Providing a sense of touch in a mobile device using vibration

• US 9,013,426 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cole, Alan G., Mohammed, Siddique A., Shanmugam, Dhandapani
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US13/458,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20130181913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

Controlling haptic feedback in a mobile communication device is provided. Metadata associated with a set of objects within requested content is parsed to identify each object within the requested content having an associated frequency pattern included in the metadata. The requested content is displayed in a display device. A touch input is received on the display device at a location of an identified object that has an associated frequency pattern within the requested content. A frequency and a duration of a vibration generated by a variable frequency vibration device simulating a tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content is controlled using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object.

Claims

1. A method for controlling haptic feedback, the method comprising:

receiving, by a data processing system, requested content and metadata including frequency patterns associated with one or more objects of a set of objects within the requested content from a server device via a network;

parsing, by the data processing system, the metadata associated with the set of objects within the requested content to identify each object within the requested content having an associated frequency pattern included in the metadata received from the server device;

displaying, by the data processing system, the requested content in a display device;

receiving, by the data processing system, a touch input on the display device at a location of an identified object that has an associated frequency pattern within the requested content; and

controlling, by the data processing system, a frequency and a duration of a vibration generated by a variable frequency vibration device simulating a tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the data processing system, whether a haptic feedback controller located in the data processing system is enabled or disabled, wherein the haptic feedback controller controls the variable frequency vibration device that simulates the tactile texture of the identified object;

responsive to the data processing system determining that the haptic feedback controller is enabled, controlling, by the data processing system, the frequency and the duration of the vibration generated by the variable frequency vibration device simulating the tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object; and

responsive to the data processing system determining that the haptic feedback controller is disabled, bypassing, by the data processing system, control of the variable frequency vibration device to not simulate the tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated frequency pattern of the identified object is a variable frequency pattern of vibration and includes a vibration frequency value and a vibration duration value used to control the variable frequency vibration device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the variable frequency pattern of vibration is a vibration pattern that includes a plurality of variable length segments of variable frequency simulating the tactile texture of the identified object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is a mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device includes touch screen capabilities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested content is online retail shopping content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested content is received from the server device via one of a Web page or a multimedia message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the server device associates a particular frequency pattern with a particular object using a frequency pattern mapping table stored in a database associated with the server device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency pattern simulates a tactile texture selected from one of fabric, leather, metal, plastic, rubber, glass, wood, paper, plant, and rock.

11. A data processing system for controlling haptic feedback, the data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to bus system, wherein the storage device stores a set of instructions; and

a processor connected to the bus system, wherein the processor executes the set of instructions to receive requested content and metadata including frequency patterns associated with one or more objects of a set of objects within the requested content from a server device via a network;

parse the metadata associated with the set of objects within the requested content to identify each object within the requested content having an associated frequency pattern included in the metadata received from the server device;

display the requested content in a display device;

receive a touch input on the display device at a location of an identified object that has an associated frequency pattern within the requested content; and

control a frequency and a duration of a vibration generated by a variable frequency vibration device simulating a tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object.

12. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage device having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a data processing system for controlling haptic feedback, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving requested content and metadata including frequency patterns associated with one or more objects of a set of objects within the requested content from a server device via a network;

computer usable program code for parsing the metadata associated with the set of objects within the requested content to identify each object within the requested content having an associated frequency pattern included in the metadata received from the server device;

computer usable program code for displaying the requested content in a display device;

computer usable program code for receiving a touch input on the display device at a location of an identified object that has an associated frequency pattern within the requested content; and

computer usable program code for controlling a frequency and a duration of a vibration generated by a variable frequency vibration device simulating a tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising:

computer usable program code for determining whether a haptic feedback controller located in the data processing system is enabled or disabled, wherein the haptic feedback controller controls the variable frequency vibration device that simulates the tactile texture of the identified object;

computer usable program code for controlling the frequency and the duration of the vibration generated by the variable frequency vibration device simulating the tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content using the associated frequency pattern of the identified object in response to determining that the haptic feedback controller is enabled; and

computer usable program code for bypassing control of the variable frequency vibration device to not simulate the tactile texture of the identified object touched within the requested content in response to determining that the haptic feedback controller is disabled.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the associated frequency pattern of the identified object is a variable frequency pattern of vibration and includes a vibration frequency value and a vibration duration value used to control the variable frequency vibration device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the variable frequency pattern of vibration is a vibration pattern that includes a plurality of variable length segments of variable frequency simulating the tactile texture of the identified object.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the requested content is received via one of a Web page or a multimedia message from the server device.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a particular frequency pattern is associated with a particular object using a frequency pattern mapping table stored in a database associated with the server device.