Computerized interactor systems and methods for providing same

• US 8,154,511 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vintell Applications NY LLC
• Inventors: Cohen, Jonathan R., Hindus, Debby, Johnson, Bonnie M., Singer, Andrew J., Stifelman, Lisa J., Verplank, William L., Wallters, Scott C., Withgott, M. Margaret
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US12/390,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-169, 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809, 178 1901- 1906
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A computerized interactor system uses physical, three-dimensional objects as metaphors for input of user intent to a computer system. When one or more interactors are engaged with a detection field, the detection field reads an identifier associated with the object and communicates the identifier to a computer system. The computer system determines the meaning of the interactor based upon its identifier and upon a semantic context in which the computer system is operating. The interactors can be used to control other systems, such as audio systems, or it can be used as intuitive inputs into a computer system for such purposes as marking events in a temporal flow. The interactors, as a minimum, communicate their identity, but may also be more sophisticated in that they can communicate additional processed or unprocessed data, i.e. they can include their own data processors. The detection field can be one-dimensional or multi-dimensional, and typically has different semantic meanings associated with different parts of the detection field.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a computerized system, the system comprising:

means for providing a detection space;

means for placing a physical and identifiable member having a semantic meaning independent of the member within the detection space, the semantic meaning being dependent upon an identity of a user who placed the member within the detection space;

means for determining the semantic meaning of the member within a given semantic context; and

means for controlling a computerized system in response to the semantic meaning of the identifiable number.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the semantic meaning of the member determines a selected position of the member in the detection space.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the semantic meaning of the member determines an identification of the member.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the semantic meaning of the member determines a temporal relationship of the member placed in the detection space.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the semantic meaning of the member determines a selected position of the member in the detection space, an identification of the member, and a temporal relationship of the member placed in the detection space.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for placing the physical and identifiable member within the detection space is operable to place a plurality of physical and identifiable members with the detection space and determine the semantic meanings of the plurality of members.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing a network of coupled workstations each having access to the detection space such that a user may place at least one member within the detection space.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for controlling the computerized system creates a control input indicative of the semantic meaning of the member, provides an application system coupled to the computerized system, and controls the application system via the control input.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the application system is a videotape application system for marking events in a videotape.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the application system is an audio application system for providing audio sounds dependent upon a plurality of members placed in the detection space.

11. A system for marking events occurring in a recorded media, the system comprising:

a display component configured to display the recorded media and associate event timing information with events occurring in the recorded media;

multiple interactors, wherein each of the multiple interactors includes an identifier;

a detection field configured to detect a respective one of the multiple interactors and the associated identifier during an event time, wherein the event time corresponds to at least a portion of the event timing information; and

a processor operable to mark at least a portion of the recorded media with events corresponding to the event time based on the identifier.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the multiple interactors are simultaneously operated by multiple users to cause the multiple interactors to be selectively detected by the detection field.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the multiple interactors respectively comprise distinct visual features that metaphorically represent the identifiers of the multiple interactors.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the multiple interactors respectively include identification circuitry, and wherein the detection field includes internal circuitry to be coupled to the identification circuitry.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the detection field allows for the multiple interactors to be removably placed in one or more positions to couple the identification circuitry of the interactors with the internal circuitry of the detection field.

16. A system for marking events occurring in a recorded media, the system comprising:

means for displaying a recording;

means for ascertaining an event timing information concerning events occurring in the recording;

means for receiving an event marker in an event marker time, wherein the event marker includes an event marker identifier; and

means for marking an event based upon the event timing information, the event marker time, and the event marker identifier.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the events occurring in the recording are at least one of control media events, bind events, and mark temporal flow events.