Dwell time indication method and apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for indicating the remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a display with respect to which the selectable region is capable of being at least partially delimited, the selectable region associated with a sequence of one or more graphic symbols including an ideograph, the sequence displayed on the display;
(b) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of a user, the user movement indicating successive locations with respect to the display;
(c) an indicating device for;
(1) modifying in a first manner the appearance of a first indicating region on the display responsive to a difference between;
(i) a predetermined period; and
(ii) the duration of a first period of intersection of two or more of the successive locations and the selectable region,the duration of the first period of intersection not equalling or exceeding the predetermined period; and
(2) modifying in a second manner the appearance of a second indicating region on the display responsive to the duration of a second period of intersection of two or more of the successive locations and the selectable region equalling or exceeding the predetermined period, the second period of intersection including all of the first period of intersection; and
(d) a selector for selecting the sequence responsive to the duration of the second period of intersection equalling or exceeding the predetermined period.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The apparatus and method of the invention relate to data entry in ideographic languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and to interactive displays and interactive display methods for use by persons temporarily or permanently lacking normal motor capabilities. In a preferred embodiment, each option of a menu is associated respectively with a selectable region (3606), (3610), etc. displayed adjacent an edge of a display (2112), forming a perimeter menu and leaving a region (3680) in the center of the perimeter menu for the output of an application program. Selectable regions may be on the display, outside the display, or both. A menu option may be selected by clicking on the associated selectable region, by dwelling on it for a selection threshold period or by a cursor path toward the selectable region, or by a combination thereof. Remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region is preferably indicated by the brightness of the selectable region. Submenus of a perimeter menu may also be perimeter menus and the location of a submenu option may be foretold by the appearance of its parent menu option. Menu options may be ideographs sharing a sound, a structure or another characteristic. Ideographs, which may be homophones of one another, may be associated with colored indicating regions and selection of an ideograph may be made by speaking the name of the associated color.
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Citations
83 Claims
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1. An apparatus for indicating the remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region, said apparatus comprising:
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(a) a display with respect to which the selectable region is capable of being at least partially delimited, the selectable region associated with a sequence of one or more graphic symbols including an ideograph, the sequence displayed on the display; (b) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of a user, the user movement indicating successive locations with respect to the display; (c) an indicating device for; (1) modifying in a first manner the appearance of a first indicating region on the display responsive to a difference between; (i) a predetermined period; and (ii) the duration of a first period of intersection of two or more of the successive locations and the selectable region, the duration of the first period of intersection not equalling or exceeding the predetermined period; and (2) modifying in a second manner the appearance of a second indicating region on the display responsive to the duration of a second period of intersection of two or more of the successive locations and the selectable region equalling or exceeding the predetermined period, the second period of intersection including all of the first period of intersection; and (d) a selector for selecting the sequence responsive to the duration of the second period of intersection equalling or exceeding the predetermined period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for indicating dwell time comprising:
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(a) a surface with respect to which each of a plurality of regions is capable of being at least partially delimited; (b) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of a user, the user movement indicating; (i) a first starting location intersecting a particular one of the regions; (ii) at a time at or after the time the first starting location occurs, a second starting location intersecting the particular region; (iii) at a time after the time the second starting location occurs, a second intermediate location intersecting the particular region; (iv) at a time after the time the second intermediate location occurs, a second ending location intersecting the particular region; and (v) at a time after the time the second ending location occurs, a first ending location intersecting the particular region; wherein a first period of intersection starts in response to the first starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the first ending location intersecting the particular region;
wherein a second period of intersection starts in response to the second starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the second ending location intersecting the particular region; and
wherein the duration of the second period of intersection increases between the time the second intermediate location occurs and the time the second ending location occurs;(c) a selector for selecting the particular region responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period of intersection; and (d) a plurality of indicators, each associated respectively with one of the regions, the particular indicator associated with the particular region, the particular indicator for providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to the selector selecting the particular region, the indication responsive to the increasing duration of the second period of intersection. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. For use with a user interface system wherein a body member of a user indicates successive locations with respect to a surface, a menu option selector comprising:
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(a) the surface with respect to which a selectable region is capable of being at least partially delimited, the selectable region associated with a menu option; (b) a detector for detecting the successive locations indicated by the body member; and (c) an indicator for indicating the duration of each of; (1) a first period of time during which two or more of the successive locations intersect the selectable region; (2) a second period of time, occurring after the first period, during which two or more of the successive locations do not intersect the selectable region; and (3) a third period of time, occurring after the second period, during which two or more of the successive locations intersect the selectable region; and (d) a selection device, responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of each of the first, second, and third periods, for selecting the menu option.
