Scalable gesture-based device control

• US 9,329,773 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Molander, Mark, Pagan, William G., Snyder, Devon, Bohrer, Patrick, Eischeid, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): RIEGLER, PATRICK F
• Application Number:
  US13/111,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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

Abstract

A method for providing control signals may include, but is not limited to: detecting a first user input associated with at least one graphical user interface element; transmitting one or more control signals associated with the at least one graphical user interface element in response to the first user input; detecting a second user input associated with a grouping of two or more graphical user interface elements; and transmitting one or more control signals associated with the grouping of two or more graphical user interface elements in response to the second user input.

Claims

1. A method for providing control signals comprising:

detecting a single-touch user input associated with a first graphical user interface element, the first graphical user interface element associated with a first controllable device and a first hierarchical grouping level, the first hierarchical grouping level comprising the first graphical user interface element and the associated first controllable device;

transmitting one or more control signals to the first controllable device to perform at least one device operation in response to the single-touch user input;

detecting a multi-touch user input having a number of touches, the multi-touch user input being associated with a second hierarchical grouping level comprising at least a second graphical user interface element, the first graphical user interface element, and at least a second controllable device, wherein each graphical user interface element of the second hierarchical grouping level is associated with at least one controllable device of a grouping of controllable devices, the grouping of controllable devices including the first controllable device and the at least the second controllable device, and wherein the second hierarchical grouping level is any level in a hierarchical distribution equivalent to the number of touches; and

transmitting one or more control signals to the grouping of controllable devices to perform at least one common device operation in response to the multi-touch user input,

wherein each of the single-touch user input and the multi-touch user input include at least one gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the single-touch user input and the multi-touch user input are touch inputs to a touch-screen displaying the first graphical user interface element and the at least the second graphical user interface element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch user input includes:

at least one of a double-touch user input, a triple-touch user input, or a quadruple-touch user input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controllable device is a server device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controllable device and each controllable device of the grouping of controllable devices comprise a server device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch user input is a first multi-touch user input, the method further comprising:

detecting a second multi-touch user input having a second number of touches, the second multi-touch user input being associated with a third graphical user interface element of the hierarchical distribution, at least a third controllable device, at least a third hierarchical grouping level, and a second grouping of graphical user interface elements, each graphical user interface element of the second grouping of graphical user interface elements being associated with at least one controllable device from a second grouping of controllable devices including the at least the third controllable device, wherein the second number of touches is associated with any level of the hierarchical distribution equivalent to the second number of touches; and

transmitting one or more control signals to the second grouping of controllable devices to perform the at least one common device operation in direct response to the second multi-touch user input.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least the third hierarchical grouping level comprises the at least the third controllable device and the third graphical user interface element, and wherein the at least the third hierarchical grouping level resembles the second hierarchical grouping level at least in a type of controllable device and a type of graphical user interface element comprising the third hierarchical grouping level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the device operation or the at least one common device operation is selected from:

powering on, powering off, restarting, entering a sleep state, exiting a sleep state, throttling down, throttling up, adding data elements correlating to one or more objects to a database, removing data elements correlating to one or more objects from a database, or transferring data elements correlating to one or more objects from a first grouping of one more objects to a second grouping of one or more objects.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more objects include one or more shipping management objects.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

detecting a third multi-touch user input having a third number of touches, the third multi-touch user input being associated with at least two groupings of graphical user interface elements and at least two groupings of controllable devices of the second hierarchical grouping level; and

transmitting one or more control signals to each grouping of controllable devices corresponding to the at least two groupings of graphical user interface elements of the second hierarchical grouping level to perform at least one common device operation in direct response to the third multi-touch user input.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a fourth multi-touch user input having a fourth number of touches, the fourth multi-touch user input being associated with all graphical user interface elements of the hierarchical distribution; and

transmitting one or more control signals to all controllable devices to perform at least one common device operation in direct response to the fourth multi-touch user input.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the double-touch user input corresponds to control of each device associated with the second hierarchical grouping level, the triple-touch user input corresponds to control of each device associated with a third hierarchical grouping level, or the quadruple-touch user input corresponds to control of each device associated with a fourth hierarchical grouping level.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second hierarchical grouping level is associated with at least one of:

a server chassis group, a server rack/cluster group, or a system/data center group.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting one or more control signals to the grouping of controllable devices to perform at least one common device operation in response to the multi-touch user input comprises transmitting the one or more control signals to each controllable device of the grouping of controllable devices of the second hierarchical grouping level.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting one or more control signals to the grouping of controllable devices to perform at least one common device operation in response to the multi-touch user input comprises transmitting the one or more control signals to each controllable device of a system of controllable devices, wherein the system of controllable devices comprises all controllable devices associated with the hierarchical distribution.

16. A system for monitoring and/or controlling one or more controllable devices comprising:

one or more controllable devices;

a gesture-based input device, the gesture-based input device comprising a memory, a touch screen, a transceiver to communicate with the one or more controllable devices, and at least one processor programmed for;

detecting a single-touch user input associated with a first graphical user interface element, the first graphical user interface element associated with a first controllable device and a first hierarchical grouping level, the first hierarchical grouping level comprising the first graphical user interface element and the associated first controllable device;

transmitting one or more control signals to the first controllable device to perform at least one device operation in response to the single-touch user input;

detecting a multi-touch user input having a number of touches, the multi-touch user input being associated with a second hierarchical grouping level comprising at least a second graphical user interface element, the first graphical user interface element, and at least a second controllable device, wherein each graphical user interface element of the second hierarchical grouping level is associated with at least one controllable device of a grouping of controllable devices, the grouping of controllable devices including the first controllable device and the at least the second controllable device, and wherein the second hierarchical grouping level is any level in a hierarchical distribution equivalent to the number of touches; and

transmitting one or more control signals to the controllable devices of the grouping of controllable devices to perform at least one common device operation in response to the multi-touch user input,

wherein each of the single-touch user input and the multi-touch user input include at least one gesture associated with the at least one common device operation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more control signals transmitted are associated with at least one of:

powering off one or more devices, powering on one or more devices, restarting one or more devices, causing one or more devices to enter a sleep mode, causing one or more devices to exit a sleep mode, a help request operation, adding data elements correlating to one or more objects to a database, removing data elements correlating to one or more objects from a database, or transferring data elements correlating to one or more objects from a first grouping of one more objects to a second grouping of one or more objects.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the multi-touch user input includes:

at least one of a double-touch user input, a triple-touch user input, or a quadruple-touch user input.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the double-touch user input is associated with control of each device in the second hierarchical grouping level, the triple-touch user input is associated with control of each device in a third hierarchical grouping level, or the quadruple-touch user input is associated with control of each device in a fourth hierarchical grouping level.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second hierarchical grouping level is associated with at least one of:

a server chassis group, a server rack/cluster group, or a system/data center group.