Multimodal input system

• US 9,348,417 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Murillo, Oscar E., Galore, Janet E., Cluts, Jonathan C., Estrada, Colleen G., Koenig, Michael, Creasey, Jack, Bhattacharyay, Subha
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US12/917,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 345/156, 704/9, 704/E15.041, 715/700, 700/17, 700/20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The subject disclosure relates to user input into a computer system, and a technology by which one or more users interact with a computer system via a combination of input modalities. When the input data of two or more input modalities are related, they are combined to interpret an intended meaning of the input. For example, speech when combined with one input gesture has one intended meaning, e.g., convert the speech to verbatim text for consumption by a program, while the exact speech when combined with a different input gesture has a different meaning, e.g., convert the speech to a command that controls the operation of that same program.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method performed at least in part on at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving sets of input data corresponding to a plurality of input modalities, the received sets of input data including a first set of input data and a second set of input data, the first set of input data being associated with a first input modality from the plurality of input modalities, the second set of input data being associated with a second input modality from the plurality of input modalities;

selecting the first set of input data and the second set of input data based on one or more of the following;

user defined preferences, and a current operating mode of a program;

accessing a dictionary to determine a combined meaning of the first and second set of input data;

receiving environmental input from one or more sensors; and

providing output data for input by the program, the output data corresponding to the combined meaning of the first and second set of input data and the environmental input.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the sets of input data comprises receiving the first set of input data from a user via one input device and the second set of input data from the user via another input device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the sets of input data comprises receiving the first set of input data from one user and the second set of input data from another user.

4. The method claim 1 wherein receiving the sets of input data comprises receiving at least one set as input that is synthesized from output of another device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the first set of input data is related to the second set of input data by accessing preference data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the first set of input data is related to the second set of input data by accessing data provided by at least one sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an intent of the user is based at least in part on the first input modality and the second input modality.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dictionary is associated with the first input modality and the second input modality.

9. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a plurality of input devices that provide raw data corresponding to one or more input modalities;

an input processor configured to process the raw data into input events;

one or more sensors that provide environmental input; and

a recommendation engine configured to;

select a subset of the input events based on one or more of the following;

user defined preferences, and a current operating mode of a program;

determine a combined meaning of the subset of input events; and

provide output data for input by the program, the output data corresponding to the combined meaning of the subset of input events and the environmental input provided by the one or more sensors.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein one of the input devices inputs raw data from one user and another of the input devices inputs raw data from another user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the input devices is coupled to the system via a remote connection.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the input devices include one or more of the following:

a camera, a microphone, a digitizer, a pen, and a pointing device.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the input processor includes one or more of the following:

an audio processing component, a visual processing component, a touch processing component, a gesture processing component, and a pointer processing component or a text processing component.

14. The system of claim 9 further comprising a personalization engine configured to communicate with the recommendation engine to provide personalization information that the recommendation engine uses in determining the combined meaning.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the personalization engine accesses one or more dictionaries to provide the personalization information.

16. The system of claim 9 further comprising a combined dictionary corresponding to two or more input modalities, wherein the combined dictionary is selected from a plurality of combined dictionaries based on the current operating mode of the program configured to receive the combined meaning.

17. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the input events corresponding to at least one of the plurality of input devices is restricted based on user preferences.

18. The system of claim 9 wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to use preference data of the user in determining the user-intended meaning.

19. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions, which causes a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving input data from a plurality of input devices;

selecting a subset of the input data based on one or more of the following;

user defined preferences, and a current operating mode of a program;

accessing at least one dictionary to determine a combined meaning of the subset of input data;

receiving environmental input from one or more sensors; and

providing output data for input by the program, the output data corresponding to the combined meaning of the subset of input data and the environmental input.

20. The one or more computer storage media of claim 19 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, changing the input data of at least one of the plurality of input devices based upon the combined meaning into modified data, and wherein providing the output data comprises providing the modified data.