Method and device for touchless media searching

• US 8,060,841 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Navisense
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: Boillot, Marc, McIntosh, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US12/050,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 715/810, 715/702, 345156-158
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display

Abstract

A method and device for media searching based on touchless finger signs (312) and gestures (313) is provided. The device (100) can include a controller element (110) that receives a search string from a touchless sensing device and presents at least one media (412) that corresponds to at least a portion of the search string. The media can include audio, image, video, and text selections (326). The search string can include at least one alpha-numeric character generated in a touchless sensory field of the touchless sensing device.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for directing a controller to perform the steps of:

emitting ultrasonic waveforms from ultrasonic transducers to reflect off a finger in a three-dimensional touchless sensing space;

digitally sampling the reflected ultrasonic waveforms off the finger to produce a sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform;

tracking a relative location and movement of the finger in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space from differential time of flight waveform analysis of the sampled reflected ultrasonic waveforms;

suppressing a ringing portion of the emitted ultrasonic waveforms overlapping with the digitally sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform during tracking;

minimizing distortion associated with ultrasonic transducer ring-down during generation of a high-resolution touchless finger signing with the suppressing;

receiving a search string generated from the touchless finger signing of at least one alpha-numeric character or gesture; and

presenting a list of media that corresponds to at least a portion of the search string,

wherein the media is at least one among audio, image, video, and text.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search string identifies at least one among an email selection, a voice mail selection, a phone call selection, a music selection, a picture selection, an address selection, a location selection, and a settings selection.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search string identifies at least one among a name of an artist, a name of a band, a name of a song, a name of a station, and a genre of music.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions for:

alphabetizing the list of media to produce an alphabetic list;

searching for the search string in the alphabetic list; and

presenting a section of the alphabetic list that corresponds to the search string.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising predicting a completion of the search string including prediction of a cursive character completion.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising navigating a menu system via touchless finger gestures,

where a zooming expands the menu approximately as a function of the finger distance to the display when the finger is between 2 cm and 12 cm above the display.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising performing a touchless scroll and touchless selection of a media selection in the list of media.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the list of media identifies at least one among a media channel, a voice mail, a contact, a business, a song, a picture, a map, an address, a location, a control, and a setting.

9. A portable media device comprising a controller element that

emits ultrasonic waveforms from ultrasonic transducers to reflect off a finger in a three-dimensional touchless sensing space;

digitally samples the reflected ultrasonic waveforms off the finger to produce a sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform;

tracks a relative location and movement of the finger in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space from differential time of flight waveform analysis of the sampled reflected ultrasonic waveforms;

suppressing a ringing portion of the emitted ultrasonic waveforms that overlaps with the sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform during the tracking;

minimizing a distortion associated with ultrasonic transducer ring-down during generation of a high-resolution touchless finger signing from the suppressing;

receives a search string from the touchless finger signing and presents at least one media that corresponds to at least a portion of the search string,

wherein the search string includes at least one finger gesture generated in a touchless sensory field of the touchless sensing device.

10. The portable media device of claim 9, where the controller

applies a weighting of a Time of Flight (TOF) ultrasonic distance measurement with a differential Time of Flight (dTOF) ultrasonic measurement corresponding to a location and relative displacement as the finger accelerates and decelerates between a far distance and a close distance for controlling a zooming,

wherein the touchless sensory field is projected approximately 2 cm and above the media device for permitting three-dimensional interaction.

11. The portable media device of claim 10, wherein the controller element performs a controlled navigation and zooming of a map on a display in response to the touchless finger signing, where the zooming increases or decreases a size of the map according to a distance the finger is above the display.

12. The portable media device of claim 9, wherein the controller elements predicts a completion of the search string in response to a finger pause in the touchless sensory field approximately 2 cm or more above a display of the portable mobile device after completion of and a finger positioning in the touchless sensory field.

13. The portable media device of claim 12, wherein the controller element recognizes an alpha-numeric character from a touchless finger sign, and updates a prediction of the search string including prediction of cursive character completion based on the recognizing.

14. The portable media device of claim 9, wherein the controller elements alphabetizes a list of media to produce an alphabetic list, and presents a section of the alphabetic list corresponding to the search string.

15. The portable media device of claim 9, wherein the controller element performs touchless scrolling and touchless selection of the at least one media.

16. A media system on a mobile device, comprising a controller element that

emits ultrasonic waveforms from ultrasonic transducers to reflect off a finger in a three-dimensional touchless sensing space;

digitally samples the reflected ultrasonic waveforms off the finger to produce a sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform;

tracks a relative location and movement of the finger in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space from differential time of flight waveform analysis of the sampled reflected ultrasonic waveforms;

suppressing a ringing portion of the emitted ultrasonic waveforms overlapping with the sampled reflected ultrasonic waveform;

minimizing distortion with the tracking associated with ultrasonic transducer ring-down during generation of a high-resolution touchless finger signing;

receives a search string from the touchless finger signing and having at least one alpha-numeric character produced therefrom, and

searches for a media that corresponds to at least a portion of the search string, wherein the media is at least one among audio, image, video, and text.

17. The media system of claim 16, wherein the controller element receives one more touchless finger sign, recognizes one more alpha-numeric character in the one more touchless finger sign, and updates a prediction of the search string based on the one more alpha-numeric character.

18. The media system of claim 16, wherein the controller element identifies a media selection that corresponds to the search string in response to the touchless finger signing.

19. The media system of claim 16, wherein the controller element receives touchless scrolling commands for scrolling through the alphabetized list, and receives touchless selection commands for selecting a media selection in the alphabetized list according to the touchless scrolling.

20. The media system of claim 16, wherein the controller element

applies a combinational weighting of a Time of Flight (TOF) ultrasonic distance measurement corresponding to a coarse estimated location of the finger and a differential Time of Flight (dTOF) ultrasonic measurement corresponding to a relative displacement as the finger moves between a far distance and a close distance from the mobile device for supplying a media of an identified search string.