SELECTION ATTRACTIVE INTERFACES, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUSES INCLUDING SUCH INTERFACES, METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING SAME

• US 20150135132A1
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Interface LLC
• Original Assignee: Quantum Interface LLC
• Inventors: Josephson, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 10,503,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Systems, interfaces, and methods for implementing the systems and interfaces includes selection attractive movement as the selection protocol, where a selection object is used to discriminate between selectable objects and attract a target object toward the selection objects, where the direction and speed of the motion controls, discriminates, attracts, and activates the selected objects.

Claims

1. A system for selecting and activating virtual or real objects and their controllable attributes comprising:

at least one motion sensor having an active sensing zone,

at least one processing unit,

at least one power supply unit,

one object or a plurality of objects under the control of the processing units,

where the sensors, processing units, and power supply units are in electrical communication with each other,

where the motion sensors sense motion including motion properties within the active zones, generate at least one output signal, and send the output signals to the processing units,

where the processing units convert the output signals into at least one command function,

where the command functions comprise;

(7) a start function,

(8) a scroll function,

(9) a select function,

(10) an attribute function,

(11) an attribute control function,

(12) a simultaneous control function including;

(g) a select and scroll function,

(h) a select, scroll and activate function,

(i) a select, scroll, activate, and attribute control function,

(j) a select and activate function,

(k) a select and attribute control function,

(l) a select, active, and attribute control function, or

(m) combinations thereof, or

(13) combinations thereof,

where the start functions activate at least one selection or cursor object and a plurality of selectable objects upon first sensing motion by the motion sensors and selectable objects aligned with the motion direction move toward the selection object or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable objects and motion continues until a target selectable object or a plurality of target selectable objects are discriminated from non-target selectable objects resulting in activation of the target object or objects,

where the motion properties include a touch, a lift off, a direction, a velocity, an acceleration, a change in direction, a change in velocity, a change in acceleration, a rate of change of direction, a rate of change of velocity, a rate of change of acceleration, stops, holds, timed holds, or mixtures and combinations thereof,

where the objects comprise real world objects, virtual objects and mixtures or combinations thereof, where the real world objects include physical, mechanical, electro-mechanical, magnetic, electro-magnetic, electrical, or electronic devices or any other real world device that can be controlled by a processing unit and the virtual objects include any construct generated in a virtual world or by a computer and displayed by a display device and that are capable of being controlled by a processing unit,

where the attributes comprise activatable, executable and/or adjustable attributes associated with the objects, and

where changes in motion properties are changes discernible by the motion sensors and/or the processing units.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the start functions further activate the user feedback units and the selection objects and the selectable objects are discernible via the motion sensors in response to movement of an animal, human, robot, robotic system, part or parts thereof, or combinations thereof within the motion sensor active zones.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes:

at least on user feedback unit,

at least one battery backup unit,

communication hardware and software,

at least one remote control unit, or

mixtures and combinations thereof,

where the sensors, processing units, power supply units, the user feedback units, the battery backup units, the remote control units are in electrical communication with each other.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein faster motion causes a faster movement of the target object or objects toward the selection object or causes a greater differentiation of the target object or object from the non-target object or objects.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein if the activated objects or objects have subobjects and/or attributes associated therewith, then as the objects move toward the selection object, the subobjects and/or attributes appear and become more discernible as object selection becomes more certain.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein once the target object or objects have been selected, then further motion within the active zones of the motion sensors causes selectable subobjects or selectable attributes aligned with the motion direction to move towards the selection object(s) or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable subobjects or selectable attributes and motion continues until a target selectable subobject or attribute or a plurality of target selectable objects and/or attributes are discriminated from non-target selectable subobjects and/or attributes resulting in activation of the target subobject, attribute, subobjects, or attributes.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, optical scanners, optical roller ball devices, touch pads, inductive pads, capacitive pads, holographic devices, laser tracking devices, thermal devices, acoustic devices, any other device capable of sensing motion, arrays of motion sensors, and mixtures or combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects include lighting devices, cameras, ovens, dishwashers, stoves, sound systems, display systems, alarm systems, control systems, medical devices, robots, robotic control systems, hot and cold water supply devices, air conditioning systems, heating systems, ventilation systems, air handling systems, computers and computer systems, chemical plant control systems, computer operating systems, systems, graphics systems, business software systems, word processor systems, internet browsers, accounting systems, military systems, control systems, other software systems, programs, routines, objects and/or elements, remote control systems, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein if the timed hold is brief, then the processing unit causes an attribute to be adjusted to a preset level.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein if the timed hold is continued, then the processing unit causes an attribute to undergo a high value/low value cycle that ends when the hold is removed.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the timed hold causes an attribute value to change so that (1) if the attribute is at its maximum value, the timed hold causes the attribute value to decrease at a predetermined rate, until the timed hold is removed, (2) if the attribute value is at its minimum value, then the timed hold causes the attribute value to increase at a predetermined rate, until the timed hold is removed, (3) if the attribute value is not the maximum or minium value, then the timed hold causes randomly selects the rate and direction of attribute value change or changes the attribute to allow maximum control, or (4) the timed hold causes a continuous change in the attribute value in a direction of the initial motion until the timed hold is removed.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the motion sensors sense a second motion including second motion properties within the active zones, generate at least one output signal, and send the output signals to the processing units, and

the processing units convert the output signals into a confirmation command confirming the selection or at least one second command function for controlling different objects or different object attributes.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the motion sensors sense motions including motion properties of two or more animals, humans, robots, or parts thereof, or objects under the control of humans, animals, and/or robots within the active zones, generate output signals corresponding to the motions, and send the output signals to the processing units, and

the processing units convert the output signals into command function or confirmation commands or combinations thereof implemented simultaneously or sequentially, where the start functions activate a plurality of selection or cursor objects and a plurality of selectable objects upon first sensing motion by the motion sensor and selectable objects aligned with the motion directions move toward the selection objects or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable objects and the motions continue until target selectable objects or pluralities of target selectable objects are discriminated from non-target selectable objects resulting in activation of the target objects and the confirmation commands confirm the selections.

