili, Ibrahim Farid
• Inventors: Cherradi El Fadili, Ibrahim Farid
• Granted Patent: US 10,209,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention provides the main elements and the essential description of the Extended Free Fingers Typing Technology. The user taps with free fingers on a surface. The hands and fingers are in the pianist position and produce finger-taps organized in groups of simultaneously occurring taps called combinations of concurrent fingers-taps. Successions of groups of one or more concurrent finger-taps are executed. FFTT makes use of a device called FFTT sensing device able to help FFTT system to sense finger-taps and to recognize which fingers produced the taps. Based on appropriate technology FFTT sensing device helps FFTT acquire the data related to the occurrence of each finger-tap event including the location and the time of occurrence. In order for FFTT system to distinguish between two successive combinations of simultaneous finger-taps, the user produces them separated by short time laps. To the detected combinations of concurrent taps are associated codes that are converted to FFTT Commands comprising Keyboard Commands, Linguistic Phonemes or Morphemes, Machine Commands and other commands or functions. FFTT system executes these generated FFTT Commands locally or remotely by sending related information (with wired or wireless connection) to an Information Processing Device for further processing. When FFTT is used to create sign languages it is called Finger Taps Language Technology (FTLT). FTLT system has also the ability to convert series of language primitives to vocal speech. An apparatus that is able to perform FFTT or FTLT tasks is said apparatus with FFTT capabilities and called FFTT apparatus. Such apparatus is commonly designated as apparatus ‘with FFTT inside’.

Claims

1. A method for producing User Commands to execute them on an Information Processing Device. Said method comprises the following steps:

Producing, on a surface, finger-taps organized in succession of groups of concurrent finger-taps;

Using a sensing device to detect said finger-taps produced on said surface;

Identifying the fingers producing said detected finger-taps;

Sorting said detected finger-taps in successions of groups of concurrent finger-taps;

Associating said User Commands to said groups of concurrent finger-taps; and

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

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sorting said detected finger-taps in said succession of groups of concurrent finger-taps is achieved by:

considering that all finger-taps detected during a same time interval T belong to a same group of said concurrent finger-taps; and

considering that two successive groups of concurrent finger-taps are separated by a time interval U.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a finger-tap is characterised by:

the time when the finger enters in contact with the surface;

the time when the finger leaves the surface; and

the location of occurrence of said finger-tap.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said Information Processing Device includes one or more of computer, personal digital assistant, cellular phone, photo/video camera, gaming device, musical equipment, and other computer based device as well as, other keyboard based device and pointer/selector based device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said User Commands are one or more of producing a character in any language, pressing a computer keyboard key, moving a pointer selector, pressing a pointing/selecting device button, pressing a music instrument keyboard key and other machine command.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said User Commands include linguistic primitives like for example morphemes and phonemes.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said User Commands are assigned to said groups of concurrent finger-taps by:

assigning codes to said groups of concurrent finger-taps; and

assigning User Commands to said codes of said groups of concurrent finger-taps.

9. The method according to claims 6 and 7 wherein said codes include ASCII character codes, other computer keyboard key codes or other appropriate codes.

10. The method according to claims 6 and 7 wherein said codes are created according to a coding convention such as for example a convention making use of codes assigned to the fingers.

11. An apparatus making use of the method of claim 1 for producing said User Commands to execute them locally on said apparatus or remotely on said Information Processing Device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein means is used to convert to vocal speech said linguistic primitives of claim 7 locally on said apparatus or remotely on said Information Processing Device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein means is used to send via wired or wireless connection said User Commands or User Command codes or information to said Information Processing Device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said apparatus is said ‘

apparatus with method of claim 1 inside’

.

15. Software or firmware that when executed on appropriate system implements the method of claims 1 to 15.

16. An apparatus running the software or firmware of claim 15 wherein said apparatus is said ‘

apparatus with method of claim 1 inside’

.