Application gesture interpretation

• US 9,268,404 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Clavin, John, Lobb, Kenneth Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US12/684,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

In a gesture-based system, gestures may control aspects of a computing environment or application, where the gestures may be derived from a user'"'"'s position or movement in a physical space. A gesture-based system may have a plurality of modes, each mode a hardware configuration, a software configuration, or a combination thereof. Techniques for transitioning a user'"'"'s control, via the user'"'"'s gestures, between different modes enables a system to coordinate controls between multiple modes. For example, while a first mode is active, the user'"'"'s gestures may control aspects of the first mode. The system may transition the user'"'"'s control from a control of the first mode to a control of a second mode. The transition may be between hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, reserved gestures that correspond to a first mode that may be executed whether or not a second mode is present.

Claims

1. A method for enabling modes in a gesture-based system, comprising:

receiving image data representative of at least part of a user body motion or pose in a physical space;

based at least on receiving the image data representative of the at least part of the user body motion or pose while the gesture-based system is in a first mode, transitioning control of the gesture-based system from the first mode to a second mode, the first mode having an associated first set of input command gestures and the second mode having an associated second set of input command gestures;

based at least on receiving second image data representative of at least part of a user body motion or pose while the gesture-based system is in the second mode, transitioning control of the gesture-based system from the second mode to the first mode; and

based at least on receiving third image data representative of at least part of a user body motion or pose while the gesture-based system is in the first mode, the third image data representative of a user body motion or pose being recognized as invoking an input command gesture in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode, but not being recognized as invoking an input command gesture in the first set of input command gestures associated with the first mode, processing the third image data representative of the at least part of the user body motion or pose by invoking, while in the first mode, the input command gesture in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the gesture-based system in the first mode based at least on transitioning control of the gesture-based system to the first mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a triggering event prompting transitioning control of the gesture-based system from the first mode to the second mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third image data comprises an in-alternate mode gesture that is used to control the gesture-based system in the first mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third image data comprises a reserved gesture that is applicable system-wide.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting variable preferences to define a manner in which a control of the gesture-based system is implemented.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

designating a functionality of the second mode that is available to control the gesture-based system in the first mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequently controlling the gesture-based system based at least on identifying a gesture from the first image data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a mode comprises:

an application mode, a platform mode, or a device mode.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording a complex gesture as a macro.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing the control of the gesture-based system to a particular device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data and the second image data identify the same user motion or pose.

13. A system for controlling aspects of a gesture-based system in modes, comprising:

a memory bearing instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause the system at least to;

receive image data representative of at least part of a user body motion or pose in a physical space;

process the received image data to identify input gesture data for the user;

determine that the input gesture data is associated with a first mode or a second mode, the first mode having an associated first set of input command gestures and the second mode having an associated second set of input command gestures;

transition from the first mode to the second mode when the input gesture data is associated with the second mode; and

based at least on determining that the input gesture data is associated with a gesture in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode but not in the first set of input command gestures associated with the first mode, process the input gesture data by invoking, while in the first mode, an input command gesture in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further bears instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the system at least to:

transition from the second mode to the first mode when the input gesture data is associated with the first mode.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second mode is associated with control of a second computing environment and the first mode is associated with control of a first computing environment, wherein transitioning from the second mode to the first mode comprises transitioning control from the second computing environment to the first computing environment.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein instructions that, when executed on the processor cause the system at least to transition from the first mode to the second mode further cause the system at least to:

transition from a first application executing in the first mode to a second application executing in the second mode.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein a plurality of devices are adapted for the control of the gesture-based system associated with the input gesture data, the plurality of devices adapted to coordinate such that at least one of the plurality of devices performs the control.

18. A computer-readable storage device that is not a propagating signal for transitioning between modes in a gesture-based system, the computer-readable storage device bearing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving image data representative of at least part of a user body motion or pose in a physical space;

processing the received image data to identify input gesture data for the user;

providing the gesture-based system in a first mode, based at least on the input gesture data being associated with the first mode, the first mode having an associated first set of input command gestures;

providing the gesture-based system in a second mode, based at least on the input gesture data being associated with the mode, the second mode having an associated second set of input command gestures; and

based at least on receiving the input gesture data while the gesture-based system is in the first mode, the input gesture data being recognized in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode but not recognized in the first set of input command gestures associated with the first mode, processing, while in the first mode, the input gesture data by invoking the input gesture data recognized in the second set of input command gestures associated with the second mode.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the first mode and the second mode are both active modes.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein control of the gesture-based system in the first mode is available via at least one gesture when the gesture-based system is in the second mode.