Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110083108 | PROVIDING USER INTERFACE FEEDBACK REGARDING CURSOR POSITION ON A DISPLAY SCREEN - Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing user interface feedback regarding a cursor position on a display screen. A user may use a suitable input device for controlling a cursor in a computing environment. The displayed objects may provide feedback regarding the cursor's position. Particularly, a position of the cursor may be compared to an object's position for determining whether the cursor is positioned on the display screen at the same position as a portion of the object or within a predetermined distance of the portion of the object. In response to determining the cursor is positioned on the display screen at the same position as the portion of the object or within the predetermined distance of the portion of the object, an appearance of the portion of the object may be altered, such as, for example, brightness or color of the object portion. | 04-07-2011 |
20110182481 | VOICE-BODY IDENTITY CORRELATION - A system and method are disclosed for tracking image and audio data over time to automatically identify a person based on a correlation of their voice with their body in a multi-user game or multimedia setting. | 07-28-2011 |
20110184735 | SPEECH RECOGNITION ANALYSIS VIA IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION - Embodiments are disclosed that relate to the use of identity information to help avoid the occurrence of false positive speech recognition events in a speech recognition system. One embodiment provides a method comprising receiving speech recognition data comprising a recognized speech segment, acoustic locational data related to a location of origin of the recognized speech segment as determined via signals from the microphone array, and confidence data comprising a recognition confidence value, and also receiving image data comprising visual locational information related to a location of each person in an image. The acoustic locational data is compared to the visual locational data to determine whether the recognized speech segment originated from a person in the field of view of the image sensor, and the confidence data is adjusted depending on this determination. | 07-28-2011 |
20110193939 | PHYSICAL INTERACTION ZONE FOR GESTURE-BASED USER INTERFACES - In a motion capture system having a depth camera, a physical interaction zone of a user is defined based on a size of the user and other factors. The zone is a volume in which the user performs hand gestures to provide inputs to an application. The shape and location of the zone can be customized for the user. The zone is anchored to the user so that the gestures can be performed from any location in the field of view. Also, the zone is kept between the user and the depth camera even as the user rotates his or her body so that the user is not facing the camera. A display provides feedback based on a mapping from a coordinate system of the zone to a coordinate system of the display. The user can move a cursor on the display or control an avatar. | 08-11-2011 |
20110197161 | HANDLES INTERACTIONS FOR HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERFACE - A system is disclosed for providing on-screen graphical handles to control interaction between a user and on-screen objects. A handle defines what actions a user may perform on the object, such as for example scrolling through a textual or graphical navigation menu. Affordances are provided to guide the user through the process of interacting with a handle. | 08-11-2011 |
20110279368 | INFERRING USER INTENT TO ENGAGE A MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM - Techniques are provided for inferring a user's intent to interact with an application run by a motion capture system. Deliberate user gestures to interact with the motion capture system are disambiguated from unrelated user motions within the system's field of view. An algorithm may be used to determine the user's aggregated level of intent to engage the system. Parameters in the algorithm may include posture and motion of the user's body, as well as the state of the system. The system may develop a skeletal model to determine the various parameters. If the system determines that the parameters strongly indicate an intent to engage the system, then the system may react quickly. However, if the parameters only weakly indicate an intent to engage the system, it may take longer for the user to engage the system. | 11-17-2011 |
20110289455 | Gestures And Gesture Recognition For Manipulating A User-Interface - Symbolic gestures and associated recognition technology are provided for controlling a system user-interface, such as that provided by the operating system of a general computing system or multimedia console. The symbolic gesture movements in mid-air are performed by a user with or without the aid of an input device. A capture device is provided to generate depth images for three-dimensional representation of a capture area including a human target. The human target is tracked using skeletal mapping to capture the mid-air motion of the user. The skeletal mapping data is used to identify movements corresponding to pre-defined gestures using gesture filters that set forth parameters for determining when a target's movement indicates a viable gesture. When a gesture is detected, one or more pre-defined user-interface control actions are performed. | 11-24-2011 |
20110289456 | Gestures And Gesture Modifiers For Manipulating A User-Interface - Gesture modifiers are provided for modifying and enhancing the control of a user-interface such as that provided by an operating system or application of a general computing system or multimedia console. Symbolic gesture movements are performed by a user in mid-air. A capture device generates depth images and a three-dimensional representation of a capture area including a human target. The human target is tracked using skeletal mapping to capture the mid-air motion of the user. Skeletal mapping data is used to identify movements corresponding to pre-defined gestures using gesture filters. Detection of a viable gesture can trigger one or more user-interface actions or controls. Gesture modifiers are provided to modify the user-interface action triggered by detection of a gesture and/or to aid in the identification of gestures. | 11-24-2011 |
