Biometric measurement using interactive display systems

• US 7,630,522 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brigham, Robert A. II, Popp, Bogdan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEW, ALEX KOK SOON
• Application Number:
  US11/370,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20070211921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/67 by interactive indications to the user

Abstract

Biometric data are produced in response to user input to an interactive display. The user input occurs when the interactive display senses a user input proximate to an interactive display surface that is able to respond to simultaneous multiple inputs. A detection signal based on a user input is processed to identify biometric indicia associated with the user input. User input can be by any biometric entity, such as an animal—not just by a human. Based on the biometric indicia identified, user biometric data are produced. The user biometric data includes parameters describing physical characteristics associated with the portion of the user that provided the user input. The biometric data can be compared to stored biometric data associated with a specific user and/or user profile, e.g., to enable access by the user to an account, and can also be employed to provide other functions, such sizing information, to applications.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for obtaining biometric data of a user and for using the biometric data to identify a size of an article of clothing that fits the user, wherein the biometric data is based on a user input to an interactive display that is able to simultaneously detect inputs at a plurality of locations proximate to a surface of the interactive display and which is employed for displaying images and detecting the user input, the method being performed by a computing system that includes the interactive display and comprising the following:

receiving a user input, the user input being provided by detecting the input from a portion of a user positioned proximate to the surface of the interactive display, wherein the user is a biological entity that is not limited to being a human;

generating a detection signal based on the user input received;

processing the detection signal to identify biometric indicia associated with the user input;

producing biometric data for the user based on the identified biometric indicia, the biometric data including at least one parameter describing one or more physical characteristics associated with the portion of the user that provided the user input; and

identifying and displaying, at the interactive display, an attribute of an article of clothing that is sized to fit the user, based on the produced biometric data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric indicia identifies at least one physical characteristic associated with at least one of:

(a) a hand;

(b) a finger;

(c) a face;

(d) a foot;

(e) a portion of a body of the user;

or

(f) a paw.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is configured for transmitting non-visible light through a first side of the surface and receiving a portion of the non-visible light that is reflected back through the surface from objects that are proximate to a second side of the surface and wherein the step of generating a detection signal based on the user input received further comprises the step of producing an image map of non-visible light intensity that is based on the non-visible light reflected back through the interactive display surface from the portion of the user that is proximate to the second side of the interactive display surface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the image map of non-visible intensity is processed to produce three-dimensional image information associated with the portion of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing the detection signal comprises the step of analyzing the detection signal with an object recognition algorithm, the object recognition algorithm identifying one or more of the biometric indicia and producing corresponding biometric data in response to the biometric indicia identified.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of conditioning the detection signal to produce a conditioned detection signal that is specifically prepared for processing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of producing biometric data for the user comprises the steps of:

(a) analyzing the detection signal to select one of a plurality of predetermined biometric archetype templates, the biometric archetype templates each being associated with a specific different portion of a user and defining a set of biometric parameters for describing one or more physical characteristics of the specific different portion;

(b) determining at least one biometric parameter from the detection signal; and

(c) generating a user biometric archetype that includes the at least one biometric parameter that was determined, the user biometric archetype comprising the biometric data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of associating the biometric data with a particular user profile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric data comprises at least one of:

(a) a parameterized representation of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s hand;

(b) a parameterized representation of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s face;

(c) a parameterized representation of at least a portion of a user'"'"'s foot;

(d) a parameterized representation of a portion of a user'"'"'s body;

or

(e) a parameterized representation of at least a portion of an animal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(a) associating the user input, which comprises biometric input, with a specific user account; and

(b) storing the association of the biometric input with the specific user account.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of comparing properties of the biometric data determined from the biometric input received to corresponding properties of biometric data for at least one biometric input that is stored, and if a predetermined number of the properties match, enabling the user to access the specific user account associated with the biometric input that was stored and for which the predetermined number of properties were found to match.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes a step of prompting a user to provide biometric input by at least one of:

