Xerox Corporation

Vulcan Patents LLC

Interval Research Corporation

Vulcan Portals Inc.

Consilium, Inc.

Vintell Applications Ny, LLC

William L Verplank

Norman L Cox

Doris E Wells-Papanek

Scott Snibbe

Karon E MacLean

Jonathan R Cohen

M Margaret Withgott

Debby Hindus

Bonnie M Johnson

Andrew J Singer

Lisa J Stifelman

Scott C Wallters

Robert S Shaw

Jayne B Roderick

Oliver Thomas Bayley

Golan Levin

Kimberly H Johnson

Karon MacLean

Baldo Antonio Faieta

Annarosa Tomasi

Max V Mathews

Rajesh U Mashruwala

Richard L Hess

Lukas Girling

Normal L Cox

Cy De Groat

Wells-Papanek Doris E

A computerized interactor system uses physical, three-dimensional objects as metaphors for input of user intent to a computer system. When one or more interactors are engaged with a detection field, the detection field reads an identifier associated with the object and communicates the identifier to a computer system. The computer system determines the meaning of the interactor based upon its identifier and upon a semantic context in which the computer system is operating. The interactors can be used to control other systems, such as audio systems, or it can be used as intuitive inputs into a computer system for such purposes as marking events in a temporal flow. The interactors, as a minimum, communicate their identity, but may also be more sophisticated in that they can communicate additional processed or unprocessed data, i.e. they can include their own data processors. The detection field can be one-dimensional or multi-dimensional, and typically has different semantic meanings associated with different parts of the detection field.

Computerized interactor systems and methods for providing same

A pushbutton user interface enables a user to preview the effect of activating a pushbutton of the interface before the pushbutton is activated. The pushbutton user interface can be implemented so that an input (preview input) to the pushbutton that does not produce an activation of the pushbutton is sensed and, in response to the sensed input, a preview is displayed that indicates the effect of activating the pushbutton. The preview input can be sensed using, for example, a force-sensitive resistor, potentiometer or strain gauge. The preview display can include, for example, a visual display, an audio display, a haptic display, or a combination of two or three such displays. The pushbutton user interface can be implemented so that the preview input and an activation input (i.e., an input that produces an activation of the pushbutton) are sensed as a result of an input to the pushbutton along the same axis or along different (e.g., orthogonal) axes.

Pushbutton user interface with functionality preview

Collaborative digital media artifact production is disclosed. Included are structured collaborative digital media creation environments intended to enable communities to create full and partial digital media products. Activities such as creating individual identities, browsing identities of other users, creating and viewing digital media artifacts, tracking the development history of a digital media artifact, voting on, rating, and modifying digital media products developed by other users are included. A collaborative digital media creation system is also included for digital media artifact production, including a studio having interfaces for user interaction for community development.

System and methods for collaborative digital media development

A user can selectively engage some part or all of the haptic display of a haptic interface device to produce an enhanced interaction with an environment with which the user interacts using the haptic interface device. Further, the haptic interface device can be implemented so that the part of the haptic display that is engaged can be engaged to varying degree. The degree of engagement with the haptic display (together with whether part or all of the haptic display is engaged) determines the manner in which the haptic display is experienced by the user. The selective engagement with the haptic display is enabled by adding a haptic clutch model to the underlying haptic model used to produce the haptic display, the haptic clutch model engaging some part or all of the haptic model in response to user input. The addition of a haptic clutch model to the haptic model used to produce a haptic display provides a richer user interaction than is provided by a haptic display produced by the haptic model alone.

Haptic interface including clutch control

The invention facilitates browsing of an indexed collection of electronic content by displaying information identifying a current location within the collection of electronic content using a non-visual display (e.g., audio display and/or haptic display). The information identifying the current location can be displayed with variable resolution and the content of the display of the information identifying the current location can be dependent on the resolution. The invention can be used to browse any type of electronic content, including, for example, audio content, visual content, text content or some combination of such content. The invention can be used to browse electronic content that is indexed in any way, such as, for example, electronic content that is indexed (partly or entirely) alphabetically, numerically or by date.

Interface including non-visual display for use in browsing an indexed collection of electronic content

A manual interface combines continuous and discrete control and display capabilities. The manual interface can be embodied by combining a haptic interface providing continuous control and display capabilities with one or more of multiple discrete selectors (such as tagged objects) providing discrete control capabilities. The manual interface can provide finer control and a richer sensory experience than is possible with conventional tagged objects. Further, unlike a conventional haptic interface device, the manual interface can provide easily selectable, multiple interactive possibilities.

Manual interface combining continuous and discrete capabilities

A haptic interface device is disclosed. The haptic interface device comprises a haptic display and a resolution input device. The haptic display is configured to provide a haptic sensation to a user in response to an interaction with an environment by the user. The resolution input device is configured to receive from the user an input indicating a resolution desired by the user. The desired resolution defines a desired magnitude of change in the haptic sensation per unit change in the state of one or more aspects of the environment. The haptic display device is configured to use the input to control the haptic sensation provided by the haptic display.

Flexible variation of haptic interface resolution

In a music synthesis system, a scanning apparatus repeatedly scans a physical attribute of a vibrating object at a sequence of points of the vibrating object so as to repeatedly generate corresponding sequences of values. The music synthesis system generates an audio frequency waveform whose shape corresponds to the sequences of values. The vibrating object may be a physical object or a simulated object. The system may include a sensor for receiving user input, and means for mapping the user input into a stimulus signal that is applied to the vibrating object. In a preferred embodiment, the object vibrates and is manipulated by the user at haptic frequencies (0 to 15 hertz), while the sequences of scanned values are cyclically read at an audio frequencies so as to generate an audio frequency waveform whose timbre varies at the haptic frequencies associated with the object's vibration.

System and method for synthesizing music by scanning real or simulated vibrating object

A haptic interface device produces a haptic display in response to a user's interaction with an environment with which the haptic interface device is associated. The invention enables the resolution of the haptic display produced by the haptic interface device to be changed by the user. In particular, the invention can be implemented so that the haptic display resolution can be changed (readily) as the user interacts with the environment using the haptic interface device. Thus, the invention can enable a user to interact with a particular environment at different levels of detail (i.e., different resolutions) and, in particular, can enable the user to immediately change from interacting with the environment at one level of detail to interacting with the environment at a different level of detail. The invention can also enable a user to change the resolution of the haptic display of a haptic interface device by interacting with the haptic interface device and/or an apparatus used by the user to interact with the environment, thus facilitating the ability of the user to change the resolution of the haptic display while simultaneously interacting with the environment and thereby enabling the user to change quickly between different levels of haptic display detail. Additionally, the invention can enable a user to effect continuous change in the resolution of the haptic display of a haptic interface device, thus enabling the user to interact with the environment at any desired level of haptic display detail.

Computerized interactor systems and method for providing same

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

William L Verplank