TRANSIENT MESSAGE DISPLAY CONTROL

• US 20150227195A1
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: McKenna, Shirley Mary, VanBlon, Russell Speight
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A method includes observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device, determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing, and removing the transient message as a function of the determined time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device;

determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing; and

removing the transient message as a function of the determined time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining a time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein removing the transient message comprises fading the message starting at the determined time.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein fading the transient message comprises exponentially fading the transient message.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein fading the message comprises:

determining that a user has looked away from the transient message;

pausing the fading;

determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and

continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the time is determined based on a total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message includes multiple different times that the user has looked at the transient message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a time comprises:

obtaining a length of the transient message;

obtaining a historical reading speed of the user; and

using the length of the transient message and the reading speed of the user to calculate the time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the time to remove the message is a function of observing that the user has looked at the entire message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined time is a fixed amount of time starting from when it is first observed that the user is looking at the transient message.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is an operating system message, and wherein the method is performed by the device executing code corresponding to the operating system.

13. The method of claim 1 and further comprising emphasizing the transient message when it is observed that the user is looking at the transient message.

14. A machine readable storage device having instructions for execution by a processor of the machine to perform:

observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device;

determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing; and

removing the transient message as a function of the determined time.

15. The machine readable storage device of claim 14 wherein the observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking, wherein determining a time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message, and wherein removing the transient message comprises fading the message starting at the determined time.

16. The machine readable storage device of claim 15 wherein fading the message comprises:

determining that a user has looked away from the transient message;

pausing the fading;

determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and

continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message.

17. The machine readable storage device of claim 14 wherein the time is determined based on a total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message, wherein the total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message includes multiple different times that the user has looked at the transient message, and wherein determining a time comprises:

obtaining a length of the transient message;

obtaining a historical reading speed of the user; and

using the length of the transient message and the reading speed of the user to calculate the time.

18. A device comprising:

a processor;

a camera; and

a memory device having a program stored thereon for execution by the processor to;

observe via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device;

determine a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing; and

remove the transient message as a function of the determined time.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking, wherein determining a time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message, and wherein removing the transient message comprises fading the message starting at the determined time.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein fading the message comprises:

determining that a user has looked away from the transient message;

pausing the fading;

determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and

continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message.