Hands-free, portable computer and system

• US 5,844,824 A
• Filed: 05/22/1997
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: XYBERNAUT CORPORATION
• Inventors: Jenkins, Michael D., Schwartz, Steven J., Newman, Edward G.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOISE, EMMANUEL LIONEL
• Application Number:
  US08/861,598
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 364/708.1, 364/705.05, 364/709.11, 434/258, 128/731, 351/210
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

The invention involves a body-worn, hands-free computer system. The system does not rely upon a keyboard input or activation apparatus but rather has various activation means all of which are hands-free. The system can be used with other systems, other system components and communication apparatus. Also, various components of the present system can be body worn or placed in a disconnected location if desired.

Claims

1. A hands-free computer apparatus comprising in electrical connection:

a computer housing, a computer display means, hands-free activating means and securing means, said securing means used to attach at least said computer display means and said activating means to a user, said computer housing having mounted therein means for storing previously entered information,

processor means in said housing and communicating with the storage means for receiving, retrieving and processing information and user commands in accordance with a stored program,

transducer and converter means in communication with the processor means for receiving activation commands from the user, for converting said commands into electrical signals for recognizing the converted electrical signals and for sending the converted signals to said processor means,

said processor means including means for recognizing a command in the converted electrical signals and responding to the recognized command by retrieving and outputting corresponding information from the storage means,

said computer display means in communication with the processor means for receiving the outputted information from the processor means and for displaying the received information, and

means for mounting the computer display means on the user such that the computer display means is carried hands-free in view of the user, and

wherein the computing apparatus is capable of being operated to display the received information in a hands-free manner utilizing only hands-free activation commands, and means to provide a receptacle opening to the outside of the computer housing that is connected to an internal bus of the processor means, other internal computer components including the storage means are also communicating with the internal bus,

a means for temporarily plugging an external storage device into the bus for transferring data between the internal storage device and the external storage device using only said activating means so as to permit hands-free operation of the computer during data transfer,

and wherein said external storage device supplies additional information to said bus and has means for said additional information to cooperate with and supplement existing information and data already in said computing apparatus, while at the same time having means for retaining at least part of the existing information,

and wherein said hands-free activating means is selected from the group consisting of audio activation means, eye-tracking activation means, electroencephalography activation means and mixtures thereof.

2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein only said computer display means and said hands-free activating means are worn by the user and said computer housing is unattached from the user and located at a remote location.

3. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer housing, said computer display means and said hands-free activating means are worn by the user.

4. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer apparatus has means for interacting and communicating with a separate computer housing of a second separate mobile computer apparatus.

5. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer apparatus has means for interacting and communicating with a separate computer display means of a second separate mobile computer apparatus.

6. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer apparatus has means for communicating and interacting with a communication means selected from the group consisting of cellular telephones, hard line telephones, infrared transceivers, two-way radio means and mixtures thereof.

7. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means includes a means for transmitting audio commands and a voice recognition module.

8. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means includes electroencephalography activation means, and activation means responsive to electrical signals from muscles in the head area, working in concert.

9. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said previously entered information comprises a member selected from the group consisting of an electronic technical manual, interactive electronic technical manuals and mixtures thereof.

10. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means comprises means for recognizing a converted electrical signal from an eye-tracking device, said eye-tracking device comprising means for placing said eye-tracking device in visual contact with a user, means for determining the center of the user'"'"'s eye pupil, means to determine a point on a display where the user is looking, said means to electrically transmit information obtained to said computer housing.

11. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means is selected from the group consisting of audio activation means, eye-tracking activation means, electroencephalography (EEG) activation means, and mixtures thereof acting in combination with head and arm tracking means to control computer output.

12. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means includes electroencephalography (EEG) activation means, and activation means responsible to electromyography (EMG) signals from muscles in the head area working in concert and acting in combination with head and arm tracking means to control computer output.

13. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hands-free activating means controls and/or receives input from a medical device such as a muscle stimulator under control of the computer user.

14. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said recognizing means also includes means for defining positioning of an image within the display means responsive to electrical signals derived from the eye-tracking sensors and means to shift the viewing area of the display device to allow the user to scan over an image larger than the normal viewing area of the display device responsive to eye movement toward the extremities of the display device viewing area.

15. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer housing, said computer display means and said activation means are combined into a single housing worn by the user.

16. A method for hands-free retrieval and display of information by a compact, body-supported portable computing apparatus comprising the steps of:

providing and utilizing a mobile hands-free computer comprising an activating means, a storage means and processor means that is carried hands-free by the user that has a computer display device mounted on the user allowing the user to observe an image provided by the computer in a hands-free manner, commanding the operation of the computer using hands-free activation commands that are translated into computer commands to allow operation without a conventional keyboard and in a hands-free manner only using said activation commands,

providing a means for temporarily plugging an external storage device into the bus of the processor means to which the processor means is electrically connected,

transferring data between the existing internal storage device and the external storage device using only said activation commands to actuate and control the transfer, and supplying via said external storage device additional information to said bus, while retaining information already in said internal storage device, said additional information supplied to cooperate with and supplement any existing information and data already in said body supported portable computing apparatus, and wherein said hands-free activating means is selected from the group consisting of audio activation means, eye-tracking activation means, electroencephalography activation means and mixtures thereof.

17. The computing method of claim 16 to include providing as said activating means eye tracking sensor means which are mounted adjacent to the eye of the user in a manner supported hands-free by the user, and tracking eye movements of the user'"'"'s eye,

converting the eye movements into electrical signals,

sending the converted electrical signals to the computing apparatus as commands,

said audio commands and eye movement commands working in concert to control the computing apparatus.

18. The computing method of claim 16 wherein said activating means includes means for sensing electrical and muscle changes in the head area of the user in a manner supported hands-free by the user and,

converting these changes into electrical signals, and for sending the converted electrical signals to a processor means as activation commands,

said activation commands generated from sensed electrical and muscle changes in the user working in concert to control the computing apparatus.