Item-based control of the user interface

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gesture-based control of a user interface, and specifically provides a system and method for gesture-based control of a user interface. For example, the presence of a control item in a first proximity zone close to a user device may be detected. In response to detecting the presence of the control item, presentation data corresponding to a presentation mode of a user interface associated with the user computing device may be provided for display. The presence of a control item in a second proximity zone close to the user computing device may be detected. The second proximity zone may define a physical area separated from the first proximity zone. In response to detecting the presence of a control item in the second proximity zone, interaction data corresponding to an interaction mode of the user interface may be provided for display.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 201611159870.9, the application date is December 15, 2016, and the name of the invention is “Control of user interface based on control objects”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to providing control-article-based control of a user interface associated with a user computing device. Background Art

[0003] As computing devices proliferate in homes, cars, and offices, the need to seamlessly and intuitively control these devices becomes increasingly important. For example, a user may want to quickly and easily control the user's media player, television, air conditioner, etc., no matter where the user happens to be.

[0004] Using gestures to interact with computing devices is becoming increasingly common. Gesture recognition technology has successfully enabled gestural interactions with devices when these gestures are made to device surfaces, such as touch screens for phones and tablets, and touchpads for desktop computers. However, users increasingly desire to interact with their devices through gestures that are not made to a surface, such as through mid-air gestures performed in proximity to a computing device. Summary of the invention

[0005] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be learned from the description, or may be learned through practice of the embodiments.

[0006] One example aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method of controlling the operation of a computing device. The method includes detecting, by a user computing device, the presence of a control item in a first proximity zone proximate to the user computing device. The method also includes, in response to detecting the presence of the control item in the first proximity zone, providing, by the user computing device, presentation data corresponding to a presentation mode of a user interface associated with the user computing device for display. The method also includes detecting, by the user computing device, the presence of the control item in a second proximity zone proximate to the user computing device. The second proximity zone defines a physical area separate from the first proximity zone. The method also includes, in response to detecting the presence of the control item in the second proximity zone, providing, by the user computing device, interaction data corresponding to an interaction mode of the user interface for display.

[0007] Other example aspects of the disclosure relate to systems, apparatus, tangible non-transitory computer-readable media, user interfaces, memory devices, and electronic devices for providing gesture-based control of a user interface.

[0008] For example, embodiments of the present invention may provide a computer-implemented method of controlling the operation of a user computing device by a user moving or manipulating a control article (such as a part of their body) or a separate object (such as a stylus), wherein the user computing device is configured to provide a graphical user interface having at least a data presentation mode and an interaction mode. The method then includes detecting whether the control article is within a first proximity zone or a second proximity zone, such as these zones are defined relative to the device and are proximate to the device.

[0009] If the control object is detected in the first proximity zone, the data presentation mode is used for the graphical user interface. In this mode, the data displayed may, for example, depend on the position of the control object in the first proximity zone, rather than on a control gesture made by the user with the control object. If the control object is detected in the second proximity zone, the interaction mode is used for the graphical user interface. The device may be configured so that in this mode, the user can control the graphical user interface using gestures made with the control object, for example to control one or more actions of the device.

[0010] The data presentation mode and the interaction mode may be mutually exclusive in the sense that the apparatus is arranged to present only one of these modes to the user at any one time. Similarly, the first and second proximity zones may be mutually exclusive in the sense that the apparatus is arranged to determine that the control article is only in one of these zones at any one time, and optionally in any of these zones, and optionally in one or more other zones to which the device can respond using different functions or modes of the graphical user interface.

[0011] The control item may be any suitable item or object or part of such an item or object that is suitable for being detected and used to perform a control gesture recognizable by the user device. For example, the control item may be a user's finger, hand, head, eye, arm, etc., or an object held by the user, such as a stylus.

