Determining a dominant hand of a user of a computing device

• US 8,665,238 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, Richard Carl III, Aradhye, Hrishikesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US13/658,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20140085220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/48 Other medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

In one example, a method includes determining, by a computing device, a plurality of features. Each feature from the plurality of features may be usable to determine a dominant hand of a user of the computing device. The method also includes receiving, by the computing device, a plurality of input values, each input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to the respective plurality of features, and determining, using a probabilistic model and based at least in part on at least one input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to the respective feature from the plurality of features, a hand of the user as a dominant hand of the user. The method also includes generating, based at least in part on the determined dominant hand of the user, a graphical user interface for display at a presence-sensitive display operatively coupled to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a plurality of input values, each input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to a respective feature from a plurality of features, wherein each feature from the plurality of features is usable to determine a dominant hand of a user of the computing device;

determining, using a probabilistic model and based at least in part on at least one input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to the respective feature from the plurality of features, a hand of the user as a dominant hand of the user, wherein the determining comprises;

for one or more input values from the plurality of input values, generating one or more weighted difference values;

aggregating the one or more weighted difference values to determine an aggregated weighted difference value;

determining the dominant hand of the user based at least in part on the aggregated weighted difference value; and

generating, based at least in part on the determined dominant hand of the user, a graphical user interface for display at a presence-sensitive display operatively coupled to the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graphical user interface based at least in part on the determined dominant hand comprises generating the graphical user interface in a dominant hand visual configuration, wherein the dominant hand visual configuration is different from a non-dominant hand visual configuration.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the dominant hand visual configuration comprises a first visual layout of the at least one graphical element at the presence-sensitive display,

wherein the non-dominant hand visual configuration comprises a second visual layout of the at least one graphical element at the presence-sensitive display, and

wherein the first visual layout is different from the second visual layout.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the dominant hand visual configuration comprises one or more dominant hand layout properties that specify, for the at least one graphical element, the first visual layout of the at least one graphical element, and

wherein the non-dominant hand visual configuration comprises one or more non-dominant hand layout properties that specify, for the at least one graphical element, the second visual layout of the at least one graphical element.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the one or more dominant hand layout properties and the one or more non-dominant hand layout properties each respectively comprise one or more of a size of the at least one graphical element, a shape of the at least one graphical element, a display location of the at least one graphical element at the presence-sensitive display, and information indicating whether the at least one graphical element is displayed at the presence-sensitive display.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the received plurality of input values corresponding to the respective plurality of features, that the user is currently holding the computing device with a non-dominant hand of the user; and

responsive to determining that the user is currently holding the computing device with the non-dominant hand of the user, generating for display the graphical user interface in the non-dominant hand visual configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one input value from the plurality of input values comprises acceleration information from an accelerometer of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one input value from the plurality of input values comprises physical orientation information from a gyroscope of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one input value from the plurality of input values comprises an indication of a user input detected at the presence-sensitive display.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one input value from the plurality of input values comprises visual information from an image sensor of the computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual information comprises a visual representation of an anatomical feature of a head of a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the anatomical feature of the head of the user comprises at least a portion of an ear of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the one or more weighted difference values comprises:

for the one or more input values from the plurality of input values;

determining a difference between the respective input value and a respective baseline value; and

applying a weighted value associated with the respective feature to the determined difference to generate a weighted difference value.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of features further comprises:

in response to receiving an input value corresponding to a first feature, determining, based at least in part on a criterion that specifies a relationship between the first feature and a second feature, one of an active state and an inactive state of a sensor associated with the second feature;

activating the sensor associated with the second feature in response to determining the active state of the sensor; and

deactivating the sensor associated with the second feature in response to determining the inactive state of the sensor.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein receiving the input value corresponding to the first feature comprises receiving an audio input from an audio input device of the computing device,

wherein the sensor associated with the second feature comprises an accelerometer of the computing device, and

wherein determining the active state of the accelerometer comprises determining the active state based at least in part on a determination that the received audio input is indicative of wind noise.

16. The method of claim 14,

wherein receiving the input value corresponding to the first feature comprises receiving an indication of a user input detected at the presence-sensitive display,

wherein the sensor associated with the second feature comprises an image sensor of the computing device, and

wherein determining the active state of the image sensor comprises determining the active state based at least in part on a determination that the received indication of the user input detected at the presence-sensitive display is indicative of a contact between the presence-sensitive display and at least a portion of a head of the user.

17. The method of claim 14,

wherein receiving the input value corresponding to the first feature comprises receiving an indication of a user input detected at the presence-sensitive display,

wherein the sensor associated with the second feature comprises a gyroscope of the computing device, and

wherein determining the active state of the gyroscope comprises determining the active state based at least in part on a determination that the received indication of the user input detected at the presence-sensitive display is indicative of a contact between the presence-sensitive display and at least a portion of a head of the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the portion of the head of the user comprises a cheek of the user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of input values, each input value from a plurality of input values corresponding to a respective feature from the plurality of features, wherein each feature from the plurality of features is usable to determine a dominant hand of a user of the computing device;

determining, using a probabilistic model and based at least in part on at least one input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to the respective feature from the plurality of features, a hand of the user as a dominant hand of the user, wherein the determining comprises;

for one or more input values from the plurality of input values, generating one or more weighted difference values;

aggregating the one or more weighted difference values to determine an aggregated weighted difference value;

determining the dominant hand of the user based at least in part on the aggregated weighted difference value; and

generating, based at least in part on the determined dominant hand of the user, a graphical user interface for display at a presence-sensitive display operatively coupled to the computing device.

20. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more sensors,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

receive, from the one or more sensors, a plurality of input values, each input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to a respective feature from a plurality of features, wherein each feature from the plurality of features is usable to determine a dominant hand of a user of the computing device;

determine, using a probabilistic model and based at least in part on at least one input value from the plurality of input values corresponding to the respective feature from the plurality of features, a hand of the user as a dominant hand of the user, wherein the determining comprises;

for one or more input values from the plurality of input values, generate one or more weighted difference values;

aggregate the one or more weighted difference values to determine an aggregated weighted difference value;

determine the dominant hand of the user based at least in part on the aggregated weighted difference value; and

generate, based at least in part on the determined dominant hand of the user, a graphical user interface for display at a display device.