Method for video enabled electronic commerce

• US 7,760,182 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Electric Planet Interactive
• Inventors: France, G. Scott, Ahmad, Subutai
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US11/507,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345/157, 715/863, 715/719, 382/209, 382/218
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A method is provided for conducting commerce over a network via vision-enabled content. First, content is encoded to convert it into vision-enabled content. Payment is received for vision-enabling the content. Also, a program to decode the vision-enabled content is provided. Finally, the vision-enabled content is sent to a user over a network. The program decodes the vision-enabled content and receives an image of the user. The vision-enabled content may include advertising content, entertainment content, and educational or instructional content. In one embodiment, the program combines the image of the user with the vision-enabled content. In another embodiment, the program utilizes the image of the user to control the vision-enabled content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a number of image frames of a user performing a gesture;

performing a body part recognition on one or more of the image frames to recognize a hand of the user;

detecting a forward movement of the hand as a button press gesture by;

repeating for a plurality of the image frames;

analyzing one of the image frames to determine particular coordinates of the hand at a particular time while the user is performing the gesture;

adding the particular coordinates to a frame data set; and

examining the particular coordinates such that the particular coordinates are compared to positional data making up a plurality of recognizable gestures, wherein a recognizable gesture is made up of at least one dimension such that the positional data describes dimensions of the recognizable gesture; and

determining whether the plurality of the data frame sets, when examined in a sequence, conveys a gesture by the user that resembles a recognizable button press gesture to cause an operation based on a predetermined meaning of the recognizable button press gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is a control of a device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is a television.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is control navigation of a web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is control of vision-enabled content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the vision-enabled content includes at least one of advertising content, entertainment content or education content.

7. A system for identifying a button press gesture, including:

a camera for obtaining a number of image frames of a user;

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

perform a body part recognition on one or more of the image frames to recognize a hand of the user;

detect a forward movement of the hand as a button press gesture by;

repeating for a plurality of the image frames;

analyzing one of the image frames to determine particular coordinates of the hand at a particular time while the user is performing a gesture;

adding the particular coordinates to a frame data set; and

examining the particular coordinates such that the particular coordinates are compared to positional data making up a plurality of recognizable gestures, wherein a recognizable gesture is made up of at least one dimension such that the positional data describes dimensions of the recognizable gesture; and

determining whether the plurality of the data frame sets, when examined in a sequence, conveys a gesture by the user that resembles a recognizable button press gesture to cause an operation based on a predetermined meaning of the recognizable button press gesture.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory is further configured to provide the processor with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to control a device upon detection of the button press gesture.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is a television.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation controls navigation of a web page.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation controls vision-enabled content.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vision-enabled content includes at least one of advertising content, entertainment content or education content.

13. A computer program product for identifying a button press on a device, the computer program product being embodied in a computer storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a plurality of image frames of a user performing a gesture;

performing a body part recognition on each of the image frames to recognize a hand of the user; and

identifying a button press on the device by detecting a button press gesture by;

analyzing the image frames to determine coordinates of the hand at particular times while the user is performing the gesture; and

comparing the coordinates to a sequence of coordinates that define a button press gesture.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions include instructions for:

analyzing each of the plurality of image frames for coordinates of the hand and adding the coordinates to a frame data set associated with the image frame; and

determining whether the plurality of the data frame sets, when examined in a sequence, conveys a button press gesture by the user.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for using the identified button press to control the device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the device is a television.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for controlling navigation of a web page upon the identification of the button press.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for controlling vision-enabled content upon the identification of a button press.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the vision-enabled content includes at least one of advertising content, entertainment content or education content.

20. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a number of image frames of a user performing a gesture;

means for performing a body part recognition on one or more of the image frames to recognize a hand of the user;

means for detecting a forward movement of the hand as a button press gesture by;

repeating for a plurality of the image frames;

analyzing one of the image frames to determine particular coordinates of the hand at a particular time while the user is performing the gesture;

adding the particular coordinates to a frame data set; and

examining the particular coordinates such that the particular coordinates are compared to positional data making up a plurality of recognizable gestures, wherein a recognizable gesture is made up of at least one dimension such that the positional data describes dimensions of the recognizable gesture; and

determining whether the plurality of the data frame sets, when examined in a sequence, conveys a gesture by the user that resembles a recognizable button press gesture to cause an operation based on a predetermined meaning of the recognizable button press gesture.