20110313768 | COMPOUND GESTURE-SPEECH COMMANDS - A multimedia entertainment system combines both gestures and voice commands to provide an enhanced control scheme. A user's body position or motion may be recognized as a gesture, and may be used to provide context to recognize user generated sounds, such as speech input. Likewise, speech input may be recognized as a voice command, and may be used to provide context to recognize a body position or motion as a gesture. Weights may be assigned to the inputs to facilitate processing. When a gesture is recognized, a limited set of voice commands associated with the recognized gesture are loaded for use. Further, additional sets of voice commands may be structured in a hierarchical manner such that speaking a voice command from one set of voice commands leads to the system loading a next set of voice commands. | 12-22-2011 |
20120089392 | SPEECH RECOGNITION USER INTERFACE - Speech recognition techniques are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a novice mode is available such that when the user is unfamiliar with the speech recognition system, a voice user interface (VUI) may be provided to guide them. The VUI may display one or more speech commands that are presently available. The VUI may also provide feedback to train the user. After the user becomes more familiar with speech recognition, the user may enter speech commands without the aid of the novice mode. In this “experienced mode,” the VUI need not be displayed. Therefore, the user interface is not cluttered. | 04-12-2012 |
20120157208 | PERSISTENT HANDLES FOR INTERFACE GUIDES - A computing system translates a world space position of a hand of a human target to a screen space position of a user interface and locks the hand to a handle of the user interface if world space parameters of the hand overcome a grab threshold of the handle. When the hand is locked to the handle, the computing system translates a world space position of the hand to a screen space handle position that is constrained along one or more interface guides. The hand is unlocked from the handle at a release position of the handle if world space parameters of the hand overcome a release threshold of the handle. The handle is retained at the release position after the hand is unlocked from the handle. | 06-21-2012 |
20120327193 | VOICE-BODY IDENTITY CORRELATION - A system and method are disclosed for tracking image and audio data over time to automatically identify a person based on a correlation of their voice with their body in a multi-user game or multimedia setting. | 12-27-2012 |
20130027296 | COMPOUND GESTURE-SPEECH COMMANDS - A multimedia entertainment system combines both gestures and voice commands to provide an enhanced control scheme. A user's body position or motion may be recognized as a gesture, and may be used to provide context to recognize user generated sounds, such as speech input. Likewise, speech input may be recognized as a voice command, and may be used to provide context to recognize a body position or motion as a gesture. Weights may be assigned to the inputs to facilitate processing. When a gesture is recognized, a limited set of voice commands associated with the recognized gesture are loaded for use. Further, additional sets of voice commands may be structured in a hierarchical manner such that speaking a voice command from one set of voice commands leads to the system loading a next set of voice commands. | 01-31-2013 |
20130120254 | Two-Stage Swipe Gesture Recognition - Systems, methods and computer program products for facilitating the recognition of user air swipe gestures are disclosed. Such systems, methods and computer program products provide a two-stage gesture recognition approach that combines desirable aspects of object manipulation gestures and symbolic gestures in order to create an interaction that is both reliable and intuitive for users of a computing system. In a first position-based stage, the user moves the cursor into a swipe activation zone. Second, in a motion-based stage, the user swipes their hand from the activation zone past a swipe gate within a certain amount of time to complete the interaction. GUI feedback is provided following the first stage to let the user know that the swipe interaction is available, and after the second stage to let the user know that the swipe is completed. | 05-16-2013 |
20130125066 | Adaptive Area Cursor - Described is a technology by which a user's cursor movement is assisted to help select elements of a user interface that may be otherwise difficult to target. An area cursor is provided that may intersect more than one element. If so, a computation result (e.g., a percentage) is computed for each intersected element that is based upon intersection with the cursor and a total size of the element; the largest percentage intersection is selected. The computation (e.g., intersected area divided by total element area) favors smaller elements as they have a smaller area in the denominator. Also described is changing the cursor size to help hit elements and/or based upon one or more criteria. Still further described is determining the total size of an element based upon weighting, in addition to or instead of the element's actual size. Weighting may be based upon one or more criteria. | 05-16-2013 |
20130154958 | CONTENT SYSTEM WITH SECONDARY TOUCH CONTROLLER - A controller for a content presentation and interaction system which includes a primary content presentation device. The controller includes a tactile control input and a touch screen control input. The tactile control input is responsive to the inputs of a first user and communicatively coupled to the content presentation device. The controller a plurality of tactile input mechanisms and provides a first set of the plurality of control inputs manipulating content. The controller includes a touch screen control input responsive to the inputs of the first user and communicatively coupled to the content presentation device. The second controller is proximate the first controller and provides a second set of the plurality of control inputs. The second set of control inputs includes alternative inputs for at least some of the controls and additional inputs not available using the tactile input mechanisms. | 06-20-2013 |
