Information input method using wearable information input device

• US 6,965,374 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Villet, Jean-Yves, Lee, Sang-goog, Park, Kyung-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US10/195,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/176, 345/158, 345/172, 345/175, 341/22, 341/20, 341/27, 341/33, 341/34, 400/472, 400/479, 400/407.1
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods

Abstract

An information input method using a wearable information input device is provided. The information input method using a wearable information input device, which is worn on predetermined body parts of a user and has sensors for sensing motions of the predetermined body parts on a plane or in a space, includes selecting a key group including a desired key corresponding to information that the user desires to input by moving a first predetermined body part, and selecting the desired key from the selected key group by moving a second predetermined body part. Accordingly, the user can easily and quickly select a key on an information screen externally, and areas overlapped by the information screen in a monitor can be minimized.

Claims

1. An information input method using a wearable information input device which is worn on predetermined body parts of a user'"'"'s body and has sensors for sensing motions of the predetermined body parts on a plane or in a space, the information input method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a key group from a plurality of key groups, the selected key group including a desired key corresponding to information that the user desires to input by moving a first predetermined body part; and

(b) selecting the desired key from the selected key group by moving a second predetermined body part,

wherein the information corresponding to the selected key is determined as input information.

2. The information input method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined body part is a hand, and the second predetermined body part is a finger.

3. The information input method of claim 2, wherein the sensor for sensing the motion of the hand and the sensor for sensing the motion of the finger are attached to the same hand.

4. The information input method of claim 2, wherein the sensor for sensing the motion of the hand and the sensor for sensing the motion of the finger are separately attached to different hands.

5. The information input method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined body part is a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, or a little finger.

6. The information input method of claim 1, wherein the information screen is displayed on a monitor attached to the user'"'"'s body.

7. The information input method of claim 1, wherein the keys are for characters and functions.

8. The information input method of claim 1, wherein the keys are only for characters.

9. An information input method using a wearable information input device which is worn on predetermined body parts of a user'"'"'s body and has sensors for sensing motions of the predetermined body parts on a plane or in a space, the information input method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a key group including a desired key corresponding to information that the user desires to input by moving a first predetermined body part; and

(b) selecting the desired key from the selected key group by moving a second predetermined body part,

wherein the information corresponding to the selected key is determined as input information; and

wherein the key group has a predetermined pattern and is included in at least one information screen embodied and virtually displayed using software, and the information screen has a plurality of key groups.

10. The information input method of claim 9, wherein the input information is displayed for the user.

11. The information input method of claim 9, wherein the information screen is a virtual keyboard embodied in software and displayed for the user.

12. The information input method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(c) determining whether the key group including the desired key is a previously selected key group, going to step (a) when it is determined that the key group including the desired key is not the previously selected key group, and going to step (b) when it is determined that the key group including the desired key is the previously selected key group.

13. The information input method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

(d) determining whether the desired key exists on the displayed virtual keyboard, and going to step (a) when it is determined that the desired key exists on the displayed virtual keyboard; and

(e) when it is determined that the desired key does not exist on the displayed virtual keyboard, displaying a virtual keyboard including the desired key among a plurality of virtual keyboards and going to step (a).

14. The information input method of claim 13, wherein step (e) comprises the sub-steps of:

(e1) determining whether keys included in the displayed virtual keyboard are the same type as the desired key when it is determined that the desired key does not exist on the displayed virtual keyboard;

(e2) when it is determined that the keys included in the displayed virtual keyboard are not the same type as the desired key, displaying a virtual keyboard having keys of the same type as the desired key;

(e3) determining whether the desired key exists on the virtual keyboard having keys of the same type as the desired key, and going to step (a) when it is determined that the desired key exists on the virtual keyboard having the keys of the same type as the desired key; and

(e4) when it is determined that the desired key exists on the virtual keyboard having keys of the same type as the desired key in step (e3), or when it is determined that the keys included in the displayed virtual keyboard are the same type as the desired key in step (e1), displaying the virtual keyboard having the desired key and going to step (a).

15. The information input method of claim 14, wherein step (e2) comprises selecting a type conversion key among the keys on the displayed virtual keyboard by moving the second predetermined body part, thereby displaying the virtual keyboard having keys of the same type as the desired key.

16. The information input method of claim 14, wherein step (e2) comprises displaying the virtual keyboard having keys of the same type as the desired key by moving the second predetermined body part and a third predetermined body part.

17. The information input method of claim 16, wherein step (e4) comprises displaying the virtual keyboard having the desired key by moving the third predetermined body part.

18. The information input method of claim 16, wherein the third predetermined body part is a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, or a little finger.

19. The information input method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

(f) when the desired key does not exist on the displayed virtual keyboard in step (d), determining whether there is the virtual keyboard including the desired key exists and going to step (e) when it is determined that there is the virtual keyboard including the desired key exists; and

(g) when it is determined that there is no virtual keyboard including the desired key, generating key data corresponding to the input information, which the user desires to input by selecting the desired key, by moving the third predetermined body part.

20. The information input method of claim 19, wherein the third predetermined body part is moved a different number of times in steps (g), (e2), and (e4).

21. The information input method of claim 14, wherein step (e4) comprises displaying the virtual keyboard having the desired key by moving a third predetermined body part.

22. The information input method of claim 21, wherein the third predetermined body part is a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, or a little finger.

23. The information input method of claim 14, wherein step (e4) comprises selecting a keyboard conversion key among the keys on the displayed virtual keyboard by moving the second predetermined body part, thereby displaying the virtual keyboard having the desired key.

24. The information input method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

(f) when the desired key does not exist on the displayed virtual keyboard in step (d), determining whether there is the virtual keyboard including the desired key exists and going to step (e) when it is determined that there is the virtual keyboard including the desired key exists; and

(g) when it is determined that there is no virtual keyboard including the desired key, generating key data corresponding to the input information, which the user desires to input by selecting the desired key, by moving a third predetermined body part.

25. The information input method of claim 24, wherein step (g) comprises generating at least two key data, which do not exist on the virtual keyboard, by moving the third predetermined body part a different number of times.

26. The information input method of claim 11, wherein at least one key on the virtual keyboard has at least two key data, step (b) comprises consecutively selecting the at least two key data corresponding to the desired key by consecutively moving the second predetermined body part, and the selected key data is the input information.

27. The information input method of claim 26, wherein step (b) comprises consecutively selecting the at least two key data corresponding to one key by moving a third predetermined body part.

28. The information input method of claim 27, wherein step (b) comprises the sub-steps of:

(b1) determining whether key data currently desired to be selected is displayed on a previously selected key after step (a);

(b2) when it is determined that the currently desired key data is displayed on the previously selected key, moving the third predetermined body part; and

(b3) when it is determined that the currently desired key data is not displayed on the previously selected key, or after step (b2), selecting the desired key data by moving the second predetermined body part.