[0012] These and other features, aspects and advantages of various embodiments will become better understood with reference to the following description and claims.The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the relevant principles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] A detailed discussion of embodiments for those of ordinary skill in the art is set forth in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system for providing gesture-based control of a user interface according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 2 depicts an example proximity zone configuration according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3-8 depicts an example display configuration according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Fig. 9 A flowchart depicting an example method of providing gesture-based control of a user interface according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Fig.10 A flowchart depicting an example method of providing presentation data for display according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Fig.11 A flowchart depicting an example control gesture group according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Fig.12 An example system is depicted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, one or more examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of illustration of the embodiments rather than as a limitation of the present disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. For example, a feature shown or described as part of one embodiment may be used together with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, it is intended that aspects of the present disclosure encompass such modifications and variations.

[0022] Example aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing gesture-based control of a user interface associated with a user computing device (e.g., a user device). For example, a user device may detect the presence of a control item in one or more proximity zones close to the user device, and may display data based at least in part on the presence of the control item in the proximity zone. A user interface associated with a user device may include one or more control modes. As an example, a user device may detect the presence of a control item in a first proximity zone, and in response, may provide presentation data corresponding to a presentation control mode of the user interface for display. The user device may further detect the presence of a user in a second proximity zone, and in response, may provide interaction data corresponding to an interaction control mode of the user interface for display.

[0023] More specifically, the user device may be a wearable computing device, a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computing device, a desktop computing device, or any other suitable user device. The user device may be configured to monitor the movement of a control item (e.g., a user's hand, a user's eye, a user's head, a stylus, or other objects controlled by a user and / or any other suitable control item) close to the user device, and determine one or more display configurations of the user interface based at least in part on the movement of the control item. In some implementations, the user device may include a radar module embedded in the user device, which is configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy in the direction of the target and receive a return signal indicating the energy reflected back to the user device by a plurality of scattering points associated with the target. The radar module may include one or more antenna elements configured to send and / or receive RF energy. The received return signal may be used to detect the presence of a user and / or control item, monitor the movement of the user and / or control item, and / or determine one or more control gestures performed by the control item.

[0024] As described above, the data displayed by the user interface of the user device can be determined based at least in part on the position of the control item relative to the user device. For example, one or more proximity areas can be established near the user device. The proximity area can be determined based at least in part on the antenna beam pattern formed by one or more antenna elements associated with the user device. In some implementations, each proximity area can have a corresponding control mode associated with the user interface. For example, the first proximity area can correspond to a presentation mode associated with the user interface, and the second proximity area can correspond to an interaction mode associated with the user interface. In this way, the user device can determine the control mode to be operated in based at least in part on the position of the control item relative to the user device. For example, after the control item is detected in the first proximity area, the user device can operate in the presentation mode. As another example, after the control item is detected in the second proximity area, the user device can operate in the interaction mode.

[0025] When operating in presentation mode, the user interface can display presentation display data associated with one or more applications implemented by the user device. For example, the user device can implement or otherwise be associated with one or more applications. Such applications may include one or more message applications, weather applications, notification applications, calendar applications, and / or various other suitable applications. In the implementation in which the user computing device is a wearable computing device such as a smart watch, the application associated with the user interface may be presented as a dial element (complication) on the smart watch face or other associated with the smart watch face. In some implementations, presentation data may be non-interactive data associated with an application hosted by the user device. In this way, the user of the user device may not be able to interact with the presentation data. As a non-limiting example, presentation data may include non-interactive data associated with a message application. Such data may include data associated with one or more email messages, SMS messages, instant messages, and / or other suitable electronic messages received by the user device.

[0026] When operating in interactive mode, the user interface may display interactive display data associated with one or more available applications hosted by the user device, so that the user of the user device can interact with the data and / or the user interface. For example, the interactive data may include icons or other indicators associated with one or more available applications associated with the user device. Similar to the presentation mode, in some implementations, the icons or other indicators may be presented as dial elements associated with the smart watch surface. The user can scroll or cycle to one or more applications, select one or more applications, scroll or cycle within the selected application, select one or more or user interface elements within the application, and / or perform any other suitable interaction with the interactive data. For example, the user device according to the example embodiment of the present disclosure may include a messaging application, a weather application, and a notification application. When the user device is operating in interactive mode (e.g., in response to detecting the presence of a control item in the second proximity area), the user can scroll the included applications and select the application to run the application on the user device. The user can further interact with the running application by scrolling or cycling to the application or selecting one or more user interface elements associated with the application.

