Method and system for identifying location of a touched body part

• US 9,924,907 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Alberth, William P., Alameh, Rachid M., Dickinson, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/249,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20130085410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 600557, 600587, 600595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0295 adapted for recording user messages or annotations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4824 Touch or pain perception evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/748 Selection of a region of interest, e.g. using a graphics tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

A method and system for identifying location of a touched body part. The method includes initializing a tracking system for monitoring travel of a pointer useful for indicating a touching operation, wherein the touching operation is performed on a body part. In addition, the method includes monitoring the travel of the pointer from a predetermined first location to a second location, wherein the second location coincides with a touch endpoint on a body part; and identifying the location of body part that was touched by the pointer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

initializing a tracking system on a wrist-wearable computing device comprising hardware sensors, the tracking system configured to monitor travel of a pointer controlled by a user of the wrist-wearable computing device using the hardware sensors;

monitoring, by the wrist-wearable computing device and using the initialized tracking system, the travel of the pointer from a first location to a second location, the second location coinciding with a touch endpoint on a body part of the user of the wrist-wearable computing device;

identifying, by the wrist-wearable computing device, the location of a touched body part of the user of the wrist-wearable computing device based on the monitored travel of the pointer and the touch endpoint;

determining, based on a pre-filtering algorithm using the identified location, wellness conditions;

presenting wellness condition images associated with the determined wellness conditions on a display of the wrist-wearable computing device;

receiving a selection of at least one of the presented wellness condition images; and

transforming presentation of the presented wellness condition images based on the selection.

2. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer monitors travel of a finger of the user, the finger being on a same arm of the user as the wrist-wearable computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer comprises monitoring, via the hardware sensors, a gesture movement corresponding to the pointer.

4. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the at least one wellness condition image comprises receiving a touch input from the user of the wrist-wearable computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1 wherein receiving the selection of the at least one wellness condition image comprises receiving a voice input from the user of the wrist-wearable computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1 further comprising retrieving, from a lookup table or database, information about a wellness condition corresponding to the selected wellness condition image.

7. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer with the tracking system comprises monitoring a location, a rotation, an acceleration, a tilt, a pitch, a yaw, a speed change, an orientation, or a speed of the pointer.

8. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein transforming presentation of the presented wellness condition images transforms the display to include presentation of a body image.

9. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein the presentation of the body image includes display of selectable locations, the selectable locations at which to associate a wellness condition.

10. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one selected wellness condition image is an image of a cut, a bruise, an ache, a numbness, or blood.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

initializing a tracking system comprising hardware sensors that monitor travel of a pointer, the tracking system and the hardware sensors comprising part of a wrist-wearable computing device;

monitoring, with the initialized tracking system, the travel of the pointer from a predetermined first location to a second location, the second location coinciding with a touch endpoint on a body part of a user of the wrist-wearable computing device;

identifying a location of a touched body part of the user of the wrist-wearable computing device based on the monitored travel of the pointer and the touch endpoint;

determining, based on a pre-filtering algorithm using the identified location, wellness conditions;

presenting wellness condition images associated with the determined wellness conditions on a display of the wrist-wearable computing device;

receiving a selection of at least one of the presented wellness condition images;

correlating a body part to the selected wellness condition image; and

updating a memory device of the wrist-wearable computing device with the correlated body part and a wellness condition associated to the selected wellness condition image.

12. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer monitors, via the hardware sensors, a gesture movement corresponding to the pointer.

13. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer monitors the travel of a hand, an arm, a finger, a foot, a toe, a nose, a tongue, or a head of the user of the wrist-wearable computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein correlating the body part to the selected at least one wellness condition image comprises enabling a drag and drop of the selected at least one wellness condition image upon a presented body image.

15. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer monitors a location, an audible sound, a speed, a proximity of the computing device to the user, or an activity of the user of the computing device.

16. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein monitoring the travel of the pointer monitors the travel of a mechanical pointing device that is not a part of the user'"'"'s body.