Wearable gesture control device and method

• US 10,651,883 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barnett, Jr., Thomas Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US16/138,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20190028134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• 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 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality. In some embodiments, a wearable control device (“WCD”) might receive first user input comprising one or more of touch, gesture, and/or voice input from the user. The WCD (and/or a remote computing system (“RCS”)) might analyze the first user input to identify a user device of a plurality of user devices to remotely control. The WCD might establish wireless communications with the identified user device, and might reconfigure its user interface to provide the user with command options to control the user device. The WCD might receive second user input. The WCD (and/or the RCS) might analyze the second user input to identify one or more functionalities of the user device to invoke, and might generate first command instructions, which might be sent by the WCD to the user device, via the wireless communications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a wearable control device, at least one first user input indicating which user device of a plurality of user devices that the user intends to control, the at least one first user input comprising a first voice input;

identifying, with at least one of the wearable control device or a remote computing system, a first user device of the plurality of user devices to remotely control based at least in part on the received at least one first user input;

receiving, with the wearable control device, at least one second user input indicating which functionalities of a first plurality of functionalities of the first user device the user intends to invoke, the at least one second user input comprising a second gesture input, wherein the second gesture input is different from a touch input, and wherein the second gesture input augments the first voice input;

identifying, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, one or more first functionalities of the first plurality of functionalities of the first user device to invoke based at least in part on the received first voice input and the received second gesture input, wherein the first voice input indicates the first user device the user intends to invoke and the second gesture input indicates the functionalities of the first user device the user intends to invoke; and

causing, with the wearable control device, the first user device to perform the one or more first functionalities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable control device has a form comprising one of a bracer, a bracelet, a wrist watch, a smart watch, a wrist band, a bangle, a gauntlet, a wrist strap, a finger ring, a head band, or a glove.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user devices comprises at least one of one or more display devices, one or more speakers, one or more media recording or playback devices, one or more household appliances, one or more kitchen appliances, one or more lighting systems, one or more automated door locking systems, one or more automated door opening or closing systems, one or more automated window locking systems, one or more automated window opening or closing systems, one or more smart windows, one or more window covering control systems, one or more customer premises security systems, one or more customer premises environmental control systems, one or more electrical outlets, one or more power strips, one or more dimmer switches, one or more data ports, one or more clocks, one or more sprinkler systems, one or more vehicles, one or more mobile user devices, one or more medical devices, one or more fitness trackers, or one or more exercise equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication comprises at least one of machine-to-machine Internet of Things (“

IoT”

) communications, Bluetooth communications, Z-wave communications, ZigBee communications, or WiFi communications.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, with the wearable control device, wireless communication with the identified first user device, wherein establishing wireless communication with the identified first user device comprises establishing, with the wearable control device, wireless communication with the identified first user device via one or more application programming interfaces (“

APIs”

) established between the wearable control device and the first user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first user input comprises at least one of a first gesture input, the first voice input, or a first touch input, and wherein identifying the first user device comprises analyzing, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, the at least one first user input by using at least one of the first gesture input, the first voice input, or the first touch input to augment or complement at least one other of the first gesture input, the first voice input, or the first touch input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second user input comprises at least one of the second gesture input, a second voice input, or a second touch input, and wherein identifying the one or more first functionalities of the first user device comprises analyzing, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, the at least one second user input by using at least one of the second gesture input, the second voice input, or the second touch input to augment or complement at least one other of the second gesture input, the second voice input, or the second touch input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first user device and identifying the one or more first functionalities of the first user device comprise analyzing, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, the at least one first user input and the at least one second user input, respectively, using artificial intelligence (“

AI”

) to improve interactions with the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the AI is further utilized to improve machine-to-machine interactions and to improve reconfiguration of the user interface of the wearable control device to provide, to the user, the command options that are customized for controlling the first user device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computing system comprises at least one of a server computer remote from the wearable control device, a gateway device, a human interface device, a cloud computing system, or a distributed computing system that integrates computing resources from two or more user devices of the plurality of user devices.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, with the wearable control device, at least one third user input indicating which other user device of the plurality of user devices that the user intends to control next;

identifying, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, a second user device of the plurality of user devices to remotely control based at least in part on the received at least one third user input;

receiving, with the wearable control device, at least one fourth user input indicating which functionalities of a second plurality of functionalities of the second user device to invoke;

identifying, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, one or more second functionalities of the second plurality of functionalities of the second user device to invoke based at least in part on the received at least one fourth user input; and

causing, with the wearable control device, the second user device to perform the one or more second functionalities.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wearable control device concurrently controls both the first user device and the second user device, wherein reconfiguring the user interface comprises reconfiguring, with the wearable control device, the user interface of the wearable control device to provide, to the user, a third set of command options, the third set of command options comprising a combination of the first set of command options that are customized for controlling the first user device and the second set of command options that are customized for controlling the second user device.