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10. A device controller comprising:
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(a) a display device for at least partially displaying a plurality of selectable regions on a display area, each selectable region associated respectively with a device control function; (b) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of a user, the user movement capable of indicating a potential user selection, the user movement capable of indicating three or more successive locations with respect to the display area; (c) an indicator for providing to a user of the device controller a steadily increasing indication of the increasing duration of a period of intersection of three or more of the successive locations indicated by the user movement and a particular one of the selectable regions; and (d) an initiation device, responsive to the duration of the period of intersection equalling or exceeding a predetermined period, for initiating the control function associated with the particular selectable region. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. For use with a system allowing a user to select a particular menu option from a plurality of menu options, the particular menu option associated with a particular region, the system including:
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(1) a display area; and (2) a computer coupled to the display area for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of the user, the user movement capable of indicating a potential user selection, the user movement capable of indicating; (i) a first starting location intersecting the particular region; (ii) at a time at or after the time the first starting location occurs, a second starting location intersecting the particular region; (iii) at a time after the time the second starting location occurs, a second intermediate location intersecting the particular region at a time after the time the second intermediate location occurs, a second ending location intersecting the particular region; and (iv) at a time after the time the second ending location occurs, a first ending location intersecting the particular region; wherein a first period of intersection starts in response to the first starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the first ending location intersecting the particular region;
wherein a second period of intersection starts in response to the second starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the second ending location intersecting the particular region; and
wherein the duration of the second period of intersection increases between the time the second intermediate location occurs and the time the second ending location occursan apparatus for indicating dwell time comprising; (a) a carrier readable by the computer; and (b) a first program, stored on or transmitted via the carrier and executable by the computer, for; (1) at least partially delimiting the particular region with respect to the display area; (2) selecting the particular menu option responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period of intersection; and (3) providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to the first program selecting the particular menu option, the indication responsive to a second quantity, the second quantity being a function of the increasing duration of the second period of intersection. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A data entry system comprising:
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(a) a display having thereon a plurality of selectable data entry items and a region for indicating the number of units of the data entry item selected; (b) a plurality of detectors, each associated respectively with one of the selectable data entry items; (c) a pointer for producing and emitting signals directed at a particular one of the data entry items for a steadily increasing period of time; and (d) a control device for controlling the operation of said data entry system, the control device including; (1) a first indicator for producing signals in response to the signals falling on the detectors, the first indicator giving a continuous or apparently continuous first indication to a user of the data entry system of the steadily increasing period of time that the pointer has been directed at the particular data entry item; (2) a second indicator for giving a second indication to the user that the pointer has been directed at the particular data entry item for a period equalling or exceeding a predetermined period of time and that the particular data entry item is selected for entry into the data entry system; and (3) a third indicator for indicating in the region the number of units of the particular data entry item selected.
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21. An order entry system comprising:
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(a) a display having thereon a plurality of selectable order entry items, a first region for indicating the number of units of the order entry item selected and a second region for indicating the total monetary value of the units selected; (b) a plurality of detectors, each associated respectively with one of the selectable order entry items; (c) a pointer for producing and emitting signals directed at a particular one of the order entry items for a steadily increasing period of time; and (d) a control device for; (1) producing signals in response to the signals falling on the detectors, the control device giving a continuous or apparently continuous first indication to a user of the order entry system of the steadily increasing duration of the period that the pointer has been directed at the particular order entry item; (2) producing signals in response to the signals falling on the detectors, the control device giving a second indication to the user that the pointer has been directed at the particular order entry item for at least a predetermined period of time and that the particular order entry item is selected for entry into the order entry system; (3) indicating in the first region the number of units of the order entry item selected; (4) totaling the monetary value of the units selected; and (5) indicating in the second region the total monetary value of the units selected. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of indicating to a user the remaining dwell time required to select a selectable region, said method comprising the steps of:
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displaying the selectable region on a surface;
receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement by the user, the user movement indicating a first location and at least two successive locations, each of the locations intersecting the selectable region, each of the at least two successive locations occurring after the occurrence of the previous location, and wherein the duration of a period of intersection of the locations and the selectable region increases between the time the earliest of the at least two successive locations occurs and the time the latest of the at least two successive locations occurs;providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user responsive to a first quantity, the first quantity being a function of a first difference between; (a) a second predetermined quantity; and (b) the increasing duration of the period of intersection; and selecting the selectable region responsive to the duration of the period of intersection equalling or exceeding the second predetermined quantity. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A voice output system comprising:
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(a) a display with respect to which each of a plurality of selectable regions is capable of being at least partially delimited, each of the selectable regions capable of being associated respectively with a sequence of one or more graphic symbols, wherein either a first one of the sequences is capable of representing a phrase including one or more words, or two or more of the sequences, when concatenated, are capable of representing the phrase; (b) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement by a user of the voice output system, the user movement capable of indicating a potential user selection, the user movement capable of indicating first successive locations intersecting any of the selectable regions for a steadily increasing period of time; (c) an indicator for providing to the user a continuous or apparently continuous indication of either; (1) a steadily increasing first period of time, the indication responsive to the duration of a first period of intersection of the first successive locations and the selectable region associated with the first sequence, or (2) the durations of each of two or more second periods of intersection of the first successive locations and each of the selectable regions associated with the two or more sequences; and (d) a voice output device for speaking the phrase in response to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of either the duration of the first period of intersection, or of the duration of each of the two or more second periods of intersection. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. For use with a system allowing a user to select a particular menu option from a plurality of menu options, the particular menu option associated with a particular region, the system including a display area, a method of indicating dwell time, said method comprising:
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(a) at least partially delimiting the particular region with respect to the display area; (b) receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of the user, the user movement capable of indicating a potential user selection, the user movement capable of indicating successive locations with respect to the display area, the successive locations including; (1) a first starting location intersecting the particular region; (2) at a time at or after the time the first starting location occurs, a second starting location intersecting the particular region; (3) at a time after the time the second starting location occurs, a second intermediate location intersecting the particular region; (4) at a time after the time the second intermediate location occurs, a second ending location intersecting the particular region; and (5) at a time after the time the second ending location occurs, a first ending location intersecting the particular region; wherein a first period of intersection starts in response to the first starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the first ending location intersecting the particular region;
wherein a second period of intersection starts in response to the second starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the second ending location intersecting the particular region; and
wherein the duration of the second period of intersection increases between the time the second intermediate location occurs and the time the second ending location occurs;(c) selecting the particular menu option responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period of intersection; and (d) providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to selecting the particular menu option, the indication responsive to a second quantity, the second quantity being a function of the increasing duration of the second period of intersection.
