Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Other

Christina Summer Chen

Joel P Dehlin

Steven Nabil Bathiche

Andrew David Wilson

David J Kurlander

Blaise Aguera Y Arcas

Dawson Yee

Benny Schlesinger

Guy Kashtan

Eric J Horvitz

Kenneth Paul Hinckley

Daniel Chaim Robbins

Kazuhito Koishida

Shira Weinberg

Raja Bose

Jonathan Bernard Lester

Dana Lu Silverstein

Ruchita Bhargava

Donald Marcus Gillett

Saar Yahalom

Michelle Lynn Holtmann

Adrienne Gibson

Hiroshi Horii

Jan Andreas Roman

Nick Hofmeister

Gregory Edmund Murphy

Mattias J Gruvman

Jacob O Wobbrock

Allen Ming-kuang Han

George Henion

Mobile devices provide a variety of techniques for presenting messages from sources to a user. However, when the message pertains to the presence of the user at a location, the available communications techniques may exhibit deficiencies, e.g., reliance on the memory of the source and/or user of the existence and content of a message between its initiation and the user's visit to the location, or reliance on the communication accessibility of the user, the device, and/or the source during the user's location visit. Presented herein are techniques for enabling a mobile device, at a first time, to receive a request to present an audio message during the presence of the user at a location; and, at a second time, detecting the presence of the user at the location, and presenting the audio message to the user, optionally without awaiting a request from the user to present the message.

Location-based audio messaging

Many types of earpiece include a memory to which media items stored on a second device, such as music, audiobooks, and podcasts, may be transferred as requested by a user. However, it may be advantageous to configure the earpiece and/or the to fill the memory automatically with media items of predicted interest to the user in the manner of a cache. In such earpieces, interruption of the connection between the earpiece and the second device does not interrupt a currently streaming media item, and the earpiece is capable of playing additional media items of predicted interest to the user even if the user has not requested transfer to the earpiece. Other uses of the cache include adding appointments from a calendar of the second device for presentation by the earpiece as reminders during disconnection, and storing notes on the earpiece that are automatically transferred back to the second device.

Automated earpiece cache management

A device set may interoperate to perform an action, such as providing a message to a user or storing photos taken by a user. Performing the action on all available devices may cause redundancy (e.g., presenting the same message to the user on each device), and depending on user selection (e.g., the user requesting to play music and specifically designating a device) may become onerous. A centralized, server-driven selection of the device to perform the action may be problematic if the server is inaccessible and/or inaccurate if not currently informed of the current state of each device. In accordance with the techniques presented herein, a requesting device broadcasts an action invitation to the device set. Each device provides a suitability report indicating its suitability to perform the action. The requesting device identifies one or more suitable devices, and sends an action request to identified devices to perform the action.

Peer-based device set actions

Many devices are configured to present alerts notifying a user of device events, but the user may not notice the alert due to a noisy environment. A user may mitigate missed alerts by increasing the alert volume or choosing a vibration mode, but such techniques depend upon the knowledge, attention, and memory of the user to adjust the device before the alert. Instead, a device may compare the noise level of the environment with a noise level threshold. If the noise level is below the threshold, the device presents the alert; but if the noise level is above the threshold, the device defers the presentation of the alert until the noise level diminishes below the threshold, and then presents the alert. The device may also send an automated response to the message, notifying a sender that the user may return the message upon leaving the noisy environment.

Noise-sensitive alert presentation

A system and method for confirming touch input with a touch-sensitive display that includes detecting contact with a touch-sensitive display at coordinates corresponding with a control. An animated rendering on the touch-sensitive display is displayed, and an action is performed at a conclusion of the animated rendering if contact with the touch-sensitive display at the coordinates corresponding with the control is detected throughout a time period extending from initiation to the conclusion of the animated rendering.

Method for confirming touch input

An interactive table has a display surface on which a physical object is disposed. A camera within the interactive table responds to infrared (IR) light reflected from the physical object enabling a location of the physical object on the display surface to be determined, so that the physical object appear part of a virtual environment displayed thereon. The physical object can be passive or active. An active object performs an active function, e.g., it can be self-propelled to move about on the display surface, or emit light or sound, or vibrate. The active object can be controlled by a user or the processor. The interactive table can project an image through a physical object on the display surface so the image appears part of the object. A virtual entity is preferably displayed at a position (and a size) to avoid visually interference with any physical object on the display surface.

Interaction between objects and a virtual environment display

Icon for a display screen

An object placed on an interactive display surface is detected and its position and orientation are determined in response to IR light that is reflected from an encoded marking on the object. Upon detecting the object on an interactive display surface, a software program produces a virtual entity or image visible through the object to perform a predefined function. For example, the object may appear to magnify text visible through the object, or to translate a word or phrase from one language to another, so that the translated word or phrase is visible through the object. When the object is moved, the virtual entity or image that is visible through the object may move with it, or can control the function being performed. A plurality of such objects can each display a portion of an image, and when correctly positioned, together will display the entire image, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Using clear-coded, see-through objects to manipulate virtual objects

A user input device includes one or more user controls that enable a user to selectively imports bits of data by activating the control when the user input devices proximate to a display surface of an interactive display system. By depressing or otherwise activating a user control, the user causes an element within the user input device to move through a plane of change so that the state of a parameter sensed by the interactive display system changes and is detected. In the examples provided, the parameter relates to infrared light that is reflected or absorbed or produced by a component of the user input device and is thus detected by an infrared sensitive camera. The input can be a single bit, or comprise a plurality of bits corresponding to a specific pattern.

Responding to change of state of control on device disposed on an interactive display surface

An interactive display table has a display surface for displaying images and upon or adjacent to which various objects, including a user's hand(s) and finger(s) can be detected. A video camera within the interactive display table responds to infrared (IR) light reflected from the objects to detect any connected components. Connected component correspond to portions of the object(s) that are either in contact, or proximate the display surface. Using these connected components, the interactive display table senses and infers natural hand or finger positions, or movement of an object, to detect gestures. Specific gestures are used to execute applications, carryout functions in an application, create a virtual object, or do other interactions, each of which is associated with a different gesture. A gesture can be a static pose, or a more complex configuration, and/or movement made with one or both hands or other objects.

Recognizing gestures and using gestures for interacting with software applications

To assist a player in navigating an open grid within a game or virtual environment, a global indicator and a local indicator are displayed within the virtual environment. The global indicator continuously indicates a straight line direction between an object controlled by the player and a next goal unattained within the virtual environment. As the object approaches within a predefined distance from a turn that should be taken to reach the next unattained goal, a local indicator is displayed showing the direction that the object should be turned to reach the goal. The local indicator is removed from the display after a predefined time has elapsed. Preferably, the local indicator is not displayed before a turn so long as continuing to move the object along a current path without turning at the next turn will permit the object to reach the next unattained goal.

Open grid navigational system

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Christina Summer Chen