Force effects for object types in a graphical user interface

• US 7,168,042 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B., Braun, Adam C., Beamer, Jonathan L., Chang, Dean C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US09/974,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 345700-704, 345/156, 345/157, 345/161, 345/163, 345/520, 345/522, 341/20, 341/27, 364/709.01
• US Class Current: 715/701
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Force effects for a graphical user interface of a computer are provided based on user preference information, which indicates the types of graphical objects in the graphical user interface which are to have force effects associated with them, and at least one particular force effect assigned to each of those types of graphical objects. An output of a force sensation by a haptic feedback device to the user is based on those assigned force effects and occurs when a displayed cursor controlled by a user interacts with a graphical object having one of the types. An architecture for a host computer allowing multi-tasking application programs to interface with a feedback device is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a force effect to be output at least partially based on user preference information, the user preference information including information associated with at least one type of graphical object from a plurality of types of graphical objects, the at least one type of graphical object being associated with a graphical user interface, the user preference information further including information associated with a least one force effect from a plurality of force effects, each force effect from the plurality of force effects being associated with a type of graphical object from the plurality of types of graphic objects;

outputting a signal configured to cause the at least one force effect to be output when a cursor displayed in the graphical user interface interacts with a graphical object having a first type from the at least one type, the graphical object being associated with an application program from a plurality of application programs configured to run simultaneously, each application program from the plurality of application programs being configured to associate a force effect from the plurality of force effects with a graphical object from a plurality of graphical objects associated with that application program, each application program from the plurality of application programs providing information to a background application program about graphical objects associated with that application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each application program from the plurality of application programs is configured to override a force effect associated with a graphical object associated with a background application program.

3. A system, comprising:

means for determining a force effect to be output at least partially based on user preference information, the user preference information including information associated with at least one type of graphical object from a plurality of types of objects, the at least one type of graphical object being associated with a graphical user interface, the user preference information further including information associated with at least one force effect from a plurality of force effects, each force effect from the plurality of force effects being associated with a type of graphical object from the plurality of types of graphical objects;

means for outputting a signal configured to cause the at least one force effect to be output when a cursor displayed in the graphical user interface interacts with a graphical object having a first type from the at least one type, the graphical object being associated with an application program from a plurality of application programs configured to run simultaneously, each application program from the plurality of application programs being configured to associate a force effect from the plurality of force effects with a graphical object from a plurality of graphical objects associated with that application program, each application program from the plurality of application programs being configured to interact with a background application program, the background application program being configured to associate a force effect from the plurality of force effects with at least one application program from the plurality of application programs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each application program from the plurality of application programs is configured to override a force effect associated with a graphical object associated with the background application program.

5. A processor-readable medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

determine a force effect to be output at least partially based on user preference information, the user preference information including information associated with at least one type of graphical object from a plurality of types of graphical objects, the at least one type of graphical object being associated with a graphical user interface, the user preference information further including information associated with at least one force effect from a plurality of force effects, each force effect from the plurality of force effects being associated with a type of graphical object from the plurality of types of graphical objects;

output a signal configured to cause the at least one force effect to be output when a cursor displayed in the graphical user interface interacts with a graphical object having a first type from the at least one type, the graphical object being associated with an application program from a plurality of application programs, configured to run simultaneously, each application program from the plurality of application programs being configured to associate a force effect from the plurality of force effects with a graphical object from a plurality of graphical objects associated with that application program, each application program from the plurality of application programs being configured to interact with a background application program, the background application program being configured to associate a force effect from the plurality of force effects with an application program from the plurality of application programs.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal associated with a first application program, the first application program running during a first time period;

receiving a signal associated with a second application program, the second application program running during a second time period that overlaps with the first time period in a multi-tasking environment;

sending a first signal in response to receiving the signal from the first application program, the first signal configured to cause a force sensation associated with the signal associated with the first application program; and

sending a second signal in response to receiving the signal from the second application program, the second signal configured to cause a force sensation associated with the signal associated with the second application program.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing in a first memory values associated with the signal from the first application program; and