[0027] In some implementations, a user can interact with a user device by using one or more control gestures. For example, a control gesture can include an air gesture performed by a control item close to the user device (e.g., when the control item is in the second proximity zone). The control gesture can correspond to an air movement pattern performed by the control item. In this way, the user device can be configured to detect the execution of the control gesture and perform one or more actions in response to the detection. In some implementations, the user device can begin monitoring the execution of the control gesture in response to detecting the presence of the control item in the second proximity zone.

[0028] The user device may have a set of predetermined control gestures to which the user device will respond. For example, the user device may store data indicating such a set of control gestures and one or more corresponding actions to be performed respectively in response to detecting the execution of the control gestures. In this way, the user device may compare the detected movement pattern performed by the control article to determine a match between the movement pattern and the control gesture from the set of control gestures. If a match is determined, the user device may perform an action or operation corresponding to the control gesture.

[0029] In some implementations, presentation data displayed in response to detecting a control item in the first proximity area may be determined based at least in part on the position of the control item in the first proximity area. As described above, such presentation data may correspond to one or more applications that are presented as dial elements associated with a user interface displayed on a smart watch face. For example, the first proximity area may include one or more sub-areas located within the first proximity area. In some implementations, the number of sub-areas may be determined based at least in part on the amount of information to be displayed. For example, based at least in part on the amount of information associated with the first application, the first application may have a first number of sub-areas, and based at least in part on the amount of information associated with the second application, the second application may have a second number of sub-areas. The user device may determine that there is a control item in one or more sub-areas, and may determine the presentation data to be displayed based at least in part on the position of the control item relative to the one or more sub-areas. For example, if the control item is located within a first sub-area of ​​the first proximity area, the user device may provide first presentation data (e.g., one or more dial elements) for display. If the control item is located within a second sub-area of ​​the first proximity area, the user device may provide second presentation data (e.g., one or more dial elements) for display. In this manner, presentation data displayed by the user device may vary as a function of the position of the control article within the first proximity zone.

[0030] As an example, a user device such as a smart watch device may detect a control item in a first sub-area when a message application associated with the smart watch device is running. The smart watch device may determine first presentation data associated with the message application to be displayed. The first presentation data may include or otherwise be associated with data associated with one or more dial elements displayed by the user interface of the smart watch device. For example, the first presentation data may include data indicating one or more messages (e.g., unread messages) received by the user device, such as an identification of the sender of one or more messages and / or an indication of the number of messages. When the control item moves toward the user device in the second sub-area, the user device may detect that the control item is in the second sub-area. The user device may determine and provide second presentation data associated with the message application for display. The second presentation data may include or otherwise be associated with additional or different data associated with one or more dial elements. For example, the second presentation data may include at least a portion of the body of the received message (e.g., the first 10 words of the message body).

[0031] In some implementations, presentation data may be provided for display in a progressive manner so that additional or different information is provided for display in response to the proximity of a control item to a user device. For example, the density of the displayed information may gradually increase as the control item approaches the use device. As an example, the number of dial elements and / or data associated with the dial elements may increase as the control item approaches the user device. In this way, the user may control the amount of information and / or type of information displayed based at least in part on the distance of the control item from the use device. The user may place the control item at one or more locations relative to the user device to facilitate display of the desired information. For example, if the user desires to interact with the data, the user may place the control item in the second proximity region. If the user only wishes to view information associated with the application (e.g., the number of unread messages), the user may place the control item in the first proximity region (e.g., in an appropriate sub-region of the first proximity region). In this way, when operating in presentation mode, the user device may respond to the position of the control item. When operating in interaction mode, the user device may respond to a control gesture performed by the control item.

