IN APPLICATION GESTURE INTERPRETATION

• US 20110173574A1
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Clavin, John, Lobb, Kenneth Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,268,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• 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

Abstract

In a gesture-based system, gestures may control aspects of a computing environment or application, where the gestures may be derived from a user'"'"'s position or movement in a physical space. A gesture-based system may have a plurality of modes, each mode a hardware configuration, a software configuration, or a combination thereof. Techniques for transitioning a user'"'"'s control, via the user'"'"'s gestures, between different modes enables a system to coordinate controls between multiple modes. For example, while a first mode is active, the user'"'"'s gestures may control aspects of the first mode. The system may transition the user'"'"'s control from a control of the first mode to a control of a second mode. The transition may be between hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, reserved gestures that correspond to a first mode that may be executed whether or not a second mode is present.

Claims

1. A method for enabling modes in a gesture-based system, the method comprising:

capturing data representative of a user in a physical space;

processing the captured data to identify input gesture data for the user, wherein the input gesture data is adapted for translation to a control of the gesture-based system in a first mode;

wherein a control of the gesture-based system in a second mode is available via at least one gesture when the gesture-based system is in the first mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the gesture-based system in the first mode, wherein the user'"'"'s input gesture data translates to the control in the first mode.

3. The method of claim 1, identifying a triggering event prompting a transition of control from the first mode to the second mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one gesture for the control of the gesture-based system in the second mode is an in-alternate mode gesture that is used to control the gesture-based system in the first mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one gesture for the control of the gesture-based system in the second mode is a reserved gesture that is applicable system-wide.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a priority scheme prioritizes a plurality of modes and translates the input gesture data to control of the gesture-based system based on the priority scheme.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein variable preferences may be set to define a manner in which a control of the gesture-based system is implemented.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein preferences designate a functionality of the second mode that is available to control the gesture-based system in the first mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a subsequent control of the gesture-based system occurs upon an identity of a gesture from the input gesture data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a mode may be at least one of an application mode, a platform mode, or a device mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein macros are available for recording complex gestures.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the control of the gesture-based system to a particular device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a gesture translates to the control of the gesture-based system in both the first and second modes.

14. A system for controlling aspects of a gesture-based system in modes, the system comprising:

a camera component, wherein the camera component captures data representative of a user in a physical space; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes computer executable instructions, and wherein the computer executable instructions comprise instructions for;

processing the captured data to identify input gesture data for the user, wherein the input gesture data is adapted for translation to a control of the gesture-based system in a first mode;

wherein control of the gesture-based system in a second mode is available via at least one gesture when the gesture-based system is in the first mode.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a transition of control of the gesture-base from the control in the first mode to the control in the second mode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first mode is associated with control of a first computing environment and the second mode is associated with control of a second computing environment, wherein the transition of control is a transition of the control between the first and second computing environments.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein a first application is executing on the gesture-based system, and the transition of control between modes is from a control of the first application to a control of a second application.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein a plurality of devices are adapted for the control of the gesture-based system associated with the input gesture data, the plurality of devices adapted to coordinate such that at least one of the plurality of devices performs the control.

19. A method for transitioning between modes in a gesture-based system, the method comprising:

capturing data representative of a user in a physical space;

processing the captured data to identify input gesture data for the user;

controlling the gesture-based system in a first mode based on a control associated with the input gesture data;

identifying a triggering event prompting a transition to a second mode; and

transitioning control of the gesture-based system from the first mode to the second mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first mode and the second mode are both active modes

21. The method of claim 19, wherein control of the gesture-based system in the second mode is available via at least one gesture when the gesture-based system is in the first mode.