SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS, SOCIAL THINKING, AND SOCIAL AWARENESS

• US 20090097757A1
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casey Wimsatt
• Original Assignee: Casey Wimsatt
• Inventors: Wimsatt, Casey
• Granted Patent: US 8,714,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A system for improving social skills and feature recognition including a user interface displaying an electronic image, the image including two or more features, software for visually amplifying a first portion of the image, software for visually partitioning the image into two or more second portions, software for visually quantifying the image, and software for animating at least one of the first portion and the second portions.

Claims

1. A system for improving social skills and feature recognition, comprising:

a user interface displaying an electronic image, the image including two or more features;

software for visually amplifying a first portion of the image;

software for visually partitioning the image into two or more second portions;

software for visually quantifying the image; and

software for animating at least one of the first portion and the second portions.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image includes a human face, and wherein the features include facial features.

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein said software for visually amplifying and quantifying displays one or more cells on the human face in the first portion.

4. The system according to claim 2,

wherein said software for visually partitioning displays two or more partition lines on the human face.

5. The system according to claim 2,

wherein said software for visually partitioning displays an array of three or more partition lines on the human face.

6. The system according to claim 2,

wherein said software for visually partitioning visually partitions the image into two or more second sections.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

juxtaposition of changed partition sections alongside unchanged partition sections.

8. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

lines or edges around the perimeter of at least one of the second sections.

9. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

at least one line across the image, which moves with the image, and positioned perpendicular to a primary axis of motion of the image.

10. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

at least one line across the image, which moves with the image, and positioned at an angle relative to a primary axis of motion of the image

11. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

at least one line across the image, which remains stationary while the image moves, and positioned at an angle relative to a primary axis of motion of the image.

12. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

software for visually blocking a portion of the human face.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first portion is located within one of the second portions.

14. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input mechanism, said input mechanism receiving a user selection indicative of an animated feature, first portion or second portion.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said input mechanism is at least one of a mouse and a touch screen.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic image is a static image.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic image is a video image, either recorded or live, or an animated image sequence, either loaded from an animation data file or generated at runtime.

18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software for providing audio output.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said audio output includes feedback in response to a user selection indicative of an animated feature, first portion or second portion.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said audio output software issues voice dialogue to a user for the purpose of playing a game.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said audio output software utilizes a text-to-speech system to issue vocal feedback to the user.

22. The system according to claim 18, wherein said animating software and said audio output software provides audio output to provide visual and audio instructions and feedback to the user.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the partition portions includes at least one of the features.

24. The system according to claim 1, wherein said user interface contains a partially animated image.

25. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an image of an eye.

26. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an image of an eyebrow.

27. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an image of an area under the eye.

28. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an area between the eyebrows.

29. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an image of the nose.

30. The system according to claim 1, wherein the amplified portion includes an image of a mouth.

31. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image includes at least one digital photograph.

32. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image includes two human faces, wherein said system includes at least one input mechanism for receiving a user input indicative of a difference between the two human faces.

33. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a camera, wherein the image includes an image of a user of the system received from said camera.

34. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one database including actual user inputs and expected user inputs.

35. The system according to claim 1, wherein said database further includes user-configured settings, dialogue of characters, animation data files to be loaded, the sequence in which the characters speak, and other meta data which drives the game engine.

50. The method according to claim 27, further comprising the step of:

requesting the user to animate the image through clicking at a certain point on the image.

36. A method to improve social skills and feature recognition, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an image of a human face;

visually amplifying one or more first portions of the image;

visually partitioning one or more second portions of the image;

visually quantifying one or more portions of the image;

displaying the image;

animating at least one of the first and second portions of the image; and

receiving a user response.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising the steps of:

displaying questions for the user;

providing instructions and hints on the questions and their social value;

receiving a response from the user;

verifying the accuracy of the response;

producing output as to whether the response was correct;

requesting the user to enter input again if the response was incorrect; and

advancing to the next question if the response was correct.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the user submits a response indicative of the user'"'"'s perception of animated portion.

39. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

progressing from a predictable environment to a realistic and uncontrolled environment of physical details; and

incorporating patterns applicable to as yet un-encountered occurrences of the physical details.

40. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

removing the partitioning;

animating another one of the first and second portions; and

receiving a second user response indicative of the animated portion.

41. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

visually blocking a third portion of the image, the third portion being a non-animated portion.

42. The method according to claim 37, wherein the image is an electronic image.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising the step of:

physically reenacting the step of animating; and

receiving a user response indicative of the physically animated portion.

44. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

issuing feedback to the user corresponding the user'"'"'s actions; and

looping to the start of a game question until the user to successfully complete said game question.

45. The method according to claim 37:

wherein the user response is indicative of the user'"'"'s visual perception of the animated portion; and

wherein the method further comprises transmitting feedback to the user indicative of the accuracy of the user'"'"'s perception.

46. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the steps of:

altering the onscreen locale of the animated portion;

receiving a user response indicative of the user'"'"'s perception of the onscreen locale of the animated portion; and

transmitting feedback to the user indicative of the accuracy of the user'"'"'s perception.

47. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

visually amplifying a portion of said image of a face; and

altering and animating a portion of said image of a face.

48. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

visually amplifying a portion of said image of an eye; and

altering and animating a portion of said image of an eye.

49. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of:

engaging the user in a game wherein the user selects a spot on the screen representative of said animated image.

51. A method to draw attention away from movements of the mouth and towards the movements, and patterns of movements of the high-value and low-attention facial movements, around the area of the eyes and upper half of the face, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an image of a human face;

visually amplifying one or more portions of the image including the area around the eyes, the area around the eyebrows, and the area around the upper nose, including the area above the nose and between the eyebrows;

visually partitioning one or more second portions of the image including the area around the eyes;

visually quantifying one or more portions of the image including the area around the eyes, the area around the eyebrows and area around the upper nose, including the area above the nose and between the eyebrows;

visually hiding the mouth portion of the image;

asking the user to identify and analyze either changes in a single face or differences between two faces, where the changes or differences exemplify simple physical patterns of movement that apply to all of the exemplars, including two opposite patterns, one stretching and one compressing;

displaying the image;

animating at least one of the first and second portions of the image; and

receiving a user response.

52. The method according to claim 51, further comprising the steps of:

associating in the user'"'"'s psyche attention to those movements with pleasant social experiences such as play and helping people;

guiding the user through a series of simulated social experiences implemented through games, where attention to these movements and patterns allows the user to play an everyday game with virtual and/or real people or to help virtual and/or real people; and

rewarding the user with verbal and non-verbal gratitude for helping and praise for attention.