LIVING CURSOR CONTROL MECHANICS

• US 20100306710A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Poot, Rudy Jacobus
• Granted Patent: US 8,176,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for controlling a cursor. A user may control a cursor displayed by a computing environment such as a game console, a computer, or the like by performing one or more gestures. An activity of a cursor on an audiovisual display may be controlled based on one or more gestures of the user, a profile of the user, other inputs, or combinations thereof. Further, an appearance of a cursor on an audiovisual display may also be controlled based on one or more gestures of the user, a profile of the user, other inputs, or combinations thereof. User gestures may be detected by, for example, a capture device. For example, the capture device may capture a depth image of a scene including a user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cursor, the method comprising:

determining a profile of a person;

detecting a gesture of the person;

determining, based on at least one of the profile and the gesture of the person, at least one of an appearance for a cursor and an activity for the cursor; and

displaying the cursor according to the at least one of the appearance and the activity for the cursor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a profile of a person further comprises determining one or more of a person'"'"'s size, facial features, voice, playing history, gesture input history, age, and typical mode of play.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises detecting movement of an appendage of the person.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises tracking hand movements of the person, and wherein displaying the cursor comprises moving the cursor along a vector based on the hand movement of the person,

wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object; and

causing a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object if the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises determining whether one of the person'"'"'s hand moving closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moving away from the capture device, and wherein, if the one of the person'"'"'s hand moves closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moves away from the capture device, displaying the cursor to appear to be moving in a Z-direction.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an appearance for the cursor comprises determining one of the cursor'"'"'s color, shape, size, and graphics.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an activity of the cursor further comprises determining whether the cursor is within a predetermined distance from a display object;

and

the method further comprising selecting the display object with the cursor if the cursor is within the predetermined distance from the display object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an activity of the cursor further comprises determining whether a cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object;

and

the method further comprising causing a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object if the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an audio input, and wherein determining the at least one of an appearance for the cursor and the activity for the cursor further comprises determining the at least one of an appearance for the cursor and the activity for the cursor based on the audio input.

10. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for controlling a cursor, comprising:

determining a profile of a person;

detecting a gesture of the person;

determining, based on at least one of the profile and the gesture of the person, at least one of an appearance for a cursor and an activity for the cursor; and

displaying the cursor according to the at least one of the appearance and the activity for the cursor.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein determining a profile of a person further comprises determining one or more of a person'"'"'s size, facial features, voice, playing history, gesture input history, age, and typical mode of play.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises detecting movement of an appendage of the person.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises tracking hand movements of the person, and wherein displaying the cursor comprises moving the cursor along a vector based on the hand movement of the person,

wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

determining whether the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object; and

causing a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object if the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises determining whether one of the person'"'"'s hand moving closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moving away from the capture device, and wherein, if the one of the person'"'"'s hand moves closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moves away from the capture device, displaying the cursor to appear to be moving in a Z-direction.

15. A system for controlling a cursor, the system comprising:

a computing device for;

determining a profile of a person;

detecting a gesture of the person;

determining, based on at least one of the profile and the gesture of the person, at least one of an appearance for a cursor and an activity for the cursor; and

a display for displaying the cursor according to the at least one of the appearance and the activity for the cursor.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein determining a profile of a person further comprises determining one or more of a person'"'"'s size, facial features, voice, playing history, gesture input history, age, and typical mode of play.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises detecting movement of an appendage of the person.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises tracking hand movements of the person, and wherein displaying the cursor comprises moving the cursor along a vector based on the hand movement of the person,

wherein the computing device is configured to determine whether the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object, and configured to the cause a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object if the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises determining whether one of the person'"'"'s hand moving closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moving away from the capture device, and wherein, if the one of the person'"'"'s hand moves closer to a capture device and the person'"'"'s hand moves away from the capture device, displaying the cursor to appear to be moving in a Z-direction.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein determining an appearance for the cursor comprises determining one of the cursor'"'"'s color, shape, size, and graphics.