[0032] In some implementations, feedback may be provided to the user so that the user understands the state or operating mode of the user device. For example, visual or audio feedback may be provided to the user to indicate to the user that the user has crossed a threshold for entering a first or second proximity zone and / or one or more sub-areas. For example, a user interface may include a progress bar indicating the distance or position of a control item relative to the user device and / or one or more proximity zones or sub-areas associated with the user device. Such a progress bar may advance or retreat as the distance between the control item and the user device advances and retreats. As another example, a user interface may provide a lighting pattern and / or a varying lighting brightness to indicate that the user device is operating in a particular control mode. In some implementations, one or more audio tones may be played by the user device to provide various instructions to the user.

[0033] The user device can also operate in a standby control mode. For example, when the user device does not detect the presence of a control article (for example, in the first or second proximity area), the user device can operate in standby mode. When operating in standby mode, the user device can provide standby data associated with the user device for display. This standby data may include data associated with the user device, such as battery life, connection data, notification data and / or other data. In some implementations, the standby data may include time data indicating the current time and / or data. For example, in such an implementation, the user interface may be configured as a dial face or other time indicator with an hour hand and a minute hand. When operating in standby mode, the user device can monitor the control article. When the user device detects the presence of the control article, the user device can exit standby mode and operate in presentation mode or interaction mode (for example, according to the position of the detected control article).

[0034] Referring now to the accompanying drawings, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed in more detail. For example, Figure 1 An example system 100 for providing gesture-based control of a user interface according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. System 100 includes a user device 102 and a control item 104. Control item 104 may include any suitable item or object capable of performing a control gesture recognizable by user device 102. In some implementations, the control item may be a limb or other body part associated with a user. For example, control item 104 may be a hand, head, eye, arm, etc. of the user. In some implementations, the control item may be an object capable of being carried by a user, such as a stylus or other object.

[0035] The user device 102 may be any suitable user computing device, such as a smart phone, a tablet, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch), a laptop computing device, a desktop computing device, or any other suitable user computing device. The user device 102 includes a sensing module 106, a gesture manager 108, an interface manager 110, and a motion tracker 112. In some implementations, the sensing module 106 may include one or more sensing devices, such as one or more optical cameras, infrared cameras, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, and / or various other suitable sensing devices. In some implementations, the sensing module 106 may be a radar module. For example, the sensing module 106 may include one or more antenna elements configured to transmit and / or receive RF energy signals. For example, such RF energy signals may propagate in a direction determined by an antenna beam pattern formed by one or more antenna elements. In some implementations, the RF energy signal may propagate in the general direction of the control item 104. In this way, the propagated energy signal may be absorbed or scattered by the control item 104. The energy signal coherently scattered back in the direction of the user device 102 may be intercepted by the (receiving) antenna element.

[0036] The received energy signal may be provided to a motion tracker 112. The motion tracker 112 may be configured to monitor the motion of the control article 104. For example, the motion tracker 112 may determine a motion profile associated with the control article 104. The motion profile may include information associated with the motion of the control article during one or more time periods. For example, the motion profile may include velocity data, position data (e.g., radial distance, spatial coordinates), and / or other data associated with the motion of the control article during one or more time periods. In this manner, temporal changes associated with the motion of the control article may be tracked or otherwise monitored.

[0037] The motion profile can be used to control a user interface provided for display by the user device 102. For example, the motion profile can be used to detect the presence of a control item 104 within one or more proximity zones or sub-zones proximate to the user device 102. The user device 102 can have one or more associated proximity zones having predetermined boundaries determined at least in part based on an antenna beam pattern or other sensing pattern associated with the sensing module 106. Detecting the presence of a control item 104 in a proximity zone can trigger the user device 102 to operate in a particular control mode. For example, the motion tracker 112 can detect the presence of a control item 104 within a particular proximity zone by comparing position data (e.g., spatial coordinates, radial distance, etc.) to the location of one or more boundaries of the proximity zone.

