SHOE-BASED WEARABLE INTERACTION SYSTEM

• US 20160093199A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Whitney, Kofi, Cianfrone, Joseph A., Anderson, Glen J., Banerjee, Rohit
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method of initiating a command in a computing system having a processor. A pair of wearable items are detected as being in close proximity and a command interface connected to the processor is activated on detecting that the pair of wearable items are in close proximity. A command is received via the command interface and the command is transferred to the processor.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a processor;

a network; and

a user interface communicatively coupled through the network to the processor, wherein the user interface includes a pair of wearable items, including a first and a second wearable item, wherein the first wearable item includes a command interface and a proximity detector, wherein the proximity detector detects when the pair of wearable items are in close proximity;

wherein the command interface is activated when the pair of wearable items are placed in close proximity; and

wherein the command interface, when activated, receives commands and transfers the commands to the processor.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the proximity detector includes an NFC device and wherein the proximity detector detects when the pair of wearable items are in close proximity by detecting an NFC device in the second wearable item.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the proximity detector includes a camera and wherein the proximity detector detects when the first and second wearable items are in close proximity via the camera.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the proximity detector includes an infrared device and wherein the proximity detector detects when the pair of wearable items are in close proximity by reflecting infrared light off the second wearable device and capturing the reflected infrared light via the camera.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the pair of wearable devices is a pair of shoes, wherein one of the shoes includes a force detector that detects when the shoes are being worn.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the command interface receives commands from a sensor, wherein the sensor is selected from a group of sensors including a force detector, an accelerometer, a microphone and a touch sensor.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the wearable items are selected from the group of wearable items consisting of shoes, gloves, jewelry, watches, wrist bands and head bands.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first wearable item includes an item processor, wherein the item processor includes a lowest power sleep mode and an awake and listening mode, wherein the command interface moves the processor from the lowest power sleep mode to the awake and listening mode on detecting that the pair of wearable items are in close proximity.

9. A method of initiating a command in a computing system having a processor, the method comprising:

detecting that a pair of wearable items are in close proximity;

activating a command interface connected to the processor on detecting that the pair of wearable items are in close proximity;

receiving a command via the command interface; and

transferring the command to the processor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting that a pair of wearable items are in close proximity includes detecting an NFC device in the second wearable item.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein one of the wearable items is a shoe with a force detector, wherein detecting that the wearable items are in close proximity includes detecting, via the force detector, that the shoe is being worn.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the command interface includes a nudge detector, wherein receiving a command includes receiving a nudge command via the force detector.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving a command includes receiving a signal from a sensor.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting that a pair of wearable items are in close proximity includes selecting each wearable item from the group of wearable items consisting of shoes, gloves, jewelry, watches, wrist bands and head bands.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein one of the wearable items includes a processor and wherein activating the command interface includes awakening the wearable item processor, wherein awakening the wearable item processor includes moving the wearable item processor from a lowest power sleep mode to an awake and listening mode.

16. A wearable item, comprising:

means for wearing the wearable item;

means for communicating with a processor;

means for detecting that the wearable item is in close proximity to another wearable item;

means for activating a command interface connected to the processor on detecting that the wearable item is in close proximity to another wearable item;

means for receiving a command via the command interface; and

means for transferring the command to the processor.

17. The wearable item of claim 16, wherein the means for detecting that the device is in close proximity to another wearable item includes means for capturing an image via a camera embedded in one of the wearable items.

18. The wearable item of claim 16, wherein one of the wearable items is a shoe with a force detector, wherein the means for detecting that the wearable items are in close proximity includes means for detecting, via the force detector, that the shoe is being worn.

19. The wearable item of claim 16, wherein the means for receiving a command includes means for receiving a signal from a sensor.

20. The wearable item of claim 16, wherein the means for detecting includes an item processor, wherein the means for activating the command interface includes means for awakening the item processor, wherein the means for awakening the item processor includes means for moving the item processor from a lowest power sleep mode to an awake and listening mode.

21. The wearable item of claim 16, wherein the means for detecting and the command interface are encased in a module designed to fit in a void formed in a shoe.

22. A system, comprising:

a pair of wearable items, including a first and a second wearable item, wherein the first wearable item includes a command interface and proximity detecting means for detecting when the pair of wearable items are in close proximity;

wherein the command interface is activated when the pair of wearable items are placed in close proximity; and

wherein the command interface, when activated, receives commands and transfers the commands to a processor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the proximity detecting means and the command interface are encased in a package designed to fit in a void formed in a shoe.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the proximity detecting means is selected from a group consisting of a force detector, an accelerometer, a microphone and a touch sensor.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the pair of wearable items is a pair of shoes, wherein one of the shoes includes a force detector, wherein detecting that the pair of shoes are in close proximity includes detecting, via the force detector, that the shoes are being worn and wherein receiving a command includes receiving a command via at least one of a group consisting of the force detector, an accelerometer, a microphone and a touch sensor.