Patent Application
20080074391
In a specific embodiment of the disclosure, a personal computer 10 is provided with an input device, in this embodiment mouse 1, controlling a pointer or cursor 2 on a display screen 3 (see
In one embodiment, the preconfigured application is a “Search” function. A default assignment of a mouse shake to a standard “Search” action (a search of either the Web or a local file system) gives the mouse shake a specific utility and value for a large number of users, similar to the utility of the widely-known context menu associated with the right-click on a typical mouse. Alternatively, the action invoked by the mouse shake 4 may be user configurable or application designer configurable, as are most mouse gestures.
Software interpreting and supporting a mouse shake may be configured, by way of non-limiting example, as a local system-or application-or browser-plugin or separate application that performs a method as diagrammed in the flowchart of
The system then detects the application currently in use (step 202), to determine the predetermined type of action to be invoked. For example, in one embodiment, if the application in use is a Web browser, shaking the mouse will invoke a Web search utility whereupon a search query text entry box will appear. In another embodiment, if a word processing application is in use, shaking the mouse can invoke a dictionary lookup or spell check; if another offline application is currently being interacted with, shaking the mouse can invoke a local file search. In still another embodiment, if a word processing application is in use, shaking the mouse can invoke saving the document in a preselected or default folder.
The appropriate Search function (or other predetermined function) is then started (step 203), and a window is opened on the display screen to accept the user's search query (step 204). As shown in
The action taken in response to the mouse shake may be programmed via a remote connection to a server. It will be appreciated that multiple actions may be taken in response to the mouse shake (e.g. audio feedback, visual effects displayed on the desktop, a change in the appearance of the cursor, etc.). In one embodiment, as shown in
More generally, a shaking motion of the mouse may be used to invoke any desired function from any application. Still more generally (as shown in the flowchart of
As noted above, detecting a shake or “jiggle” involves recording movements of the input device, and evaluating those movements in accordance with an algorithm that applies specific criteria. In the following descriptions of detection algorithms, it will be assumed that the device is a mouse, and that movement of the mouse is captured by the operating system (e.g. by application programming interface “LowLevelMouseHook” in a Microsoft® Win32 operating system) regardless of which application is presently running.
Software implementing an exemplary algorithm analyzes the mouse movement data to detect changes in the direction of movement. A mouse shake or “jiggle” is detected when a prescribed number of directional changes that are within prescribed boundaries is recorded within a specific period of time (the Timeout period).
A schematic flowchart for this algorithm is shown in
When a directional change is detected, the x and y displacements are evaluated and compared with configurable minimum and maximum values. If the current displacement is greater than the minimum value and less than the maximum value (step 504), the stage is completed (step 505). If the displacement is out of range, the stage is discounted (step 506).
If the prescribed number of directional changes have occurred and successfully completed their stages within the movement Timeout period (step 507), a “jiggle event” is deemed to have occurred (step 508). If the time to complete the stage exceeds the movement timeout value, the entire algorithm resets, so that all stages and displacements are set to zero.
In one embodiment a user may choose a sensitivity level for the algorithm—that is, the number of directional changes in the mouse movement required to conclude that a “jiggle event” has occurred. In an embodiment, the default value is 5 directional changes, but a user may set the number to 3. In an embodiment, the minimum displacement of the mouse is 10 pixels, the maximum displacement is 200 pixels and the Timeout period is 500 msec.
According to an exemplary detection algorithm, movement of the mouse between cells of a grid comprising pixels of a display device is detected over a prescribed period of time, and a “jiggle event” is deemed to have occurred if the mouse movement fits a prescribed pattern.
A schematic flowchart for this algorithm is shown in
If the mouse has been moved according to the pattern (step 705), the software also evaluates (step 706) whether the movement has occurred within a predetermined configurable time period (e.g. 500 msec). A shaking or “jiggle” motion of the mouse is assumed to be a side-to-side movement (that is, in the x-direction); any movement including a change of position in the y-direction of more than two cells is ignored (step 707).
The above-described steps 704-707 are repeated for other variations in the order of visited cells (e.g. left-right-left instead of right-left-right), and in the number of visited cells (step 708); the mouse movement is re-evaluated in comparison with a revised movement pattern. If all the criteria are met, a “jiggle event” is judged to have occurred (step 709), and the mouse tracking and timer are reset (step 710).
The software for the above-described zero-click activation process may also be built in any way now known or to become known, and, by way of non-limiting example, may be implemented as a browser extension, plug-in or into a browser script library, so as to only take effect during browsing of Web sites, or only certain Web sites, or to work on systems that do not have security permissions to install a local plugin. This approach may help raise awareness of the zero-click activation feature. For example, an animated banner advertisement may prompt the user to shake the mouse; when the user does so, the browser detects the shake, opens a search window, and shows an option to download the feature to the client.
The zero-click activation of an application described above allows for a simple, immediate action to initiate a Web search or other predetermined software operation or function. Using the shaking action avoids the problem of training the user to articulate a specific mouse gesture or button sequence. For example, shaking the mouse is much easier to remember that “right button down, move right, move down, move left, right button up”. Furthermore, shaking a pointing device (such as a mouse) is not a typical pointing action and is likely to not be misinterpreted as a normal usage of the pointing device (mouse, trackball, stylus, etc.). Accordingly, a preactivation command (e.g. a right-click) is not necessary to first enable recognition or interpretation of the device movement.
The shaking action as described herein requires no button click or specific level of manual dexterity, so that (unlike mouse gestures) it is appropriate for all level of user expertise and all age levels. It removes the need to carefully articulate the pointer over a small button, icon or UI widget, and is thus easier for a novice user to discover and activate.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of specific embodiments, it is evident in view of the foregoing description that numerous alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and the following claims.