[0038] As shown, the control mode in which the user device 102 operates can be determined at least in part based on the position of the control item 104 relative to the predetermined proximity zone. For example, the interface manager 110 can control the user device 102 to operate in a specific control mode. In some implementations, the interface manager 110 can control the user device 102 to operate in a standby mode, a presentation mode, or an interactive mode based at least in part on the position of the control item 104 relative to the first proximity zone and the second proximity zone.

[0039] The second proximity area can be a physical zone or area adjacent to the user device 102, and the first proximity area can be a physical zone or area adjacent to the second proximity area, such that the second proximity area separates the first proximity area from the user device 102. As described above, the boundaries of the first and second proximity areas can be determined based at least in part on the antenna beam pattern associated with the sensing module 106. For example, the boundaries of the second proximity area can be determined as follows so that the user device 102 can detect that the control gesture is performed by the control item 104 to a sufficient extent when the control item 104 is located within the second proximity area. Similarly, the boundaries of the first proximity area can be determined as follows so that when the control item 104 is located in the first proximity area, the user device 102 can adequately track the movement of the control item 104. The proximity area can have any suitable shape. In some implementations, the shape of the proximity area can be determined based at least in part on the antenna beam pattern.

[0040] As shown, the interface manager 110 can coordinate or adjust the data to be displayed on the display device associated with the user device 102 based at least in part on the presence of the control item 104 in the first proximity area or the second proximity area. For example, when the control item 104 cannot be detected in the first or second proximity area, the interface manager 110 can control the user device 102 to operate in a standby mode. The standby mode may include providing standby data for display on the user interface, such as time data associated with the current date or time. When the control item 104 is detected in the first proximity area, the interface manager 110 may control the user device 102 to operate in a presentation mode. The presentation mode may include providing non-interactive data associated with an application currently running on the user device 102 for display. For example, the currently running application may be the application that the user last interacted with. The presentation mode may include a progressive display of data associated with the application based at least in part on the position of the control item 104 in the first proximity area. For example, when the control item 104 is close to the user device 102, additional presentation display data may be provided for display. For example, the additional data may replace previously displayed data, or the additional data may be new data displayed in addition to previously displayed data, so that the additional data and previously displayed data are displayed simultaneously. When the control article 104 crosses a threshold or boundary separating the first proximity area and the second proximity area, the interface manager 110 may control the user device 102 to operate in an interactive mode. The interactive mode may include providing interactive data for display so that the user may interact with or manipulate the data displayed by the use interface. For example, the interactive data may be associated with one or more available applications associated with the user device 102. For example, the user may scroll and select an application to run the selected application on the user device 102. The user may then interact with the data within the selected application. As described above, the user may interact with such interactive data by performing one or more control gestures. For example, the user may cause the control article 104 to move according to one or more movement patterns to prompt the user device 102 to perform one or more actions.

[0041] When the user device 102 is operating in the interactive control mode (e.g., when the control item 104 is located in the second proximity area), the gesture manager 108 can be configured to determine a control gesture (e.g., an air gesture) performed by the control item 104. For example, the gesture manager 108 can access the gesture data 114 to match the movement pattern performed by the control item 104 with the control gesture associated with the gesture data 114. Specifically, the gesture data 114 can include a set of predetermined control gestures. Each predetermined control gesture can be mapped to an action or operation to be performed by the user device 102 in response to the recognition of the movement pattern performed by the control item 104 matching the control gesture. In this way, the gesture manager 108 can compare the determined motion profile associated with the control item 104 with the gesture data 114 to determine whether the motion profile matches the predetermined control gesture. When the motion profile matches the control gesture, the user device 102 can perform an action or operation corresponding to the matched control gesture.

