Gesturing to select and configure device communication

• US 8,370,501 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shen, Guobin, Peng, Chunyi, Zhang, Yongguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US13/159,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20110237193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 342/47, 342/367, 345/156
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• 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: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Described is a technology by which a gesture made with a source device (e.g., a cellular telephone), such as a throwing or pointing motion, is used to automatically set up a connection with another device to which the gesture is directed. Audio signals output during the gesture, e.g., such as at the start and end of the gesture, are detected by candidate (listening) devices. The device having the least time difference between detection of the start and end signals is the device that is generally best aligned with the throwing or pointing motion, and thus may be selected as the target device. Once selected, a connection such as a network connection may be set up between the source device and the target device for further communication, such as for application data exchange.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

emitting, by a source device, at least two signals where the emitting a first of the at least two signals is coordinated with a beginning portion of a physical movement of the source device and where the emitting a second of the at least two signals is coordinated with an ending portion of the physical movement of the source device, and where the physical movement represents a request to establish a spontaneous connection between the source device and a candidate device of a plurality of candidate devices; and

establishing the spontaneous connection between the source device and the candidate device that is selected from among at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices based on data received from the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices in response to the emitting the at least two signals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the emitting the at least two signals is configured for enabling calculation, by each of the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices, of a time difference between the emitted signal and the emitted another signal as received by the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the received data comprises the calculated time difference as sent from the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising selecting the candidate device based on the received time difference from the candidate device being smaller than any of the other received time differences from all others of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the selecting the candidate device is further based on a signal strength of the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

6. At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a source device, cause the source device to perform a method comprising:

emitting at least two signals where the emitting a first of the at least two signals is coordinated with a beginning portion of a physical movement of the source device and where the emitting a second of the at least two signals is coordinated with an ending portion of the physical movement of the source device, and where the physical movement represents a request to establish a spontaneous connection between the source device and a candidate device of a plurality of candidate devices; and

establishing the spontaneous connection between the source device and the candidate device that is selected from among at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices based on data received from the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices in response to the emitting the at least two signals.

7. The at least one computer storage device of claim 6 wherein the emitting the at least two signals is configured for enabling calculation, by each of the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices, of a time difference between the emitted signal and the emitted another signal as received by the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

8. The at least one computer storage device of claim 7 wherein the received data comprises the calculated time difference as sent from the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

9. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, the method further comprising selecting the candidate device based on the received time difference from the candidate device being smaller than any of the other received time differences from all others of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

10. The at least one computer storage device of claim 9 wherein the selecting the candidate device is further based on a signal strength of the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

11. A system comprising:

a source device configured for emitting at least two signals where the emitting a first of the at least two signals is coordinated with a beginning portion of a physical movement of the source device and where the emitting a second of the at least two signals is coordinated with an ending portion of the physical movement of the source device, and where the physical movement represents a request to establish a spontaneous connection between the source device and a candidate device of a plurality of candidate devices; and

the source device further configured for establishing the spontaneous connection between the source device and the candidate device that is selected from among at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices based on data received from the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices in response to the emitting the at least two signals.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the emitting the at least two signals is configured for enabling calculation, by each of the at least a portion of the plurality of candidate devices, of a time difference between the emitted signal and the emitted another signal as received by the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the received data comprises the calculated time difference as sent from the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising the source device further configured for selecting the candidate device based on the received time difference from the candidate device being smaller than any of the other received time differences from all others of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the selecting the candidate device is further based on a signal strength of the each of the portion of the plurality of candidate devices.