Facilitating gesture-based association of multiple devices

• US 9,542,579 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Mangold, Stefan, Corbellini, Giorgio, Vukadinovic, Vladimir, Griffin, Joshua D., Trotter, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bukowski, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US13/934,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20150009116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06K 7/10108 interrogating only those RFIDs that fulfill a predetermined requirement, e.g. selecting all RFIDs having the same speed and moving in a cloud like fashion, e.g. on the same train; interrogating only RFIDs having a certain predetermined temperature, e.g. in the same fridge, another possibility being the active ignoring of a group of tags that fulfill a predetermined requirement, equivalent to the Boolean NOT operation

Abstract

Gesture-based association of multiple devices may be facilitated, which may effectuate presentation of content related to associated devices. Gesture detection may reduce or completely eliminate any ambiguity of whether the association is wanted or not. Some implementations may be employed in a theme park in which park guests wear an RFID wristband. During a park visit, when merchandise goods with embedded RFIDs are purchased (e.g., toys and/or other merchandise), the merchandise may be associated with the wristband and, therefore, the park guest wearing the wristband. Such association may give the theme park environment and/or the toy itself a mechanism to adapt their behavior depending on which toy the park guest is carrying. This may contribute to richer storytelling and personalized experiences, which may be realized by using location information, knowledge about the park guest'"'"'s preferences or previous park visits, favorite attractions, age, language-specific information, and/or other information.

Claims

1. A system configured to facilitate gesture-based association of multiple devices, the system comprising:

non-transitory storage media storing machine-readable instructions; and

one or more physical processors configured by the machine-readable instructions to;

obtain signals from one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being embodied within one or more support structures, the one or more sensors being configured to receive signals emitted by two or more devices via wireless non-contact data transfer, individual ones of the one or more support structures being separate and distinct from the two or more devices, individual ones of the two or more devices being configured to be portable, such that;

the two or more devices include a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to emit a first wireless signal conveying information associated with an identification of the first device, the second device being configured to emit a second wireless signal conveying information associated with an identification of the second device;

the one or more support structures include a first support structure, the first support structure including a first sensor, the first wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, and the second wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

wherein the first support structure is separate and distinct from the first device and the second device;

determine patterns associated with individual signals received from the one or more sensors of the one or more support structures, individual patterns being expressed as one or both of signal power as a function of time or signal phase as a function of time, individual patterns being generated responsive to relative motion between individual ones of the two or more devices and individual ones of the one or more sensors while individual ones of the one or more sensors receive the wireless signals emitted from individual ones of the two or more devices, such that;

a first pattern associated with the first wireless signal is determined, the first pattern being generated responsive to relative motion between the first device and the first sensor of the first support structure while the first sensor receives the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, the first pattern being a unique pattern defined by a user by moving the first device relative to the first support structure in a particular manner or gesture; and

a second pattern associated with the second wireless signal is determined, the second pattern being generated responsive to relative motion between the second device and the first sensor of the first support structure while the first sensor receives the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

associate multiple ones of the two or more devices by determining whether the multiple ones moved together in a common manner or gesture based on the determined patterns, the first device being associated with the second device responsive to a determination that the first device and second device moved together in the particular manner or gesture based on the second pattern matching the first pattern during a period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein individual ones of the two or more devices are configured to be either handheld or wearable, the first device being handheld and the second device being wearable.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first device is toy and the second device is a wristband.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to emit the first wireless signal responsive to being subjected to an electromagnetic field of a first frequency.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first frequency is a radio frequency.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first device or the second device includes an RFID tag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device includes a motion detection device and a wireless transmitter, the motion detection device being configured to provide a motion signal conveying information associated with motions undergone by the first device, the wireless transmitter being configured to transmit the first signal, the first signal including the motion signal and information associated with the identification of the first device, the motion detection device including one or both of an accelerometer, a magnetometer, or a gyroscope.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmitter includes one or more of a wireless local area network transmitter, a wireless personal area network transmitter, or a cellular transmitter.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein individual ones of the one or more support structures are stationary.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless non-contact data transfer is performed using radio-frequency electromagnetic fields.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein individual ones of the one or more sensors are RFID readers.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the relative motion between a given device and a given sensor is caused by a user moving or shaking the given device proximal to the given sensor.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pattern associated with the first wireless signal is generated responsive to relative motion between the first device and both the first sensor and a second sensor, the second sensor being embodied within the first support structure.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the patterns exhibit features with frequencies between about two to ten Hertz.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein moving the multiple ones of the two or more devices together in a common gesture is achieved by moving a hand in space while the hand is holding the first device and the second device is attached to the corresponding wrist.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein moving the multiple ones of the two or more devices together in a common gesture is achieved by shared mobility of the multiple devices inside a geographical area.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the shared mobility of the multiple devices is caused by one or both of (1) ambulatory motion of a user carrying the multiple devices or (2) motion of a theme park ride on which a user carrying the multiple devices is riding.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the period of time during which the first pattern matches the second pattern is between about one and ten seconds.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to provide content for presentation to users based on the association of the multiple ones of the two or more devices, first content being provided for presentation to a first user responsive to the first device being associated with the second device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to receive signals from individual ones of the two or more devices, the signal received from a given one of the two or more devices conveying information associated with one or both of an identification of the given device or motion undergone by the given device.