[0042] The control gesture may include a motion component. For example, in an implementation where the control item 104 is a user's hand, the control gesture may correspond to a predetermined movement of the hand and / or the fingers of the hand, such as translation, rotation, extension, bending, abduction, relative or other movement of the hand and / or the fingers. As another example, in an implementation where the control item 104 is a user's head, the control gesture may correspond to some predetermined movements of the head, such as extension, rotation, bending, bending or other movement. As another example, in an implementation where the control item 104 is an external object (such as a stylus carried by a user), the control gesture may correspond to some predetermined motion patterns of the stylus. In some implementations, the gesture manager 108 may be configured to recognize gestures performed by multiple control items. For example, the gesture manager 108 may be configured to recognize a first control gesture performed by a user's hand and a second control gesture performed by a user's head. In this way, the gesture data 114 may include a control gesture associated with each of the multiple control items.

[0043] The movement patterns performed by various components of the control article 104 may be observed individually. For example, the movement associated with each finger of the hand may be monitored individually. In some implementations, the movement of one or more components of the control article 104 may be tracked relative to one or more other components of the control article 104. For example, the movement of a first finger of the hand may be tracked relative to the movement of a second finger of the hand.

[0044] In some implementations, gesture data 114 may include data associated with a representative model of control article 104. For example, gesture data 114 may include a model of a human hand that provides relative position data of the hand and / or fingers. In some implementations, such a control article model may facilitate predictive tracking even when portions of control article 104 are not visible. For example, in such implementations, signals associated with visible portions of control article 104 may be used in conjunction with the control article model and / or past observations of control article 104 to determine one or more possible locations of portions of control article 104 that are not currently visible.

[0045] Figure 2 An example proximity zone configuration 120 is depicted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The proximity zone configuration 120 includes a first proximity zone 122 and a second proximity zone 124. As shown, relative to the user device 102, the first proximity zone 122 can correspond to a far zone and the second proximity zone 124 can correspond to a near zone. The second proximity zone 124 extends outward from the user device 102, and the first proximity zone 122 extends outward from the second proximity zone 124. In this manner, the second proximity zone 124 can define a physical or spatial area that is separated from the first proximity zone 122. The control article 104 (e.g., at Figure 1 ) within the proximity zone configuration 120 may trigger one or more actions of the user device 102.

[0046] The regional configuration 120 may be determined at least in part based on the sensing module 106. For example, the regional configuration 120 may be determined at least in part based on an antenna beam pattern formed by one or more antenna elements of the sensing module 106. The antenna beam pattern may represent an area close to the user device 102, where the user device 102 is able to detect or sense an object. For example, the antenna element may transmit an RF energy signal in the general shape of the antenna beam pattern, and an object within the antenna beam pattern may be observed by the user device 102. The proximity region configuration 120 may form one or more partitions of the antenna beam pattern. In this way, the shape and size of the first proximity region 122 and / or the second proximity region 124 may be determined at least in part based on the antenna beam pattern. For example, the first proximity region 122 may form a first partition of the antenna beam pattern, and the second proximity region 124 may form a second partition of the antenna beam pattern. In this way, the individual partitions defining the proximity region configuration 120 may substantially define the antenna beam pattern. It should be understood that various other interactive region arrangements may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, such as a proximity region configuration that defines a portion of the antenna beam pattern. For example, although the first access zone 122 and the second access zone 124 are depicted as being rectangular in shape, such a description is intended for illustration purposes only. One or more access zones according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have various other suitable shapes and / or sizes.

[0047] In some implementations, when the control article 104 is detected within the first proximity zone 122, the user device 102 may begin monitoring the movement of the control article 104. For example, the user device 102 may determine a movement profile associated with the control article 104. In addition, the detection of the control article 104 in the first proximity zone 122 may trigger the user device 102 to operate in a presentation mode. As described above, the presentation mode may include the display of non-interactive presentation data on a user interface associated with the user device 102. The presentation data may include data associated with a currently running application, where the currently running application is associated with the user device 102. As described above, in some implementations, the presentation data may be provided for display in a progressive manner based at least in part on a change in the position of the control article 104 within the first proximity zone 122.