20130159555 | INPUT COMMANDS - Input command techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a computing device processes one or more inputs that are received from one or more input sources to determine a command that corresponds to the one or more inputs. The command is exposed to one or more controls that are implemented as software that is executed on the computing device and that have subscribed to the command. | 06-20-2013 |
20130311944 | HANDLES INTERACTIONS FOR HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERFACE - A system is disclosed for providing on-screen graphical handles to control interaction between a user and on-screen objects. A handle defines what actions a user may perform on the object, such as for example scrolling through a textual or graphical navigation menu. Affordances are provided to guide the user through the process of interacting with a handle. | 11-21-2013 |
20130346875 | Personalized Interactive Entertainment Profile - Described is a technology by which an entity's (e.g., a user's or group's) usage of a digital entertainment service is used to automatically generate an interactive, personalized three-dimensional visualization representing the entity's career on a digital entertainment service. Usage events are collected as profile information, which is processed to generate the visualization, as well as to automatically theme the user's experience. Filtering and prioritization of data within the profile information is performed based on the predicted degree of interest to the entity and to others; the entity may provide preference data to vary the automatically generated visualization and/or theme. | 12-26-2013 |
20140207446 | INDEFINITE SPEECH INPUTS - Embodiments are disclosed that relate to the use of speech inputs including indefinite quantitative terms as computing device inputs. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method of operating a computing device, the method including receiving a speech input comprising an indefinite quantitative term, determining a definite quantity corresponding to the indefinite quantitative term, and applying the definite quantity to an action performed via the computing device in response to the speech input. | 07-24-2014 |
20140207452 | VISUAL FEEDBACK FOR SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEM - Embodiments are disclosed that relate to providing visual feedback in a speech recognition system. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method including displaying a graphical feedback indicator having a variable appearance dependent upon a state of the speech recognition system. The method further comprises receiving a speech input, modifying an appearance of the graphical feedback indicator in a first manner if the speech input is heard and understood by the system, and modifying the appearance of the graphical feedback indicator in a different manner than the first manner if the speech input is heard and not understood. | 07-24-2014 |
20140214415 | USING VISUAL CUES TO DISAMBIGUATE SPEECH INPUTS - Embodiments related to recognizing speech inputs are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment provides a method for recognizing a speech input including receiving depth information of a physical space from a depth camera, determining an identity of a user in the physical space based on the depth information, receiving audio information from one or more microphones, and determining a speech input from the audio input. If the speech input comprises an ambiguous term, the ambiguous term in the speech input is compared to one or more of depth image data received from the depth image sensor and digital content consumption information for the user to identify an unambiguous term corresponding to the ambiguous term. After identifying the unambiguous term, an action is taken on the computing device based on the speech input and the unambiguous term. | 07-31-2014 |
20150035750 | ERGONOMIC PHYSICAL INTERACTION ZONE CURSOR MAPPING - Users move their hands in a three dimensional (“3D”) physical interaction zone (“PHIZ”) to control a cursor in a user interface (“UI”) shown on a computer-coupled 2D display such as a television or monitor. The PHIZ is shaped, sized, and positioned relative to the user to ergonomically match the user's natural range of motions so that cursor control is intuitive and comfortable over the entire region on the UI that supports cursor interaction. A motion capture system tracks the user's hand so that the user's 3D motions within the PHIZ can be mapped to the 2D UI. Accordingly, when the user moves his or her hands in the PHIZ, the cursor correspondingly moves on the display. Movement in the z direction (i.e., back and forth) in the PHIZ allows for additional interactions to be performed such as pressing, zooming, 3D manipulations, or other forms of input to the UI. | 02-05-2015 |
20150039317 | SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE SIMULTANEOUS SPEECH RECOGNIZERS - A speech recognition system interprets both spoken system commands as well as application commands. Users may speak commands to an open microphone of a computing device that may be interpreted by at least two speech recognizers operating simultaneously. The first speech recognizer interprets operating system commands and the second speech recognizer interprets application commands. The system commands may include at least opening and closing an application and the application commands may include at least a game command or navigation within a menu. A reserve word may be used to identify whether the command is for the operation system or application. A user's cadence may also indicate whether the speech is a global command or application command. A speech recognizer may include a natural language software component located in a remote computing device, such as in the so-called cloud. | 02-05-2015 |