21. A computer-implemented method to facilitate gesture-based association of multiple devices, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors and non-transitory storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

obtaining signals from one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being embodied within one or more support structures, the one or more sensors being configured to receive signals emitted by two or more devices via wireless non-contact data transfer, individual ones of the one or more support structures being separate and distinct from the two or more devices, individual ones of the two or more devices being configured to be portable, such that;

the two or more devices include a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to emit a first wireless signal conveying information associated with an identification of the first device, the second device being configured to emit a second wireless signal conveying information associated with an identification of the second device;

the one or more support structures include a first support structure, the first support structure including a first sensor, the first wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, and the second wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

wherein the first support structure is separate and distinct from the first device and the second device;

determining patterns associated with individual signals received from the one or more sensors of the one or more support structures, individual patterns being expressed as one or both of signal power as a function of time or signal phase as a function of time, individual patterns being generated responsive to relative motion between individual ones of the two or more devices and individual ones of the one or more sensors while individual ones of the one or more sensors receive the wireless signals emitted from individual ones of the two or more devices, including;

determining a first pattern associated with the first wireless signal, the first pattern being generated responsive to relative motion between the first device and the first sensor of the first support structure while the first sensor is receiving the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, the first pattern being a unique pattern defined by a user by moving the first device relative to the first support structure in a particular manner or gesture; and

determining a second pattern associated with the second wireless signal, the second pattern being generated responsive to relative motion between the second device and the first sensor of the first support structure while the first sensor receives the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

associating multiple ones of the two or more devices by determining whether the multiple ones moved together in a common manner or gesture based on the determined patterns, the first device being associated with the second device responsive to a determination that the first device and second device moved together in the particular manner or gesture based on the second pattern matching the first pattern during a period of time.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the relative motion between a given device and a given sensor is caused by a user moving or shaking the given device proximal to the given sensor.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing content for presentation to users based on the association of the multiple ones of the two or more devices, first content being provided for presentation to a first user responsive to the first device being associated with the second device.

24. A system configured to facilitate gesture-based association of multiple devices, the system comprising:

non-transitory storage media storing machine-readable instructions; and

one or more physical processors configured by the machine-readable instructions to;

obtain signals from one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being embodied within one or more support structures, the one or more sensors being configured to receive signals transmitted by two or more devices via wireless non-contact data transfer, individual ones of the one or more support structures being separate and distinct from the two or more devices, individual ones of the two or more devices being configured to be portable, such that;

the two or more devices include a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to transmit a first signal conveying information associated with an identification of the first device, the second device being configured to store information associated with motion of the second device and further configured to transmit a second signal conveying information associated with an identification of the second device and the motion of the second device; and

the one or more support structures include a first support structure, the first support structure including a first sensor, the first wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, and the second wireless signal being obtained from the first sensor based on the first sensor receiving the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

wherein the first support structure is separate and distinct from the first device and the second device;

determine patterns associated with individual signals received from the one or more sensors of the one or more support structures and/or the devices, individual patterns being expressed as one or both of signal power as a function of time or signal phase as a function of time, individual patterns being generated responsive to relative motion between individual ones of the two or more devices and individual ones of the one or more sensors, such that;

a first pattern associated with the first signal is determined, the first pattern being generated responsive to relative motion between the first device and the first sensor of the first support structure while the first sensor is receiving the first wireless signal emitted from the first device, the first pattern being a unique pattern defined by a user by moving the first device relative to the first support structure in a particular manner or gesture; and

a second pattern associated with the second signal is determined, the second pattern being generated responsive to motion of the second device while the first sensor is receiving the second wireless signal emitted from the second device; and

associate multiple ones of the devices by determining whether the multiple ones moved together in a common gesture based on the determined patterns, the first device being associated with the second device responsive to a determination that the first device and second device moved together in the particular manner or gesture based on the second pattern matching the first pattern during a period of time.