Physical object visualization framework for computing device with interactive display

• US 8,621,491 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Robert, Ramani, Sundaram, Beatty, Bryan, Anderson, Scot D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): DORAIS, CRAIG C
• Application Number:
  US12/109,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Devices and methods for displaying a visualization graphic on an interactive display are provided. One disclosed device may include an interactive display configured to detect a tag positioned proximate a display surface of the interactive display. The device may further include a processor configured to execute an application program and an application programming interface (API) configured to receive a tag monitoring request from the application program. The tag monitoring request may include application-specific tag visualization settings. The API may be configured to receive a tag tracking message from the interactive display, and in response, send a visualization command to the interactive display. The visualization command may be based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings and may be configured to cause the interactive display to display a visualization graphic proximate the tag.

Claims

1. An interactive computing device, comprising:

an interactive display configured to detect a position and a rotation of an optical tag positioned proximate a display surface of the interactive display; and

a processor configured to execute an application program and an application programming interface;

wherein the application programming interface is configured to receive a tag monitoring request from the application program, the tag monitoring request including application-specific tag visualization settings;

wherein the application programming interface is configured to receive a first tag tracking message from the interactive display, and in response send a visualization command to the interactive display, the visualization command being based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings received from the application program to provide a customization of a display of a visualization graphic based on the detected position and rotation of the optical tag, and configured to cause the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the optical tag; and

wherein the application programming interface is further configured to receive a second tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag is lost, followed by a third tag tracking message indicating that a new optical tag contact is detected within a predetermined period of time, and, in response, to treat the second and third tag tracking messages as a fourth tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag has moved to an updated position.

2. The interactive computing device of claim 1, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include visualization graphic data for the visualization graphic displayed on the interactive display.

3. The interactive computing device of claim 1, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include a rotation setting indicating whether the visualization graphic will rotate with the detected rotation of the optical tag on the interactive display.

4. The interactive computing device of claim 1, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include one or more of a position offset setting and an orientation offset setting.

5. The interactive computing device of claim 1, wherein the application programming interface is further configured to receive the fourth tag tracking message indicating the updated position of the optical tag, and wherein the application programming interface is configured to send a movement visualization command based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings to instruct the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the updated position.

6. The interactive computing device of claim 1,

wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include a removal behavior setting.

7. The interactive computing device of claim 6,

wherein the application programming interface is configured to receive a fifth tag tracking message that indicates that the optical tag has been removed;

and

wherein the application programming interface is further configured to send a removal visualization command to the interactive display instructing the interactive display to treat the visualization graphic according to the removal behavior setting, in response to the fifth tag tracking message.

8. The interactive computing device of claim 7, wherein the removal behavior setting is selected from the group consisting of disappear, fade, wait, and persist.

9. The interactive computing device of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is configured to detect multiple optical tags concurrently.

10. A method of displaying a visualization graphic on an interactive display, comprising:

at an application programming interface, receiving a tag monitoring request from an application program, the tag monitoring request including application-specific tag visualization settings;

receiving a first tag tracking message from the interactive display indicating a position and a rotation of an optical tag that has been detected by the interactive display; and

sending a visualization command to the interactive display, the visualization command being based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings received from the application program to provide a customization of a display of a visualization graphic based on the detected position and rotation of the optical tag, and configured to cause the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the optical tag;

wherein the application programming interface is further configured to receive a second tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag is lost, followed by a third tag tracking message indicating that a new optical tag contact is detected within a predetermined period of time, and, in response, to treat the second and third tag tracking messages as a fourth tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag has moved to an updated position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include visualization graphic data for the visualization graphic displayed on the interactive display.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include a rotation setting indicating whether the visualization graphic will rotate with the detected rotation of the optical tag on the interactive display;

and

wherein the fourth tag tracking message further indicates that the optical tag has been rotated; and

wherein the visualization command is additionally configured to cause the interactive display to rotate the visualization graphic based on the rotation setting.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include a position offset setting and/or an orientation offset setting.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the fourth tag tracking message indicating the updated position of the optical tag; and

sending a movement visualization command based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings to instruct the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the updated position.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the application-specific tag visualization settings include a removal behavior setting.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a fifth tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag has been removed; and

sending a visualization command to the interactive display instructing the display to treat the visualization graphic according to the removal behavior setting.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the removal behavior setting is selected from the group consisting of wait, disappear, fade, and persist settings.

18. Computer readable storage media hardware device having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor of a computing device cause the computing device to perform the following steps:

at an application programming interface, receiving a tag monitoring request from an application program, the tag monitoring request including application-specific tag visualization settings;

receiving a first tag tracking message from the interactive display indicating a position and a rotation of an optical tag that has been detected by the interactive display;

sending a visualization command to the interactive display, the visualization command being based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings received from the application program to provide a customization of a display of a visualization graphic based on the detected position and rotation, and configured to cause the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the optical tag;

receiving a second tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag is lost, followed by a third tag tracking message indicating that a new optical tag contact is detected within a predetermined period of time, and, in response, treating the second and third tag tracking messages as a fourth tag tracking message indicating that the optical tag has moved to an updated position; and

sending a movement visualization command based upon the application-specific tag visualization settings to instruct the interactive display to display the visualization graphic proximate the updated position.