13. A wearable control device, the wearable control device comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one user input device;

a user interface;

at least one transceiver; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the wearable control device to;

receive, via the at least one user input device, at least one first user input, the at least one first user input indicating which user device of a plurality of user devices that the user intends to control, the at least one first user input comprising a first voice input;

identify a first user device of the plurality of user devices to remotely control based at least in part on the received at least one first user input;

receive, via the at least one user input device, at least one second user input, the at least one second user input indicating which functionalities of a first plurality of functionalities of the first user device the user intends to invoke, the at least one second user input comprising a second gesture input, wherein the second gesture input is different from a touch input, and wherein the second gesture input augments the first voice input;

identify one or more first functionalities of the first plurality of functionalities of the first user device to invoke based at least in part on the received first voice input and the received second gesture input, wherein the first voice input indicates the first user device the user intends to invoke and the second gesture input indicates the functionalities of the first user device the user intends to invoke; and

cause the first user device to perform the one or more first functionalities.

14. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the wearable control device has a form comprising one of a bracer, a bracelet, a wrist watch, a smart watch, a wrist band, a bangle, a gauntlet, a wrist strap, a finger ring, a head band, or a glove.

15. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of user devices comprises at least one of one or more display devices, one or more speakers, one or more media recording or playback devices, one or more household appliances, one or more kitchen appliances, one or more lighting systems, one or more automated door locking systems, one or more automated door opening or closing systems, one or more automated window locking systems, one or more automated window opening or closing systems, one or more smart windows, one or more window covering control systems, one or more customer premises security systems, one or more customer premises environmental control systems, one or more electrical outlets, one or more power strips, one or more dimmer switches, one or more data ports, one or more clocks, one or more sprinkler systems, one or more vehicles, one or more mobile user devices, one or more medical devices, one or more fitness trackers, or one or more exercise equipment.

16. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the at least one transceiver is configured to provide wireless communications with one or more user devices of the plurality of user devices, the wireless communications comprising at least one of machine-to-machine Internet of Things (“

IoT”

) communications, Bluetooth communications, Z-wave communications, ZigBee communications, or WiFi communications.

17. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the at least one first user input comprises at least one of a first gesture input, the first voice input, or a first touch input, and wherein identifying the first user device comprises analyzing, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, the at least one first user input by using at least one of the first gesture input, the first voice input, or the first touch input to augment or complement at least one other of the first gesture input, the first voice input, or the first touch input.

18. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the at least one second user input comprises at least one of the second gesture input, a second voice input, or a second touch input, and wherein identifying the one or more first functionalities of the first user device comprises analyzing, with the at least one of the wearable control device or the remote computing system, the at least one second user input by using at least one of the second gesture input, the second voice input, or the second touch input to augment or complement at least one other of the second gesture input, the second voice input, or the second touch input.

19. The wearable control device of claim 13, wherein the at least one user input device comprises at least one of one or more gesture input devices, one or more voice input devices, or one or more touch input devices, wherein the one or more gesture input devices comprise one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more motion sensors, one or more location sensors, one or more altitude sensors, one or more tilt sensors, or one or more rotation sensors, wherein the one or more voice input devices comprise one or more microphones, one or more sound amplitude detectors, one or more sound frequency detectors, or one or more voice recognition devices, wherein the one or more touch input devices comprise a pointer stick, one or more touchscreen displays, one or more buttons, one or more switches, one or more toggles, or one or more dials, wherein receiving the at least one first user input comprises receiving, via at least one of the one or more gesture input devices, the one or more voice input devices, or the one or more touch input devices, corresponding at least one of a first gesture input, the first voice input, or a first touch input, wherein receiving the at least one second user input comprises receiving, via at least one of the one or more gesture input devices, the one or more voice input devices, or the one or more touch input devices, corresponding at least one of the second gesture input, a second voice input, or a second touch input.

20. The wearable control device of claim 13, further comprising at least one of a wrist strap, a clip, a pin, a clasp, an ear-loop, a finger ring, a toe ring, a bangle, a hook and loop type strap, eyewear stems, a head band, or a buckle that allows the wearable control device to be removably affixed to at least one of a wrist of the user, a portion of skin of the user, a limb of the user, an appendage of the user, a torso of the user, a head of the user, or a piece of clothing worn by the user.