Method for displaying information responsive to sensing a physical presence proximate to a computer input device

• US 7,256,770 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bathiche, Steven N., Hinckley, Kenneth P., Fry, Kenneth V., Cauthorn, James H., Vong, William, Ladas, Corey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US09/804,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20010015718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,345 Days
• Field of Search: 345/87, 345/336, 345156-183, 345/440, 715/704, 715/716, 715/727, 715/728, 715/715, 715/779, 715/812, 715738-752, 715/711, 715/803
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04766 providing feel, e.g. indexing means, means to create counterforce
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04774 with additional switches or sensors on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 : Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 : Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 : Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 : Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 : Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 : based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 : Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 : using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

In a computer system, a touch sensitive input device having touch sensitive auxiliary controls system can be used to anticipate a user'"'"'s action. When a user'"'"'s hand approaches a touch sensitive input device, feedback can be displayed on a display screen. A user can receive feedback without activating the input device. The feedback may take the form of status information related to the feature controlled by the input device and can vary depending upon the application open. Likewise, when the hand of a user is moved away from the touch sensitive input device, the feedback brought on by sensing the user'"'"'s hand may disappear.

Claims

1. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a first function in a first application and a second function in a second application, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a first predefined period without the physical presence causing a function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated;

in the first application program, displaying a first display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the first display widget providing status information for the first function assigned to the auxiliary control in the first application program; and

in the second application program different from the first application program, displaying a second display widget on the display screen responsive to said detecting, the second display widget providing status information for the second function assigned to the auxiliary control in the second application program.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting absence of the physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a second predefined period in which the auxiliary control has not been activated while displaying the first display widget; and

discontinuing display of the first display widget, responsive to detecting the absence of the physical presence.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary control is one of a button or a key.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical presence is a hand of a user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first display widget and the second display widget are different.

6. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a multimedia function, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the multimedia function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the multimedia function assigned to the auxiliary control, the status information identifying at least one of track name, track time remaining, track length, album title and album length in a multimedia application.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step of displaying further includes displaying a multimedia control panel.

8. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a function of switching focus between currently running applications, a method comprising the steps of:

while a first currently running application is in focus, detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the function of switching focus to another currently running application assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the function assigned to the auxiliary control, the status information identifying each of the currently running applications.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of placing a second currently running application in the foreground of the display screen, responsive to a user activating the auxiliary control to switch focus to the second currently running application.

10. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a function of showing a task bar, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the function of showing the task bar assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the function of showing the task bar assigned to the auxiliary control, the status information including the task bar.

11. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a first function in a first application and a second function in a second application, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing a function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the function assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein a type of status information for the first function assigned to the auxiliary control displayed when a first application program is active is different from a type of status information for the second function assigned to the auxiliary control displayed when a second application program is active.

12. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a messaging related function, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the messaging related function on assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the messaging related function assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein the status information includes one of the number of new or unread regular or high priority messages, an in box window, brief information regarding at least one of the most recently received messages, and alert status.

13. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a web browsing function, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the web browsing function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the web browsing function assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein the status information includes at least one of the most recently used searches, at least one of the most recently obtained search results, identification of previous and next web pages which may be visited, list of favorite web pages, and current page loading information.

14. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a function of pasting contents of a clipboard, a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the function of pasting contents of the clipboard assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the function of pasting contents of the clipboard assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein the status information identifies the contents of the clipboard.

15. In a computer system having an auxiliary control and a display screen, the auxiliary control being assigned a save function while in a document, a method comprising the steps of:

while in a document, detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the save function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the save function assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein the status information identifies at least one of time, date, location, file type and size of most recently saved for the document.

16. In a computer system having an auxiliary control assigned a mathematical function in an application and a display screen, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection of a range of cells in the applications;

while the cells are selected, detecting a physical presence proximate to or contacting the auxiliary control for a predefined period without the physical presence causing the mathematical function assigned to the auxiliary control to be activated; and

displaying a display widget on the display screen responsive to said step of detecting, the display widget providing status information for the mathematical function assigned to the auxiliary control, wherein the status information identifies a result if the mathematical function would be applied to the selected cells.