Touch user interface supporting global and context-specific touch gestures that are responsive to at least one finger angle

• US 8,894,489 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• 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): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US14/198,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/31, 463/36, 463/37, 348/14.03, 379/93.19, 379/916
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/0488 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

Abstract

A user interface method for use with a touch gesture user interface in a system implementing global or universal gestures and application-specific gestures for the control of software executing on a device comprising a touch user interface and a computational processor wherein the touch gestures are responsive to at least one finger angle. In an example implementation, wherein when a gesture with an application-specific association is recognized, the user interface operation is determined by the software application that has a currently active user-interface focus. In an example implementation, a global or universal gesture is used to control the system. In an example implementation, a global or universal gesture is used to control a software application executing on the system. In an example implementation, the user interface operation is context-specific.

Claims

1. A user interface method for use with a touch gesture user interface in a system implementing global or universal gestures and application-specific gestures for the control of software executing on a device comprising a touch user interface and a computational processor, the method comprising

Recognizing at least one posture of a finger in contact with a tactile sensor,

Recognizing a touch gesture from a plurality of possible touch gestures by recognizing specific changes between postures, the changes comprising at least one recognized change in the angle of finger contact with the tactile sensor,

Assigning a user interface function to the recognized touch gesture,

Directing executing software to perform a user interface operation associated with the recognized touch gesture, the user interface operation selected from a plurality of possible from a user interface operations, and the association from plurality of possible associations, the plurality of possible associations comprising at least a global type and a second type, the first type of association being common across applications and the second type of association being an application-specific association that is specific to an application executing on the system, and

Wherein the executing software is responsive to the recognized touch gesture.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein when a gesture with a context-specific association is recognized, the user interface operation is determined by the application that has a currently active user-interface focus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the association is context-specific.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the tactile sensor is comprised by a touchscreen.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the gesture is used to control the system.

6. A user interface method for use with a touch gesture user interface for implementing global or universal gestures and context-specific gestures for the control of user applications executing on a device comprising, the method comprising

Recognizing at least one posture of a finger in contact with a tactile sensor,

Recognizing a touch gesture from a plurality of possible touch gestures by recognizing specific changes between postures, the changes comprising at least one recognized change in the angle of finger contact with the tactile sensor,

Assigning a user interface function to the recognized touch gesture,

Directing executing software to perform a user interface operation associated with the recognized touch gesture, the user interface operation selected from a plurality of possible from a user interface operations, and the association from plurality of possible associations, the plurality of possible associations comprising at least a global type and a second type, the first type of association being common across the system and the second type of association being an application-specific association that is specific to an application, and

Wherein the executing software is responsive to the recognized touch gesture.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein when a gesture with a context-specific association is recognized, the user interface operation is determined by the application that has a currently active user-interface focus.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the association is context-specific.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the tactile sensor is comprised by a touchscreen.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the gesture is used to control the system.

11. A user interface method for use with a touch gesture user interface for implementing global or universal gestures and context-specific gestures for the control of user applications executing on a device comprising, the method comprising

Recognizing at least one posture of a finger in contact with a tactile sensor,

Recognizing a touch gesture from a plurality of possible touch gestures by recognizing specific changes within postures, the changes comprising at least one recognized change in the angle of finger contact with the tactile sensor,

Assigning a user interface function to the recognized touch gesture,

Directing executing software to perform a user interface operation associated with the recognized touch gesture, the user interface operation selected from a plurality of possible from a user interface operations, and the association from plurality of possible associations, the plurality of possible associations comprising at least a global type and a second type, the first type of association being common across applications and the second type of association being an application-specific association that is specific to an application, and

Wherein the executing software is responsive to the recognized touch gesture.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein when a gesture with a context-specific association is recognized, the user interface operation is determined by the application that has a currently active user-interface focus.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the association is context-specific.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the tactile sensor is comprised by a touchscreen.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the gesture is used to control the system.

16. A user interface method for use with a touch gesture user interface for implementing global or universal gestures and context-specific gestures for the control of user applications executing on a device comprising, the method comprising

Recognizing at least one posture of a finger in contact with a tactile sensor,

Recognizing a touch gesture from a plurality of possible touch gestures by recognizing specific changes within postures, the changes comprising at least one recognized change in the angle of finger contact with the tactile sensor,

Assigning a user interface function to the recognized touch gesture,

Directing executing software to perform a user interface operation associated with the recognized touch gesture, the user interface operation selected from a plurality of possible from a user interface operations, and the association from plurality of possible associations, the plurality of possible associations comprising at least a global type and a second type, the first type of association being common across the system and the second type of association being an application-specific association that is specific to an application, and

Wherein the executing software is responsive to the recognized touch gesture.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein when a gesture with a context-specific association is recognized, the user interface operation is determined by the application that has a currently active user-interface focus.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the association is context-specific.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the tactile sensor is comprised by a touchscreen.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the gesture is used to control the system.