Force feedback provided over a computer network
First Claim
1. A computer-readable medium including program instructions for implementing force feedback over a network, the program instructions performing acts comprising:
- causing a connection to be established between a server machine and a client machine over a network, said client machine including a visual display device and a force feedback device providing computer-controlled physical force feedback to a user of said force feedback device;
receiving from said server machine over said network web page information, said web page information including screen display information representing a visual layout of a web page and force feedback information related to said visual layout of said web page;
causing a display of said web page based upon said screen display information, said display provided on said visual display device of said client machine;
receiving input information from said force feedback device for positioning a pointer image with respect to said visual layout of said web page; and
causing a force feedback signal to be output to said force feedback device, said force feedback signal based upon said input information and based upon said web page information received over said network, wherein said force feedback signal causes said force feedback device to output computer-controlled physical force feedback to said user correlated with said visual layout of said web page on said visual display device, said force feedback being based at least in upon said force-feedback signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for providing force feedback over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols by: (a) sending from a client computer over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols, a connection request to a web server connected to the network that is hosting a desired URL; (b) receiving and processing an HTML file at the client computer that was sent from the web server in response to the connection request, wherein the processing includes parsing an embedded force object reference having associated parameters and building a force object therefrom; (c) developing a force feedback signal with the force object; and (d) providing force feedback to a human/computer interface device coupled to the client computer in response to the force feedback signal. A networked force feedback system of the present invention includes a network, a first computer coupled to the network, and a second computer coupled to the network, where the second computer includes a visual display and a human/computer interface device capable of providing a second computer input and providing force feedback in response to a force feedback signal provided by the second computer. The second computer develops an image on the visual display that is associated with stored feedback information, such that the second computer produces the force feedback signal in response to at least one of information derived from the first computer and of the second computer input.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A computer-readable medium including program instructions for implementing force feedback over a network, the program instructions performing acts comprising:
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causing a connection to be established between a server machine and a client machine over a network, said client machine including a visual display device and a force feedback device providing computer-controlled physical force feedback to a user of said force feedback device; receiving from said server machine over said network web page information, said web page information including screen display information representing a visual layout of a web page and force feedback information related to said visual layout of said web page; causing a display of said web page based upon said screen display information, said display provided on said visual display device of said client machine; receiving input information from said force feedback device for positioning a pointer image with respect to said visual layout of said web page; and causing a force feedback signal to be output to said force feedback device, said force feedback signal based upon said input information and based upon said web page information received over said network, wherein said force feedback signal causes said force feedback device to output computer-controlled physical force feedback to said user correlated with said visual layout of said web page on said visual display device, said force feedback being based at least in upon said force-feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing force feedback over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols comprising:
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causing a sending of a connection request from a client computer over a network supporting TCP/IP protocols to a web server connected to said network that is hosting a desired URL; receiving and parsing an HTML file at said client computer, said HTML file including a web page of said web server, said HTML file being sent from said web server in response to said connection request, wherein said parsing includes; parsing a force object reference included in said HTML file and having associated parameters; and building a force object based on said force object reference and said associated parameters; and causing a force feedback signal to be developed and sent to a force feedback device coupled to said client computer, said force feedback signal being developed using said force object, wherein physical force feedback is provided to a user manipulatable object of said force feedback device in response to said force feedback signal, said force feedback being generated by at least one actuator included in said force feedback device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A force feedback device coupled to a host computer, said force feedback device providing force feedback from information received over a network, the force feedback device comprising:
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a user manipulatable object physically contacted and manipulated by a user and moveable in a degree of freedom; an actuator for outputting forces on said user manipulatable object in said degree of freedom; a sensor for detecting a position of said user manipulatable object in said degree of freedom, a representation of said position being provided to said host computer to control a cursor displayed by said host computer; and a local microprocessor, separate from and communicating with said host computer, and coupled to said actuator and said sensor, said local microprocessor interpreting force feedback commands received from said host computer, said force feedback commands coordinating a force to be output by said actuator with cursor interaction with a displayed element on a web page displayed by said host computer, wherein said force feedback commands and said displayed element are derived from said information received by said host computer from a different computer over said network. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. Computer instructions embodied on a computer-readable medium for providing force feedback over a network, said computer instructions performing:
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causing a connection request to be sent from a client machine to a server machine over a network, said client machine including a visual display and a force feedback interface device providing computer-controlled force feedback to a user of said force feedback interface device using at least one actuator; receiving web page information from a server machine over a network, said web page information including screen display information representing a visual layout of a web page and force feedback information related to said visual layout of said web page information, wherein said web page is displayed on a client machine based upon said screen display information; parsing a component from said received web page information; and providing said component to a force feedback interpreting process if said component is a force feedback component, wherein said force feedback interpreting process instructs said force feedback device to output a physical force based on an interaction of a user-controlled pointer with objects displayed on said web page. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for implementing force feedback over a network, the method comprising:
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causing a connection to be established between a server machine and a client machine over a network, said client machine including a visual display device and a force feedback device providing computer-controlled physical force feedback to a user of said force feedback device; receiving from said server machine over said network web page information, said web page information including screen display information representing a visual layout of a web page and force feedback information related to said visual layout of said web page; causing a display of said web page based upon said screen display information, said display provided on said visual display device of said client machine; receiving input data derived from input information from said force feedback device for positioning a user-controlled graphical object with respect to said visual layout of said web page; and causing a force feedback signal to be output to said force feedback device, said force feedback signal based upon said input data and based upon said web page information received over said network, wherein said force feedback signal causes said force feedback device to output computer-controlled physical force feedback to said user correlated with said visual layout of said web page on said visual display device, said force feedback being based at least in part upon said force-feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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Specification