Advanced touch control of interactive immersive imaging applications via finger angle using a high dimensional touchpad (HDTP) touch user interface

• US 8,477,111 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Lim, Seung E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US13/442,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 463 36- 39, 178 1801- 1804
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 21/00 Systems for transmitting the position of an object with respect to a predetermined reference system, e.g. tele-autographic system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

High Dimensional Touchpad (HDTP) or other user interface technology, implemented in touch screens used on computers, smartphones, or other mobile devices provides advanced touch control a variety of interactive immersive imaging applications using one or more of a user'"'"'s finger position or movement in one or more of the roll angle, pitch angle, yaw angle, and downward pressure directions. Implementations also can be responsive to a user'"'"'s finger position or movement in the left-right and forward-backward directions. Implementations can also use HDTP or other user interface technology implemented on the back of a mouse. Also, an interactive immersive imaging application can employ a connection over the internet or other network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an interactive immersive imaging application, the method comprising:

configuring a user interface touch sensor to be responsive to at least one angle of contact with at least one finger, the finger belonging to a human user of a computing device and the user interface touch sensor in communication with an operating system of the computing device;

measuring at least one change in at least one angle of the position of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor to produce measured data;

performing real-time calculations on the measured data to produce a measured-angle value; and

using the measured-angle value to control the value of at least one user interface parameter of an interactive immersive imaging application;

wherein at least one aspect of the interactive immersive imaging application changes responsive to the angle of the position of the finger with respect to the surface of the touch sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one aspect of the interactive immersive imaging application comprises control of the observation viewpoint of the immersive imaging application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one aspect of the interactive immersive imaging application comprises control of the graphically rendered immersive image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive immersive imaging application comprises a network link over a network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is configured as a touchscreen.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch sensor comprises a High Dimensional Touchpad (HDTP).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises the pitch of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises the roll of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one finger angle comprises the yaw of the finger with respect to the touch sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to the left-right position of the finger on the touch sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to the forward-backward position of the finger on the touch sensor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to at least one gesture comprising changes to left-right position of the finger on the touch sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to at least one gesture comprising changes to forward-backward position of the finger on the touch sensor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to heave gestures comprising changes to pressure applied by the finger to the touch sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is additionally configured to be responsive to gestures comprising changes to pressure applied by the finger to the touch sensor.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface touch sensor is further configured to be responsive to simultaneous changes in at least two of finger roll angle, finger pitch angle, finger yaw angle, and finger downward pressure.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is comprised by a mobile device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed of the change of the finger angle is further used to control an aspect of the interactive immersive imaging application.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one finger angle is used in a natural metaphor to an aspect of the interactive immersive imaging application.