Haptic/voice-over navigation assistance

• US 9,046,923 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Stallings, Heath, Hwang, Sok Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): BADAWI, ANGIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/650,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 715/723, 715/702
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method includes displaying a user interface on a touch display, receiving a user input on the touch display, determining whether the user input is associated with a navigational assistance area of the user interface, outputting one or more vibrations, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface, and outputting an auditory navigational cue that corresponds to a name associated with the navigational assistance area, when it is determined that the user input is associated with the navigational assistance area of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, by a user device that includes a touch display, a user interface;

receiving, by the user device, a user input on the touch display and in a first area of the user interface;

determining, by the user device, whether the user input in the first area is included in a second area of the user interface;

determining, by the user device, a type of a file associated with the first area;

formulating, by the user device, a name of the file based on the type of the file and path information associated with the file;

generating, by the user device, audio based on the type of the file and the path information associated with the file;

outputting, by the user device, one or more vibrations in response to determining that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface; and

outputting, by the user device, the audio that includes a vocalization of the name of the file associated with the first area in response to determining that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first area corresponds to an interactive area of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving file information that corresponds to the first area of the user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the file information includes the path information and the type of file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining file information associated with the first area; and

parsing the file information to extract the path information and the type of the file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the audio includes a vocalization of a word that is not included in the file information, and wherein the word is in addition to the name of the file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a graphical user interface, and wherein the first area corresponds to one of an icon, an object, a keypad, or a selectable item associated with a software application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another user input on the touch display;

determining that the other user input is not included in the second area of the user interface; and

omitting to output audio and one or more vibrations in response to determining that the other user input is not included in the second area of the user interface.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein formulating the name of the file comprises:

selecting an original name of the file associated with the first area;

selecting a word that is based on the type of the file;

selecting a connector word; and

formulating the name of the file based on the original name of the file, the word, and the connector word.

9. A device comprising:

a touch display; and

one or more processors to;

display a user interface on the touch display;

detect a user input on the touch display and in a first area of the user interface;

determine whether the user input in the first area is included in a second area of the user interface,

determine a type of a file associated with the first area;

formulate a name of the file based on the type of the file and path information associated with the file;

generate audio based on the type of the file and the path information associated with the file;

output one or more vibrations in response to a determination that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface; and

output the audio that includes a vocalization of the name of the file associated with the first area in response to a determination that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface.

10. The device of claim 9, where the device comprises one or more of:

a telephone,

a personal digital assistant,

a personal computer, or

a multimedia playing device.

11. The device of claim 9, where the one or more processors are to:

receive file information associated with the first area, and

obtain the name of the file based on the file information.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the first area corresponds to an interactive area of the user interface.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the audio further includes a vocalization of a word that is not included in file information associated with the file.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the vibration occurs only in an area of the touch display corresponding to the first area.

15. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

a speaker,

the audio being output via the speaker or another device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

detect a user input in a first area of a user interface displayed by a touch screen;

determine whether the user input in the first area is included in a second area of the user interface;

determine a type of a file associated with the first area;

formulate a name of the file based on the type of the file and path information associated with the file;

generate audio based on the type of the file and the path information associated with the file;

output one or more vibrations in response to a determination that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface; and

output the audio that includes a vocalization of the name of the file associated with the first area in response to a determination that the user input is included in the second area of the user interface.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive file information associated with the first area; and

generate the name of the file based on the file information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the file information includes the path information associated with the file and the type of the file.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user interface includes a graphical user interface, and wherein the first area corresponds to one of an icon, an object, a keypad, or a selectable item associated with a software application.