Living cursor control mechanics

• US 8,176,442 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Poot, Rudy Jacobus
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US12/474,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/765, 715/856, 715/861, 715/862, 715/863, 715/866, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for controlling a cursor. A user may control a cursor displayed by a computing environment such as a game console, a computer, or the like by performing one or more gestures. An activity of a cursor on an audiovisual display may be controlled based on one or more gestures of the user, a profile of the user, other inputs, or combinations thereof. Further, an appearance of a cursor on an audiovisual display may also be controlled based on one or more gestures of the user, a profile of the user, other inputs, or combinations thereof. User gestures may be detected by, for example, a capture device. For example, the capture device may capture a depth image of a scene including a user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cursor, the method comprising:

displaying the cursor on a display device;

detecting that a person'"'"'s hand corresponding to the cursor has moved closer to a capture device; and

in response to determining that the person'"'"'s hand has moved closer to the capture device, displaying the cursor on the display device with an increased size.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second movement of the person'"'"'s hand corresponding to the cursor;

displaying the cursor moved along a vector based on the person'"'"'s hand movement,

determining that the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a virtual object displayed on the display device; and

determining a physics-based reaction of the movement of the cursor with respect to the display object in response to the cursor'"'"'s vector meeting the predetermined vector with respect to the display object;

and displaying the cursor moving corresponding to the physics-based reaction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the person'"'"'s hand has moved away from the capture device; and

in response to determining that the person'"'"'s hand has moved away from the capture device, displaying the cursor on the display device with a decreased size.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the person'"'"'s hand has moved such that the cursor has moved to within a predetermined distance from a display object; and

moving the cursor independent of an additional movement of the person'"'"'s hand toward the display object selecting the display object with the cursor in response to determining that the cursor is within the predetermined distance from the display object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an audio input; and

modifying the appearance of the cursor in response to the audio input; and

displaying the modified cursor on the display device.

6. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for controlling a cursor that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

determining a profile of a person;

determining, based on the profile, an appearance for a cursor; and

displaying the cursor according to the appearance for the cursor.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein determining a profile of a person further comprises:

determining one or more of a person'"'"'s size, facial features, voice, playing history, gesture input history, age, and typical mode of play.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises:

detecting movement of an appendage of the person.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises:

tracking hand movements of the person, and wherein displaying the cursor comprises moving the cursor along a vector based on the hand movement of the person;

further storing thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed on the computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising;

determining that the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object; and

causing a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object in response to determining that the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises:

determining that one of the person'"'"'s hands has moved closer to or away from a capture device; and

in response to determining that one of the person'"'"'s hands moving closer or away from to the capture device, displaying the cursor to appear to be moving in a Z-direction.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions that, when executed on the computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

in response to determining that a body part of the user used to control the cursor has moved outside of a capture area of a capture device, displaying the cursor as falling to the bottom of a display device.

12. A system for controlling a cursor, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor when the system is operational, the memory bearing processor-executable instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least;

determine a profile of a person;

determine, based on the profile, an appearance for a cursor; and

display the cursor according to the appearance for the cursor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least determine a profile of a person further cause the system to at least:

determine one or more of a person'"'"'s size, facial features, voice, playing history, gesture input history, age, and typical mode of play.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least detect detecting a gesture of the person further cause the system to at least:

detect movement of an appendage of the person.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least detect a gesture of the person further cause the system to at least:

track hand movements of the person;

wherein the instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least display the cursor cause the system to at least;

move the cursor along a vector based on the hand movement of the person; and

wherein the memory further bears instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the system to at least;

determine that the cursor'"'"'s vector meets a predetermined vector with respect to a display object;

cause a physics-based reaction of the cursor with respect to the display object in response to determining that the cursor'"'"'s vector meets the predetermined vector with respect to the display object.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting a gesture of the person further comprises:

determining that one of the person'"'"'s hands has moved closer to or away from a capture device;

in response to determining that one of the person'"'"'s hands moving closer or away from to the capture device, displaying the cursor to appear to be moving in a Z-direction.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein determining an appearance for the cursor comprises:

determining one of the cursor'"'"'s color, shape, size, and graphics.