Gaze-based display control

• US 9,454,225 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bychkov, Eyal, Brezner, Oren, Galor, Micha, Or, Ofir, Pokrass, Jonathan, Hoffnung, Amir, Berliner, Tamir
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarma, Abhishek
• Application Number:
  US13/960,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/661, 351/209, 382/103, 396/51
• 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 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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

A method includes receiving an image including an eye of a user of a computerized system and identifying, based the image of the eye, a direction of a gaze performed by the user. Based on the direction of the gaze, a region on a display coupled to the computerized system is identified, an operation is performed on content presented in the region.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

a computer coupled to the display and configured to present a start button in a corner of the display, to receive, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user, to identify a target point on the display based on the gaze direction, to present, upon finding that the target point is in proximity to the start button appearing in the corner of the display, one or more second interactive items as tabs arranged radially outward in a concentric pattern around the start button in the corner of the display, and after presenting the one or more second interactive items, to select one of the second interactive items responsively to a shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the one of the second interactive items.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tabs are configured for opening applications that are available on the computer.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the computer is configured to open a window associated with one of the applications responsively to selecting the one of the second interactive items, to present a back button in another corner of the display, diagonally opposite the start button, and upon detecting a further shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the back button, to return to a previous menu.

4. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a computerized system, a start button in a corner of a display coupled to the computer;

receiving, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user;

identifying a target point on the display based on the gaze direction;

upon finding that the target point is in proximity to the start button appearing in the corner of the display, presenting one or more second interactive items as tabs arranged radially outward in a concentric pattern around the start button in the corner of the display; and

after presenting the one or more second interactive items, selecting one of the second interactive items responsively to a shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the one of the second interactive items.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the tabs are configured for opening applications that are available on the computerized system.

6. The method according to claim 5, and comprising:

opening a window associated with one of the applications responsively to selecting the one of the second interactive items;

presenting a back button in another corner of the display, diagonally opposite the start button; and

upon detecting a further shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the back button, returning to a previous menu.

7. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to present a start button in a corner of the display, to receive, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user, to identify a target point on the display based on the gaze direction, to present, upon finding that the target point is in proximity to the start button appearing in the corner of the display, one or more second interactive items as tabs arranged radially outward in a concentric pattern around the start button in the corner of the display, and after presenting the one or more second interactive items, to select one of the second interactive items responsively to a shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the one of the second interactive items.

8. The product according to claim 7, wherein the tabs are configured for opening applications that are available on the computer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the computer to open a window associated with one of the applications responsively to selecting the one of the second interactive items, to present a back button in another corner of the display, diagonally opposite the start button, and upon detecting a further shift of the gaze direction such that the target point is in proximity to the back button, to return to a previous menu.