Method and system for relevance feedback through gaze tracking and ticker interfaces

• US 6,577,329 B1
• Filed: 02/25/1999
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tobii Technology AB
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morimoto, Carlos Hitoshi, Lu, Qi, Selker, Edwin Joseph, Maglio, Paul Philip, Flickner, Myron Dale, Koons, David Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/257,200
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 345/774, 345/810, 345/831, 345/854, 345/865-866, 345/707-708, 345/713, 345/781, 345/784-785, 345/825, 345/853, 345/863
• US Class Current: 715/774
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method (and signal medium) for interactively displaying information, include a ticker display for displaying items having different views, a tracker for tracking a user'"'"'s eye movements while observing a first view of information on the ticker display, and a mechanism, based on an output form the tracker, for determining whether a current view has relevance to the user.

Claims

1. A system for interactively displaying information, comprising:

a ticker display for displaying items having different views;

a tracker for tracking a user'"'"'s eye movements while observing a first view of information on said ticker display; and

means, based on an output from said tracker, for determining whether said first view has relevance to said user.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing relevance feedback such that view information having a common association are displayed to said user, based on an output from said determining means.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each said item is divided in advance into a plurality of information views from general to specific.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said tracker comprises a camera for providing an input representing a movement and location of eyes of said user.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said tracker further comprises a comparator for comparing said movement and location of said eyes of said user with a predetermined position of said eyes of said user.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said different views each comprise information having different levels of detail, said information being displayed sequentially according to said levels of detail, and

wherein said tracker comprises a comparator for comparing said user'"'"'s eye movements with said first view of said item of information.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means comprises a central processing unit (CPU) for receiving an input from said tracker.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for indicating to said user that said system is monitoring said user, said means for indicating comprising means for changing a display of said information.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said display changes a state of an attribute thereof when said system is monitoring said user.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said attribute comprises at least one of color and a font of said display.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means determines whether a person is reading said item having said first view.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means determines whether a user has an interest in said item based on said relevance of said item to said user.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means determines whether said first view has relevance to said user, and successively presenting a different view based on said relevance to said user.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said determining means performs an analysis on said item to determine whether said item has relevance to said user.

15. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining whether a person is reading a view.

16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for providing relevance feedback to said user regarding a degree of relevance of said view has to said user, such that said user determines how said system views the user and said user'"'"'s interest.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first view comprises a method of presenting information.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

21. A system for interactively displaying information, comprising:

a ticker display for displaying items each having different views;

a tracker for tracking a user'"'"'s eye movements while observing a first view of information on said ticker display;

means, based on an output from said tracker, for determining whether said first view has relevance to said user; and

means for providing relevance feedback to said user regarding a level of interest said user has in said first view.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said views comprise information having different levels of detail, said information being displayed sequentially according to said levels of detail.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein said means for providing relevance includes means for changing a characteristic of said current view.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said characteristic includes a color coding of said current view.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein said characteristic includes a font of said current view.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

29. A system for interactively displaying information, comprising:

a ticker display for displaying items each having different views;

a tracker for tracking a user while observing a first view of information on said ticker display; and

means, based on an output from said tracker, for determining whether said first view has relevance to said user, said means for determining including a timer.

30. The system according to claim 29, further comprising:

means for providing relevance feedback to said user regarding a level of interest said user has in said first view.

31. The system according to claim 29, wherein said tracker tracks at least one of a gesture for speech, head movement, movement proximate to the display, and eye movement.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponds to the moving of the ticker display.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

35. A method of tracking a ticker user, comprising:

providing a ticker display;

tracking a user'"'"'s gaze at a ticker display while observing a first view of information on said ticker display; and

based on said tracking, determining a relevance of said first view to said user and providing different views based on said relevance to said user.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein said tracking comprises sampling an eye position of said user, and determining a headline that the user is looking at by searching for a headline rectangle in said display that contains an (x, y) position of the user'"'"'s eyes.

37. The method according to claim 35, further comprising:

calculating a period during which the user looks at a particular headline by incrementing a counter for each consecutive sample during which the current headline does not change,

wherein if the period the user is looking at the headline crosses a threshold as determined by a number of characters in the headline, then the headline is determined to be relevant to said user and thereby providing user feedback.

38. The method according to claim 35, wherein each time the current headline changes before the period crosses the interest threshold, the headline is determined not to be relevant to said user.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

42. A method for interactively displaying information, comprising:

displaying items of information in a ticker display having different views, said information being displayed sequentially according to said different views;

tracking a user'"'"'s eye movements while said user is observing a first view of an item of information;

based on said tracking step, determining whether said user has an interest in said first level of said item of information being displayed; and

automatically providing a second view of said item of information when it is determined that said user has an interest in said first view of said item of information.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:

providing relevance feedback such that items of information having a common association are displayed to said user, based on said determining.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

47. A signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of tracking a ticker user, said method comprising:

providing a ticker display;

tracking a user'"'"'s gaze at said ticker display; and

based on said tracking, determining a relevance of a view to said user and providing different views based on said relevance to said user.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.

51. A signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of interactively displaying information, said method comprising:

displaying items of information on a ticker display having different views, said information being displayed sequentially according to said different views;

tracking a user'"'"'s eye movements while said user is observing a first view of an item of information;

based on said tracking step, determining whether said user has an interest in said first level of said item of information being displayed; and

automatically providing a second view of said item of information when it is determined that said user has an interest in said first view of said item of information.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein said ticker display moves and wherein the determining means determines whether a current view has relevance to said user based upon the user'"'"'s eye movements corresponding to the moving of the ticker display.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the determining means determines relevance based upon the distance that the ticker display has moved while the user'"'"'s eye movements correspond to the moving of the ticker display.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein the system further comprises means for controlling the speed of the ticker display based upon the location of the user'"'"'s eye movements and position on the ticker display.