14. A method for controlling objects comprising:

sensing motion including motion properties within an active sensing zone of at least one motion sensor, where the motion properties include a direction, a velocity, an acceleration, a change in direction, a change in velocity, a change in acceleration, a rate of change of direction, a rate of change of velocity, a rate of change of acceleration, stops, holds, timed holds, or mixtures and combinations thereof,

producing an output signal or a plurality of output signals corresponding to the sensed motion,

converting the output signal or signals via a processing unit in communication with the motion sensors into a command function or a plurality of command functions, where the command functions comprise;

(1) a start function,

(2) a scroll function,

(3) a select function,

(4) an attribute function,

(5) an attribute control function,

(6) a simultaneous control function including;

(g) a select and scroll function,

(h) a select, scroll and activate function,

(i) a select, scroll, activate, and attribute control function,

(j) a select and activate function,

(k) a select and attribute control function,

(l) a select, active, and attribute control function, or

(m) combinations thereof, or

(7) combinations thereof,

processing the command function or the command functions simultaneously or sequentially, where the start functions activate at least one selection or cursor object and a plurality of selectable objects upon first sensing motion by the motion sensor and selectable objects aligned with the motion direction move toward the selection object or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable objects and motion continues until a target selectable object or a plurality of target selectable objects are discriminated from non-target selectable objects resulting in activation of the target object or objects, where the motion properties include a touch, a lift off, a direction, a velocity, an acceleration, a change in direction, a change in velocity, a change in acceleration, a rate of change of direction, a rate of change of velocity, a rate of change of acceleration, stops, holds, timed holds, or mixtures and combinations thereof, and

where the objects comprise real world objects, virtual objects or mixtures and combinations thereof, where the real world objects include physical, mechanical, electro-mechanical, magnetic, electro-magnetic, electrical, or electronic devices or any other real world device that can be controlled by a processing unit and the virtual objects include any construct generated in a virtual world or by a computer and displayed by a display device and that are capable of being controlled by a processing unit,

where the attributes comprise activatable, executable and/or adjustable attributes associated with the objects, and

where changes in motion properties are changes discernible by the motion sensors and/or the processing units.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the motion sensor is selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, optical scanners, optical roller ball devices, touch pads, inductive pads, capacitive pads, holographic devices, laser tracking devices, thermal devices, acoustic devices, any other device capable of sensing motion, arrays of motion sensors, and mixtures or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects include lighting devices, cameras, ovens, dishwashers, stoves, sound systems, display systems, alarm systems, control systems, medical devices, robots, robotic control systems, hot and cold water supply devices, air conditioning systems, heating systems, ventilation systems, air handling systems, computers and computer systems, chemical plant control systems, computer operating systems, systems, graphics systems, business software systems, word processor systems, internet browsers, accounting systems, military systems, control systems, other software systems, programs, routines, objects and/or elements, remote control systems, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein if the timed hold is brief, then the processing unit causes an attribute to be adjusted to a preset level.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein if the timed hold is continued, then the processing unit causes an attribute to undergo a high value/low value cycle that ends when the hold is removed.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the timed hold causes an attribute value to change so that (1) if the attribute is at its maximum value, the timed hold causes the attribute value to decrease at a predetermined rate, until the timed hold is removed, (2) if the attribute value is at its minimum value, then the timed hold causes the attribute value to increase at a predetermined rate, until the timed hold is removed, (3) if the attribute value is not the maximum or minium value, then the timed hold causes randomly selects the rate and direction of attribute value change or changes the attribute to allow maximum control, or (4) the timed hold causes a continuous change in the attribute value in a direction of the initial motion until the timed hold is removed.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising

sensing second motion including second motion properties within the active sensing zone of the motion sensors,

producing a second output signal or a plurality of second output signals corresponding to the second sensed motion,

converting the second output signal or signals via the processing units in communication with the motion sensors into a second command function or a plurality of second command functions, and

confirming the selection based on the second output signals, or

processing the second command function or the second command functions and moving selectable objects aligned with the second motion direction toward the selection object or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable objects and motion continues until a second target selectable object or a plurality of second target selectable objects are discriminated from non-target second selectable objects resulting in activation of the second target object or objects, where the motion properties include a touch, a lift off, a direction, a velocity, an acceleration, a change in direction, a change in velocity, a change in acceleration, a rate of change of direction, a rate of change of velocity, a rate of change of acceleration, stops, holds, timed holds, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein:

sensing motions including motion properties of two or more animals, humans, robots, or parts thereof within the active zones of the motion sensors,

producing output signals corresponding to the motions,

converting the output signals into command function or confirmation commands or combinations thereof, where the start functions activate a plurality of selection or cursor objects and a plurality of selectable objects upon first sensing motion by the motion sensor and selectable objects aligned with the motion directions move toward the selection objects or become differentiated from non-aligned selectable objects and the motions continue until target selectable objects or pluralities of target selectable objects are discriminated from non-target selectable objects resulting in activation of the target objects and the confirmation commands confirm the selections.