Method and apparatus for performing user-defined macros

• US 8,797,283 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Waas, Erich Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahn, Sejoon
• Application Number:
  US12/952,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing a task at a handheld device. The method includes detecting a first gesture at a handheld device, monitoring for a second gesture in response to detecting the first gesture, detecting the second gesture at the handheld device, determining whether the second gesture corresponds to a task and performing the task when it is determined that the second gesture corresponds to the task.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a first gesture at a handheld device;

monitoring for a second gesture in response to detecting the first gesture;

detecting the second gesture at the handheld device;

determining whether the second gesture corresponds to a task; and

performing the task when it is determined that the second gesture corresponds to the task;

wherein each of the first gesture and the second gesture comprises one or more of a first input entered into a first touch sensitive panel attached to the handheld device, a second input entered into a second touch sensitive panel attached to the handheld device, and an inertial movement of the handheld device;

wherein the first gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the first gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the handheld device;

wherein the second gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the second gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the handheld device;

determining, when the first gesture comprises a combination of two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within a predefined amount of time, whether a user has a pattern of a longer delay between at least two of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement that form the first gesture; and

adjusting, when the user has the pattern of the longer delay, the predetermined amount of time to reflect the delay such that the first gesture comprises the combination of the two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within the adjusted amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gesture corresponds to a trigger for enabling a macro mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gesture comprises more than a single point of contact on both the first and the second touch sensitive panels and the first gesture is associated with a plurality of gestures, wherein each of the plurality of gestures is associated with a different task.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the second gesture corresponds to a task comprises retrieving a set of a plurality of gestures associated with the first gesture;

determining whether the second gesture is one of the plurality of gestures associated with the first gesture, wherein the first gesture is associated with the plurality of gestures, wherein each of the plurality of gestures is associated with a different task; and

notifying a user when the second gesture is not associated with the first gesture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the task comprises a modifier and wherein performing the task comprises:

determining an action being performed; and

modifying the action according to the modifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the task comprises generating a command to perform the task, and wherein the determining whether the user has a pattern of a longer delay between at least two of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement that form the first gesture comprises determining whether the user has the pattern of the longer delay that is longer than the predefined period, and implementing the adjusting the predetermined amount of time to reflect the delay when the user has the pattern of the longer delay that is longer than the predefined period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first gesture and the second gesture comprises a combination of the one or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement entered within a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gesture is one of a plurality of gestures, wherein each of the plurality of gestures is associated with one or more gestures and tasks, wherein the first gesture comprises multiple inputs comprising a first input and one or more other inputs detected while the first input continues to be detected as active.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether the first gesture is one of the plurality of gestures.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying a user for a gesture to be equated with the first gesture and a gesture to be equated to the second gesture;

and receiving inputs through the handheld device to define the first gesture and the second gesture.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an input through the handheld device to define the task that corresponds to the second gesture, wherein the task, which previously did not correspond to the second gesture, is defined to correspond to the second gesture such that upon subsequent detection of the combination of the first gesture and the second gesture the task corresponds to the second gesture is to be performed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second gesture is performed while the first gesture is being performed.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a size intended for handheld use;

a first touch sensitive panel attached to a first surface of the housing;

a second touch sensitive panel attached to a second surface of the housing; and

a processor based system included in the housing configured to;

receive input entered on the first touch sensitive panel and the second sensitive panel, and sense inertial movement of the apparatus;

enter a first mode of operation in response to a first gesture, the first mode of operation comprising monitoring for a second gesture; and

perform a task in response to receiving the second gesture;

wherein each of the first gesture and the second gesture comprises one or more of a first input entered into the first touch sensitive panel, a second input entered into the second touch sensitive panel, and an inertial movement of the apparatus;

wherein the first gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the first gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the apparatus;

wherein the second gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the second gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the apparatus;

determining, when the first gesture comprises a combination of two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within a predefined amount of time, whether a user has a pattern of a longer delay between at least two of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement that form the first gesture; and

adjusting, when the user has the pattern of the longer delay, the predetermined amount of time to reflect the delay such that the first gesture comprises the combination of the two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within the adjusted amount of time.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first touch sensitive panel comprises a touch sensitive display.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second touch sensitive panel comprises a touch sensitive display.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising one or more other input devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising storage means for storing one or more of the first gesture, the second gesture and the task.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer readable programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising:

detecting a first gesture at a handheld device;

monitoring for a second gesture in response to detecting the first gesture;

detecting the second gesture at the handheld device;

determining whether the second gesture corresponds to a task; and

performing the task when it is determined that the second gesture corresponds to the task;

wherein each of the first and second gestures comprises one or more of a first input entered into a first touch sensitive panel attached to the handheld device, a second input entered into a second touch sensitive panel attached to the handheld device, and an inertial movement of the handheld device;

wherein the first gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the first gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the handheld device;

wherein the second gesture comprises more than one touch sensitive panel point of contact if the second gesture does not comprise an inertial movement of the handheld device;

determining, when the first gesture comprises a combination of two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within a predefined amount of time, whether a user has a pattern of a longer delay between at least two of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement that form the first gesture; and

adjusting, when the user has the pattern of the longer delay, the predetermined amount of time to reflect the delay such that the first gesture comprises the combination of the two or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement received within the adjusted amount of time.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the task comprises a modifier and wherein performing the task comprises:

determining an action being performed; and

modifying the action according to the modifier.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein performing the task comprises generating a command to perform the task.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein each of the first gesture and the second gesture comprises a combination of the one or more of the first input, the second input and the inertial movement entered within a predetermined period of time.