Detecting patterns traced on a screen of a user device

• US 9,282,283 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pavlov, Nikolai, Cinar, Onur
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US14/167,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A user terminal comprising: a network interface; a touchscreen configured to receive a pattern traced by a user; a first camera configured to capture images, wherein the user terminal is configured to transmit said captured images from the first camera to at least one further user terminal via the network interface as part of a video call; a second camera; a memory configured to store information relating to at least one pattern; a detection module configured to detect, using said stored information, one of said at least one pattern traced on an area of the touchscreen of said user terminal; and a control module configured to, in response to the detection by the detection module, switch from the first camera to the second camera so as to capture images using the second camera, the control module causing the said captured images from the second camera to be transmitted via the network interface to said at least one further user device.

Claims

1. A user terminal comprising:

a network interface;

a touchscreen configured to receive a pattern traced by a user;

a first camera configured to capture images, wherein the user terminal is configured to transmit said captured images from the first camera to at least one further user terminal via the network interface as part of a video call;

a second camera;

a memory configured to store information relating to at least one pattern;

a detection module configured to detect, using said stored information, one of said at least one pattern traced on an area of the touchscreen of said user terminal, to detect including, at least, determining if at least one gesture in a series of gestures comprising the received pattern has a different motion vector than a preceding gesture in the series; and

a control module configured to, in response to the detection by the detection module, switch from the first camera to the second camera so as to capture images using the second camera, the control module causing the said captured images from the second camera to be transmitted via the network interface to said at least one further user device.

2. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the said at least one pattern comprises a series of at least two gestures, wherein each gesture in the series has a different motion vector.

3. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one of said at least one pattern is detected independently of:

a location on the touchscreen where the pattern is traced, the size of the traced pattern and the orientation of the traced pattern.

4. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the detection module is further configured to, when capturing images using the second camera, detect one of said at least one pattern traced on the display screen and;

the control module is further configured to, in response to the detection, switch from the second camera to the first camera so as to capture images using the first camera.

5. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first microphone; and

a second microphone;

wherein the user terminal is configured to capture audio data using the first microphone when capturing image data using the first camera and to capture audio data using the second microphone when capturing image data using the second camera.

6. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information relating to at least one pattern comprises conditions characterising a zigzag pattern.

7. A user terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the conditions characterising the zigzag pattern comprise that the pattern traced by the user comprises a series of three gestures each with a different motion vector; and

the detection module is configured to detect one of said at least one pattern if the pattern traced by a user satisfies the conditions.

8. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user terminal is configured to:

receive video data from said at least one further user terminal via the network interface as part of the video call;

display captured images from the first or second cameras on a first area of the touchscreen; and

display the received video data on a second area of the touchscreen.

9. A user terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the detection module is configured to detect patterns traced in the second area of the touchscreen and wherein patterns traced in the first area of the touchscreen are not detected.

10. A user terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stored information comprises rules relating to relative motion vectors of the at least two gestures.

11. A user terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the detection module is configured to detect one of said at least one pattern if the pattern traced by a user is within the rules relating to relative motion vectors of the at least two gestures.

12. A user terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one pattern can be detected regardless of the size, location or orientation of the pattern traced on the touchscreen.

13. A user terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one pattern can be detected regardless of the relative proportions of the pattern traced on the touchscreen.

14. A user terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein a continuous curve traced on the display screen is a gesture.

15. A computer readable storage memory storing code for switching a first camera and a second camera of a user device during a video call between said user device and at least one further device which, when executed on a processor of a user device, is configured to:

capture images using the first camera of the user device and transmit said captured images from the first camera to said at least one further user device;

store information relating to at least one pattern in a memory of said user device;

detect, using said stored information, one of said at least one pattern traced on an area of a touchscreen of said user device, said stored information comprising, at least, a set of rules specifying maximum and minimum direction changes between gestures comprising said one of said at least one pattern; and

in response to the detection, switch from the first camera to the second camera of the user device so as to capture images using the second camera and transmit said captured images from the second camera to said at least one further user device.

16. A computer-readable storage memory as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of the said at least one pattern comprises a series of at least two gestures, wherein each gesture in the series has a different motion vector.

17. A computer readable storage memory as claimed in claim 16, wherein the stored information comprises rules relating to the relative motion vectors of the at least two gestures.

18. A computer-readable storage memory as claimed in claim 17, wherein the rules relating to the relative motion vectors of the at least two gestures characterise a zigzag pattern.

19. A computer-readable medium storage memory as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one pattern can be detected regardless of location, size or orientation of the pattern traced on the touchscreen.

20. A method of detecting a pattern traced on a display of a user device, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to a pattern traced by a user on the display of the user device;

determining from the received information if the pattern traced by the user comprises a series of three gestures;

determining from the received information if each gesture in the series has a different motion vector and the relative motions of the motion vectors; and

determining that a predetermined pattern has been traced on the display of the user device if the traced pattern comprises a series of three gestures and the relative motion vectors of the three gestures are within rules stored in memory which characterise a zigzag, regardless of the location, size and orientation of the traced pattern.