Automatic Detection of User Preferences for Alternate User Interface Model

• US 20130212542A1
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Baughman, Aaron K., Farrell, Robert G., Kalyanpur, Aditya A., Buchanan, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,348,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/866
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method for automatic detection of user preferences for alternate user interface model includes operating a digital device with an active user interface model and receiving one or more input signals from a user of the digital device. The method includes comparing the one or more input signals with one or more latent user interface models and determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface models. The method also includes responsively substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating, by a processer, a digital device with an active user interface model;

receiving one or more input signals from a user of the digital device;

comparing the one or more input signals with one or more latent user interface models;

determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface model; and

responsively substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface models includes recognizing statistical properties of a sequence of user inputs that corresponds to one of the latent user interface models.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the user before substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more input signals compared with one or more latent user interface models are limited to input signals received during a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising soliciting input from a user to determine an initial user interface model to be used as the active user interface model.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more predictive signals for use in determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface models.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a user interface control options to the user after substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

8. A computer program product for automatic detection of user preferences for an alternate user interface model, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

operating a digital device with an active user interface model;

receiving one or more input signals from a user of the digital device;

comparing the one or more input signals with one or more latent user interface models;

determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface model; and

responsively substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface models includes recognizing statistical properties of a sequence of user inputs that corresponds to one of the latent user interface models.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising notifying the user before substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the one or more input signals compared with one or more latent user interface models are limited to input signals received during a threshold time period.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising soliciting input from a user to determine an initial user interface model to be used as the active user interface model.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising receiving one or more predictive signals for use in determining if one of the latent user interface models has a higher likelihood given the one or more input signals than the active user interface models.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising displaying a user interface control option after substituting the latent user interface with the highest likelihood given the one or more input signals for the active user interface model.

15. A method for operating a digital device comprising:

operating a user interface with an active user interface model;

receiving one or more input signals from a user of the digital device;

calculating a correlation between the one or more input signals with a latent user interface model; and

substituting the latent user interface with the active user interface model if the correlation exceeds a threshold value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the threshold value is adjusted based on a usage history of the digital device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising notifying the user before substituting the latent user interface with the active user interface model.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising soliciting input from a user to determine an initial user interface model to be used as the active user interface model.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a user interface control option after substituting the latent user interface for the active user interface model.