Leader and follower management system for wearable devices

• US 9,986,400 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dow, Eli M., Harvey, Joseph D., Fitzsimmons, Thomas D., Rohde, Douglas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mapa, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/421,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20170142565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455418-420, 4554561-457
• 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 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A wearable computing device identifies a gesture made by the user of the wearable computing device. The wearable computing device sends an offer to a second wearable computing device, where the offer is to follow the user. The wearable computing device receives an indication of acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device, where the acceptance of the offer comprises an identified gesture made by the user of the second wearable computing device. The wearable computing device sends information related to at least the current location of the wearable computing device to the second wearable computing device.

Claims

1. A computer program product for initiating a following process between a first wearable computing device and a second wearable computing device, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to identify a first gesture, utilizing a camera of a first wearable computing device, made by a first user of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to send an offer to a second wearable computing device, wherein the offer is to follow the first user;

program instructions to receive an indication of an acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device, wherein the acceptance of the offer comprises an identified second gesture made by a second user of the second wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to follow the first user, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to follow the first user comprise;

program instructions to send to the second wearable computing device, information related to, at least, the current location of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a first visual element onto a view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device, based on the information related to, at least, the current location of the first wearable computing device, wherein the visual element comprises an indicator proximate to the first user;

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a second visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the second visual element comprises an article about a point of interest identified by the first user of the first wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a third visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the third visual element comprises a timer indicating an amount of time left in a following session.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to receive a request to send an offer to follow the first user from the second wearable computing device.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to, subsequent to receiving the indication of the acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device, receive a confirmation of the acceptance of the offer from the first user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the offer includes a request for authentication information, and the indication of the acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device further includes the authentication information;

further comprising;

program instructions to determine that the received authentication information matches a previously stored authentication information requirement.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising:

program instructions to receive an indication from the first user of acceptance of the portion of authentication information received from the second wearable computing device; and

wherein the indication from the first user comprises a gesture.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to identify a third gesture made by the first user of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to determine a location of the point of interest, based, at least in part, on the third gesture;

program instructions to send at least information related to the location of the point of interest to the second wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay an additional visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the additional visual element comprises an additional indicator in proximity to the location of the point of interest.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the additional visual element further comprises an image of the point of interest taken by the first user.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first wearable computing device and the second wearable computing device are selected from the group consisting of:

a bracelet and a necklace.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto the view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device comprise:

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto a heads-up display within a field of view of the second user.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto the view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device comprise:

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto a feed captured by a camera of the second wearable computing device.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to send the offer to the second wearable computing device further comprise program instructions to send an identity of the first user and a text description of a purpose of the offer to follow the first user.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the offer includes a request for authentication information, further comprising:

program instructions to receive an image, captured via a camera of the first wearable computing device, that includes a face;

program instructions to identify that the face corresponds to a third user utilizing a facial recognition technique; and

determining, by one or more processors, that the third user is included within a list of users who are permitted to follow the first user without providing the authentication information.

13. A computer system for initiating a following process between a first wearable computing device and a second wearable computing device, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors, one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to identify a first gesture, utilizing a camera of a first wearable computing device, made by a first user of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to send an offer to a second wearable computing device, wherein the offer is to follow the first user;

program instructions to receive an indication of an acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device, wherein the acceptance of the offer comprises an identified second gesture made by a second user of the second wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to follow the first user, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to follow the first user comprise;

program instructions to send to the second wearable computing device, information related to, at least, the current location of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a first visual element onto a view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device, based on the information related to, at least, the current location of the first wearable computing device, wherein the visual element comprises an indicator proximate to the first user;

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a second visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the second visual element comprises an article about a point of interest identified by the first user of the first wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay a third visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the third visual element comprises a timer indicating an amount of time left in a following session.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to, subsequent to receiving the indication of the acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device, receive a confirmation of the acceptance of the offer from the first user.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the offer includes a request for authentication information, and the indication of the acceptance of the offer from the second wearable computing device further includes the authentication information;

further comprising;

program instructions to determine that the received authentication information matches a previously stored authentication information requirement.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions to receive an indication from the first user of acceptance of the portion of authentication information received from the second wearable computing device; and

wherein the indication from the first user comprises a gesture.

17. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to identify a third gesture made by the first user of the first wearable computing device;

program instructions to determine a location of the point of interest, based, at least in part, on the third gesture;

program instructions to send at least information related to the location of the point of interest to the second wearable computing device; and

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay an additional visual element onto the view of the surroundings of the second wearable computing device, wherein the additional visual element comprises an additional indicator in proximity to the location of the point of interest.

18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the first wearable computing device and the second wearable computing device are selected from the group consisting of:

a bracelet and a necklace.

19. The computer system of claim 13, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto the view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device comprise:

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto a heads-up display within a field of view of the second user.

20. The computer system of claim 13, wherein program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto the view of surroundings of the second wearable computing device comprise:

program instructions to cause the second wearable computing device to overlay the first visual element onto a feed captured by a camera of the second wearable computing device.