Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Steven A N Shafer

John Charles Krumm

Barrett Brumitt

Stephen C Harris

Timothy Mark Moore

Warren Vincent Barkley

Brian R Meyers

Mohammad Shabbir Alam

Yinghua Yao

Florin Teodorescu

Geoffrey Edward Pease

Madhurima Pawar

Zhengyou Zhang

Andrew David Wilson

Ying Shan

David Ross Buerer

Vivek Bhanu

Daniel H Wilson

Christopher Jon Lang

Barry L Brumitt

Denise L Chen

Ying Wu

Mark Huyler

Tim McGrath

Mohammed Shabbir Alam

A method, schema and computer system for a location service provides data structures that are extensible by allowing different types of location awareness applications to retrieve and deposit location data. The method includes providing an abstract location object arranged in a schema to enable servicing a received request for a logical location of an electronic endpoint; and arranging one or more location elements within the context of the abstract location object. The location elements are configured to act as peers relative to the logical location and each location element is configured to act as a proxy relative to any other location element within the abstract location object.

Schema for location awareness

A location service and method provides a location aware computing device that is extensible by allowing different types of location awareness providers operate with the service. The method includes receiving a request for a location context, acquiring data associated with a current location from one or more location detection devices, reconciling the acquired data for any inconsistencies concerning the current location by applying either or both of a hierarchical and a metric process, and generating a location object accessible to applications. The service includes a location management component configured to route location data, a fuser engine configured to receive one or more location reports generated from the location data, reconcile conflicts between the location reports and generate a location object, and one or more location application programming interfaces (APIs) coupled to the location management component to transmit the location object from the fuser engine to an application.

Architecture and system for location awareness

A system and a method for optically communicating information between a display and a camera that is observing the display. In general, the transmission of information is unidirectional in a direction from the display to the camera. The display transmits information to the camera that is observing the display by displaying a series of symbols and images (such as an alphabet) on the display. Information (such as a network address of the display or camera) may be transmitted to the camera without any prior shared knowledge between the two. The present invention also is capable of determining a spatial location (or pose) of the display (relative to a camera observing the display) by observing a pattern presented on the display and using well-known correlation techniques.

System and method for optically communicating information between a display and a camera

A system and process for selecting objects in an ubiquitous computing environment where various electronic devices are controlled by a computer via a network connection and the objects are selected by a user pointing to them with a wireless RF pointer. By a combination of electronic sensors onboard the pointer and external calibrated cameras, a host computer equipped with an RF transceiver decodes the orientation sensor values transmitted to it by the pointer and computes the orientation and 3D position of the pointer. This information, along with a model defining the locations of each object in the environment that is associated with a controllable electronic component, is used to determine what object a user is pointing at so as to select that object for further control actions.

System and process for selecting objects in a ubiquitous computing environment

A system and process for providing a geometric model database for use in an ubiquitous computing environment. In general, the geometric model database system and process is capable of accepting information about the geometric state of the environment, building a geometric model of this environment, maintaining and storing the geometric model, and handling queries about the environment's geometric state. The task of building a geometric model begins by establishing a set of entities that are of interest in the environment. An entity represents an object which exists in the physical world. In the geometric model database, an entity is represented by a coordinate frame and an extent. Extents refer to the physical size, or some service region such as a field of view, associated with an entity. The location of an entity in the physical world is defined using 'measurements'. In general, a measurement is simply a mathematical description of the geometric relationship between two entities. More precisely, a measurement describes the position and orientation of one entity's coordinate frame, expressed in terms of another entity's coordinate frame. Measurements originating at an entity's frame are expressed in terms of that frame. While various mathematical representations of the geometric relationship between entities could be employed, a preferred one characterizes a measurement as the relative position, and the relative orientation or heading, of two entities along with a covariance matrix which describes the uncertainty in these values.

Geometric model database for use in ubiquitous computing

A system and process for automatically initiating and terminating associations between a computer input device of some type (e.g., computer mice, keyboards, trackballs, and the like) and a computer in a computing space that can have many such devices and several computers. In this way, input devices can be used to interface with any of the computers in the space. For instance, a user could move about a room filled with computers and their respective computer monitors, with a wireless mouse, and interface with the various computers using the mouse. To this end, the aforementioned association entails redirecting signals generated by a computer input device from one computing device in a computing space to another computing device in the space. The association is either initiated or terminated depending on whether sets of preconditions have been satisfied. These preconditions can be tied to any event or combination of events desired, and a set of preconditions can include any number of preconditions, even just one. In general, the preconditions will fall in two categories&mdash;namely proximity-related preconditions and nonproximity-related preconditions. Proximity-related initiating preconditions as the name implies involve a requirement that the input devices are relatively near a computer or a display device connected to the computer for an association to be initiated. Conversely, if the input device and computer are too far apart, proximity-related terminating preconditions would dictate that any association be terminated. Nonproximity-related preconditions can concern such things as ambient conditions (e.g., illumination), device states, pre-existing associations, and device incompatibility.

Automatic computer input device association

A vision-based gesture interface system, which employs an arbitrary quadrangle-shaped panel and a pointer tip like a fingertip as an intuitive input device. Taking advantage of the panel, the system can fulfill many tasks such as controlling a remote and large display, and simulating a physical keyboard. Users can naturally use their fingers and other pointer tips to issue commands and type texts. The system is facilitated by accurately and reliably tracking the panel and the pointer tip and detecting clicking and dragging actions.

System and method for providing a mobile input device

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Steven A N Shafer