(a) prompting the user to place a hand of the user proximate to a portion of the interactive display, for performing a hand measurement;

(b) prompting the user to place a foot of the user proximate to a portion of the interactive display, for performing a foot measurement;

(c) prompting the user to place a face of the user proximate to a portion of the interactive display, for performing a facial measurement;

or

(d) prompting the user to place a portion of the user'"'"'s body proximate to a portion of the interactive display.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further includes:

(a) invoking a biometric data control, the biometric data control being configured for communicating with a user input detection system and for processing the biometric input;

(b) performing an object recognition analysis of the biometric input received, to identify at least one biometric parameter; and

(c) populating a biometric profile template with the at least one biometric parameter, the biometric profile template that is populated comprising the biometric data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes a step of exposing one or more properties of the biometric data by performing the steps of:

(a) enabling an application to issue a get_properties call requesting one or more user biometric properties included in the biometric data for the user;

(b) receiving the get_properties call;

(c) parsing the get_properties call to determine the one or more user biometric properties requested by the application; and

(d) returning to the application the one or more user biometric properties of the biometric data that were requested.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes:

displaying a measurement field on the interactive display surface where the user is prompted to place the portion of the user for which biometric data is to be obtained; and

displaying an interactively selectable button on the interactive display surface which, when selected by receiving a touch input at the display surface, initiates the generating and processing of the detection signal and the production of the biometric data of the portion of the user that is positioned proximate the measurement field of the interactive display surface.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the user comprises one of a hand, a foot, or a face and wherein the article of clothing comprises one of a shoe, a boot, a ski binding, eyeglasses, a glove or a hat.

23. A computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computing system, implement the method recited in claim 1.

15. An interactive display system enabled for use in receiving a biometric user input, comprising:

(a) an interactive display surface on which graphic images are displayable, the interactive display surface comprising an upper surface and a lower surface;

(b) a sensor that is able to simultaneously detect a plurality of user inputs to the interactive display surface at a plurality of locations of the interactive display surface, the sensor producing a signal corresponding to an image of a portion of a user that is positioned proximate to the interactive display surface to provide a user input, wherein the user is a biological entity that is not limited to being a human; and

(c) a computing system in communication with the sensor, the computing system including a processor, and a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing machine instructions that cause the processor to carry out a plurality of interactive display functions, including;

processing the signal produced by the sensor to identify at least one biometric indicia associated with the user input;

producing biometric data based on the at least one biometric indicia, the biometric data including at least one parameter describing at least one physical characteristic associated with the portion of the user positioned to provide the user input; and

identifying and displaying an attribute of an article of clothing that is sized to fit the user, based on the produced biometric data.

16. The interactive display system of claim 15, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to implement:

(a) an object recognition algorithm to identify one or more physical characteristics of the portion of a user positioned proximate to the upper surface of the interactive display surface; and

(b) a biometric control module for enabling communication of biometric properties of the biometric data to an application.

17. The interactive display system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is configured for detecting non-visible light that is produced within the interactive display and caused to be reflected from an object disposed proximate to the interactive display surface, and wherein the sensor produces a bit mapped image of non-visible light reflected back through the interactive display surface from the portion of a user that is positioned proximate to the second side of the upper surface.

18. The interactive display system of claim 17, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to process the bit mapped image to generate a substantially three-dimensional image of the portion of a user that is placed proximate to the upper surface.

19. The interactive display system of claim 16, wherein the object recognition algorithm is employed by the processor to identify one or more biometric parameters associated with the portion of a user that is positioned proximate to the upper surface.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the machine instructions are further configured to cause the interactive display system to display a measurement field on the interactive display surface where the user is prompted to place the portion of the user for which biometric data is to be obtained, as well as an interactively selectable button on which, when selected by receiving a touch input, causes the sensor to produce the signal and to initiate the processing of the signal and the generation of the biometric data of the portion of the user that is positioned proximate the measurement field of the interactive display surface.