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36. For use with a system allowing a user to select a particular menu option from a plurality of menu options, the particular menu option associated with a particular region, the system including:
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(1) a display area; and (2) a movement related signal receiver for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of the user, the user movement capable of indicating a potential user selection, the user movement capable of indicating successive locations with respect to the display area, the successive locations including; (i) a first starting location intersecting the particular region; (ii) at a time at or after the time the first starting location occurs, a second starting location intersecting the particular region; (iii) at a time after the time the second starting location occurs, a second intermediate location intersecting the particular region; (iv) at a time after the time the second intermediate location occurs, a second ending location intersecting the particular region; and (v) at a time after the time the second ending location occurs, a first ending location intersecting the particular region; wherein a first period of intersection starts in response to the first starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the first ending location intersecting the particular region;
wherein a second period of intersection starts in response to the second starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the second ending location intersecting the particular region; and
wherein the duration of the second period of intersection increases between the time the second intermediate location occurs and the time the second ending location occurs;an apparatus for indicating dwell time comprising; (a) a delimit device for at least partially delimiting the particular region with respect to the display area; (b) a selection device for selecting the particular menu option responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period of intersection; and (c) an indicator for providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to the selection device selecting the particular menu option, the indication responsive to a second quantity, the second quantity being a function of the increasing duration of the second period of intersection. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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75. For use with a system allowing a user to select a particular menu option from a plurality of menu options, the particular menu option associated with a particular region, the system including a display area, an apparatus for indicating dwell time comprising:
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(a) delimit means for at least partially delimiting the particular region with respect to the display area; (b) movement related signal receiving means for receiving a movement related signal responsive to user movement of the user, the user movement capable of indicating a user potential selection, the user movement capable of indicating; (1) a first starting location intersecting the particular region; (2) at a time at or after the time the first starting location occurs, a second starting location intersecting the particular region; (3) at a time after the time the second starting location occurs, a second intermediate location intersecting the particular region; (4) at a time after the time the second intermediate location occurs, a second ending location intersecting the particular region; and (5) at a time after the time the second ending location occurs, a first ending location intersecting the particular region; wherein a first period of intersection starts in response to the first starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the first ending location intersecting the particular region;
wherein a second period of intersection starts in response to the second starting location intersecting the particular region and ends in response to the second ending location intersecting the particular region; and
wherein the duration of the second period of intersection increases between the time the second intermediate location occurs and the time the second ending location occurs;(c) selection means for selecting the particular menu option responsive to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period of intersection; and (d) indicating means for providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to the selection device selecting the particular menu option, the indication responsive to a second quantity, the second quantity being a function of the increasing duration of the second period of intersection. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81)
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82. For use with a system allowing a user to select a particular menu option from at least three menu options, the system including:
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(1) a display area for simultaneously displaying the at least three menu options; and (2) outside the display area, a switch activatable by the user, the switch having at least three discrete positions, each of the positions associated respectively with one of the at least three menu options, the switch being positionable with respect to the location of each of the menu options for selection thereof, the position of the switch capable of corresponding to the location of the particular menu option at; (i) a first time; (ii) a second time occurring at or after the first time; (iii) a third time occurring after the second time; and (iv) a fourth time occurring after the third time; wherein a first period is capable of starting at or near the first time and ending at or near the fourth time, a second period is capable of starting at or near the second time, during the second period the position of the switch is capable of corresponding to the location of the particular menu option, and the duration of the second period is capable of increasing between the second time and the third time, an apparatus for indicating dwell time comprising; (a) a selector for selecting the particular menu option in response to a first quantity equalling or exceeding a first predetermined quantity, the first quantity being a function of the duration of the first period; and (b) an indicator for providing a continuous or apparently continuous indication to the user prior to the selector selecting the particular menu option, the indication responsive to a second quantity, the second quantity being a function of the increasing duration of the second period. - View Dependent Claims (83)
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Specification