Gaze-responsive interface to enhance on-screen user reading tasks

• US 7,429,108 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greece; James R
• Application Number:
  US11/466,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20060256083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 351/209, 382/103
• US Class Current: 351/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for automatically providing reading place-markers to a user reading a textual document upon an electronic display. A gaze-tracking element monitors a user'"'"'s gaze while he or she reads the textual document and determines a look-away event. In response to a look-away event, the system automatically provides a reading place-marker by accentuating an area at or near where the user looked away from the text. In this way the user may more easily return to the location at which he or she ceased reading. In some embodiments the place-marker is automatically removed upon determination that the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the marked location within the text. In some such embodiments the reading-place marker is removed in response to the user resuming a characteristic reading gaze motion at or near the marked location. In this way the marker is removed when no longer needed.

Claims

1. A method for automatically providing reading place markers to a user, comprising:

tracking a location of a user'"'"'s gaze upon a textual document displayed on a display device, the tracking being performed as the user reads a portion of text within the textual document;

performing a look-away determination with respect to the portion of text currently being read by the user, the look away determination indicating that the user'"'"'s gaze has ceased moving upon the portion of text in a characteristic sequential reading manner and has moved away from an expected reading location;

automatically accentuating an area of the portion of text based upon the location of the user'"'"'s gaze prior to a determined look-away event; and

removing the accentuation in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text within the textual document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the look-away determination indicates that the user has ceased reading the portion of text based at least in part upon the user'"'"'s gaze leaving the portion of text for more than a threshold amount of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the look-away determination indicates that the user has ceased reading the portion of text based at least in part upon the user'"'"'s gaze having moved from the portion of text by more than a threshold distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes a last word determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes a next sequential word after the last word determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes a portion of a last sentence determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the accentuated area of the portion of the last sentence extends at least from the start of the last sentence to a word prior to the last word determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes a portion of the last paragraph determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing the accentuation is performed in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text for more than a threshold amount of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing the accentuation is performed in response to a determination that the user'"'"'s gaze has resumed moving upon the portion of the text in a characteristic sequential reading manner.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing the accentuation is performed gradually over a period of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the accentuation includes causing a color change of at least one of the text and a region around the text.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the accentuation includes underlining the text.

14. A system for automatically providing reading place markers to a user, comprising:

a display device to display a textual document to the user;

a gaze-tracing element to monitor a location of a user'"'"'s gaze upon said textual document;

at least one processor to;

perform a look-away determination with respect to a portion of text currently being read by the user, the look away determination indicating that the user'"'"'s gaze has moved away from the portion of text currently being read; and

automatically accentuating an area of the portion of text based upon the look-away determination.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the look-away determination is based at least in part upon the user'"'"'s gaze leaving the portion of text currently being read by the user for more than a threshold amount of time.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the look-away determination is based at least in part upon the user'"'"'s gaze having moved from the portion of text currently being read by the user by more than a threshold distance.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes the last word determined to have been read by the user prior to the determined look-away.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the accentuation of the area of the portion of text is automatically removed by the processor in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text within the textual document.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the removing of the accentuation of the area of the portion of text is performed in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text for more than a threshold amount of time.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the area that is automatically accentuated includes at least a substantial portion of the last sentence determined to have been read by the user prior to a determined look-away event.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the removing of the accentuation is performed gradually over a period of time.

22. A method for automatically providing reading place-markers to a user, comprising:

tracking a location of a user'"'"'s gaze upon a textual document displayed on a display device, the tracking performed as the user reads a portion of text within the textual document;

performing a look-away determination with respect to the portion of text currently being read by the user, the look away determination indicating that the user'"'"'s gaze has moved away from the portion of text currently being read by the user; and

automatically accentuating an area of the portion of text in response to the look-away determination.

23. The method of claim 22, further including removing the accentuation in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text within the textual document.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the removing of the accentuation is performed in response to the user'"'"'s gaze returning to the portion of text for more than a threshold amount of time.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the removing of the accentuation is performed in response to a determination that the user'"'"'s gaze has moved upon the portion of text in a characteristic reading manner.