storing in a second memory values associated with the signal from the second application program.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the signal from the first application program and the signal from the second application program include at least one command.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the first signal is configured to be stored in a memory of a device and is configured to cause a first force sensation when the signal associated with the first application is received;

and

the second signal is configured to be stored in a memory of the device and is configured to cause a second force sensation when the signal associated with the second application is received.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the first signal is configured to cause an enclosure sensation.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the first signal is configured to cause an enclosure sensation, the enclosure sensation including different sensations for each of an inner portion and an outer portion.

9. The system of 6, wherein the first signal is sent only when the first application program is indicated as active within the graphical user interface and the second signal is sent only when the second application program is indicated as active within the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the representation of the first application program becomes indicated as inactive when the representation of the second application program becomes indicated as active within the graphical user interface, and the representation of the second application program becomes indicated as inactive when the representation of the first application program becomes indicated as active within the graphical user interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

replacing commands from the first application program with commands from the second application program when the representation of the second application program becomes indicated as active within the graphical user interface and the representation of the first application program becomes indicated as inactive; and

replacing commands from the second application program with commands from the first application program when the representation of the first application program becomes indicated as active within the graphical user interface and the representation of the second application program becomes indicated as inactive.

15. A processor-readable medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

associate a context with a first application program from a plurality of application programs operating in a multi-tasking environment, the context defining at least one force effect corresponding to an event associated with the first application program;

send a signal associated with the at least one force effect after detecting the corresponding event; and

load the context into memory after the first application program becomes active.

16. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

associate a primary context with a master application program, the primary context defining at least one background force effect corresponding to an event associated the master application program; and

send a signal associated with the at least one background force effect after detecting the corresponding event associated with the master application program.

17. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

associate a primary context with a master application program, the primary context defining at least one background force effect corresponding to an event associated with a background application program controlled by the master application program; and

send a signal associated with the at least one background force effect after detecting the corresponding event associated with the master application program.

18. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

select the at least one force effect defined by the context via a graphical user interface.

19. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

uniquely associate the at least one force effect with the event associated with the first application program.

20. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

uniquely associate the at least one force effect with an object associated with the first application program.

21. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

call an object to send the signal associated with the at least one force effect.

22. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising code representing instructions to:

call an object to send the signal associated with the at least one force effect, the object including at least one of an interface object, a device object, and an effect object.

23. An article of manufacture for use in a digital processing system, the article of manufacture comprising a digital processing system usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the program code comprising:

associate a context with a first application program from a plurality of application programs operating in a multi-tasking environment, the context defining at least one force effect corresponding to an event associated with the first application program; and

send a signal associated with the at least one force effect after detecting the corresponding event, wherein the signal associated with the at least one force effect is sent only if it is determined that the first application program is active.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

a device configured to output force sensations, the device being configured to communicate with a second processor; and

a first processor configured to send the second processor a first signal and to receive a second signal, the first signal indicating relative position information of the apparatus if force feedback functionality is not enabled, the first signal indicating absolute position information of the apparatus if force feedback functionality is enabled.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first processor is further configured to calculate the absolute position information at least partially based on the second signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second signal is associated with ballistic parameters, the first processor being further configured to calculate the absolute position information at least partially based on the ballistic parameters.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second signal is associated with the force feedback information, the first processor being further configured to cause the device to output force sensations.

28. A method, comprising:

sensing a movement of a device;

sending relative position information of the device to a processor if force feedback functionality associated with the device is not enabled; and

sending absolute position information of the device to the processor if the force feedback functionality is enabled.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

sending an initial relative position parameter to the processor.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving control information from the processor.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving control information from the processor, the control information including an indication of whether the force feedback functionality is enabled.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving control information from the processor, the control information including ballistic parameters.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving control information from the processor, the control information including ballistic parameters; and

calculating the absolute position information of the device based at least partially on the ballistic parameters.