Interactive touch screen metaphors with haptic feedback

• US 9,373,233 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Birnbaum, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Van
• Application Number:
  US13/954,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 : Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A system and computer-implemented method of providing haptic effects to a first user of a multi-user application. The method includes executing a first instance of the multi-user application on a first computing platform associated with the first user. The multi-user application is configured to interface with an object based on control inputs received from the first user and based on control inputs received from a second user via a second computing platform executing a second instance of the multi-user application, and responsive to performance of a first control input by the second user on the second computing platform, the method includes generating a first haptic effect for the first user on the first computing platform, the first haptic effect conveying information to the first user about the effect of the first control input.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide a haptic effect to a first user of a multi-user application, the system comprising:

a first portable computing device associated with the first user, the first portable computing device comprising

a first display having a touch screen that provides a first user interface configured to receive touch control inputs from the first user,

a first haptic interface configured to generate a haptic effect on a surface of the touch screen of the first display that is perceptible to the first user, and

a first processor configured

to execute the multi-user application, the multi-user application being configured to receive the touch control inputs from the first user and control inputs from a second user via a second computing device executing the multi-user application, and

to determine a first haptic effect that is to be generated by the first haptic interface, the first haptic effect conveying information to the first user related to a first control input of the second user to the second computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to control the first display to selectively present views of an object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first processor is further configured such that the generation of the first haptic effect is responsive to input of the first control input by the second user while the object is not visible in the views presented on the first display.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first processor is configured to control the first display to present views of a first portion of a space through which the object travels.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first processor is configured to control the haptic interface to generate the first haptic effect responsive to input of the first control input by the second user to the second computing device concurrent with the object being present in a second portion of the space through which the object travels, the second portion of the space being a portion of the space that is not visible in the first display but is visible on a display of the second computing device.

6. A system configured to provide a haptic effect to a first user of a multi-user application, the system comprising:

a first portable computing device associated with the first user, the first portable computing device comprising

a first display having a touch screen that provides a first user interface configured to receive touch control inputs from the first user,

a first haptic interface configured to generate a haptic effect on a surface of the touch screen of the first display that is perceptible to the first user,

a first processor configured

to execute the multi-user application, the multi-user application being configured to receive the touch control inputs from the first user, and

to determine the haptic effect that is to be generated by the first haptic interface; and

a second portable computing device associated with a second user, the second portable computing device being in operative communication with the first portable computing device and comprising

a second display having a touch screen that provides a second user interface configured to receive touch control inputs from the second user, the touch control inputs comprising a first touch control input, and

a second processor configured to execute the multi-user application, the multi-user application being further configured to receive the touch control inputs received the second user,

wherein the first processor is further configured such that responsive to performance of the first touch control input by the second user, the first haptic interface is controlled to generate a first haptic effect conveying information to the first user related to the first touch control input performed by the second user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first processor is further configured to control the first display to selectively present views of an object.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first processor is configured such that the generation of the first haptic effect is further responsive to input of the first touch control input by the second user while the object is not visible in the views presented on the first display.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the multi-user application is configured such that the first processor controls the first display to present views of a first portion of a space through which the object travels.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the multi-user application is further configured such that the second processor controls the second display to present views of a second portion of a space through which the object travels, the second portion of the space being a portion of the space that is not visible in the first display, and wherein the first processor is further configured such that generation of the first haptic effect is responsive to performance of the first touch control input by the second user concurrent with the object being present in a second portion of the space through which the object travels.