Gestural techniques with wireless mobile phone devices

• US 8,391,851 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/754,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 455/88, 455/352, 455/56.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/566, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/556.1, 4554141-4144, 701/213, 382/100, 382/103, 382/116, 382/154, 382/165, 382181-191, 382/203, 382/204, 382/209, 382/216, 382/217, 382232-253, 382312-315, 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358/3.28, 386/200, 386/248, 386/252, 386/260, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• 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 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A user gestures with a wireless mobile phone device to control some aspect of its operation, or the operation of a remote system with which the device communicates. Application programs can solicit gestural information through a standardized set of interface protocols (e.g., API functions). One function, for example, solicits a running set of gesture data, and a complementary function discontinues the first function. Other functions solicit device movement data in particular directions. In some arrangements gesture data is sent by the wireless device to a remote system, which may issue a response that is dependent on the received gesture data. This response may also depend on other data obtained by the wireless device (e.g., obtained from an electronic or physical object, or sensed from the environment) and sent to the remote system. The wireless device may have different modes of interacting with users, to accommodate users with greater or lesser proficiency in gestural techniques. A variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile phone device comprising

a processor configured to:

execute a user interface that is responsive to motion of the device, wherein the wireless mobile phone device is configured to receive user input based at least in part on a corresponding movement of the wireless mobile phone device

execute a program;

execute an application programming interface (API) comprising plural functions, wherein the API allows the program to issue queries soliciting wireless mobile phone device movement data;

sense a digital watermark in each frame of plural frames of image data; and

generate movement data by tracking movement of the digital watermark in the plural frames of image data, wherein the movement data is accessible by the API.

2. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, further comprising a 2D image sensor configured to provide the plural frames of image data.

3. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, wherein at least one API function queries for data indicating movement of the wireless mobile phone device to the left or right.

4. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, wherein at least one API function queries for data indicating movement of the wireless mobile phone device forward or backward.

5. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, wherein at least one API function queries for data indicating movement of the wireless mobile phone device in a rotational state.

6. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, wherein at least one API function queries for data indicating movement of the wireless mobile phone device in plural directions including:

left/right;

forward/backward; and

rotational state.

11. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to receive commands signaled to the mobile phone device by a user'"'"'s corresponding movement of the device.

7. A wireless mobile phone device comprising:

a processor configured to;

execute a program;

execute an application program interface (API), wherein the API enables the program to issue queries soliciting wireless mobile phone device gestural data; and

generate gestural data by tracking movement of a feature in plural frames of image data, wherein the gestural data is accessible by the API, wherein at least one API function queries for data indicating movement of the wireless mobile phone device in a rotational state, and wherein the data indicating movement is derived from the gestural data.

8. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 7, wherein the API allows the program to solicit current movement data.

9. The wireless mobile phone device of claim 7 wherein the API comprises a first function that solicits a running set of movement data, and a complementary function that discontinues the first function.

10. The wireless phone device of claim 7, further comprising a 2D image sensor configured to provide plural frames of image data.