[0048] In some implementations, the first proximity area 122 may include one or more sub-areas located within the first proximity area 122. For example, the one or more sub-areas may segment at least a portion of the first proximity area 122. The sub-areas may be used to trigger the display of presentation data. In some implementations, the sub-areas may correspond to a distance threshold within the proximity area 122. For example, the user device 102 may provide first presentation data for display in response to detecting the control article 104 within the first sub-area 126. The first presentation data may include first display data associated with a currently running application. For example, if the currently running application is a weather application, the first display data may include the current temperature associated with one or more geographic areas.

[0049] In response to detecting the control article 104 in the second sub-area 128, the user device 102 may provide second presentation data for display. The second presentation data may include second display data associated with the currently running application. For example, if the weather application is the currently running application, the second display data may include the current state of the weather in one or more geographic areas. For example, the second display data may specify the current sky coverage state (sunny, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, etc.), precipitation state, and / or other display data. In some implementations, the second display data may include an estimated duration of the current state. In addition to the first display data, or as a substitute for the first display data, the second display data may be provided for display. For example, in some implementations, the first display data and the second display data may be displayed simultaneously. In an alternative implementation, in response to the control article 104 entering the second sub-area 128 from the first sub-area 126, the first display data may be removed from the display and replaced by the second display data.

[0050] In response to detecting the control article 104 within the third sub-area 130, the user device 102 may provide third presentation data for display. The third presentation data may include third display data associated with the currently running application. For example, if a weather application is the currently running application, the third display data may include additional information related to the current weather, such as a forecast or noteworthy expected upcoming weather events. The third display data may be displayed in addition to the first display data and / or the second display data, or as a replacement for the first display data and / or the second display data.

[0051] As described above, providing various presentation data for display can realize the progressive "rolling out" of data. For example, when the control item 104 approaches or retreats from the user device 102, various presentation data can be displayed or removed from the display in a responsive, intuitive manner to provide visibility (affordance) to the user, wherein the user and the user are associated with the interaction of the user device 102. In some implementations, the presentation data can be "scrolled" onto the display device to simulate the scrolling of the display data relative to the display device. For example, the first part of the presentation data can be displayed before the second part of the presentation data. The first part can be translated in one or more directions relative to the user interface to allow space for the second part of the presentation data. For example, the presentation data can be provided in a list format, and each item of the list is scrolled up and down the screen based at least in part on the position of the control item 104 relative to the user device 102. For example, the data can be scrolled in the forward direction when the control item 104 approaches the user device 102, and scrolled in the opposite direction when the control item 104 is withdrawn from the user device 102.

[0052] When the control item 104 moves into the second proximity zone 124, the user device 102 may initiate operation in an interactive mode. The interactive mode may allow user interaction with the user interface. As described above, interaction may be provided by control gestures performed by the control item 104. For example, when the control item 104 is located in the second proximity zone 124, the user device 102 may monitor control gestures performed by the control item 104.

[0053] For example, the user device 102 may compare the motion profile associated with the control article 104 with the gesture data 114 to determine a match between the movement pattern of the control article 104 and the control gesture associated with the gesture data 114. If a match is determined, the user device 102 may interpret the movement pattern of the control article 104 as a control gesture, and may determine one or more actions or operations to be performed in response to the execution of the control gesture. In some implementations, a match may be found between the movement pattern and the control gesture by determining, at least in part, the level at which the user device 102 determines that the movement pattern is intended to be a control gesture. For example, the user device 102 may compare the movement pattern with the gesture data 114 to determine a percentage of the likelihood (e.g., certainty) that the movement pattern is intended to be a control gesture. If the percentage of likelihood is greater than a threshold, a match may be determined.

[0054] In response to detecting the execution of a control gesture by the control article 104, the user device 102 can perform one or more corresponding actions or operations. For example, such an action or operation may include a user interface control action. Based at least in part on the current context of the user interface, the user interface control action may be contextual. In this way, the control gesture can be configured to allow the user to navigate through the user interface to view or manipulate the information displayed on the user interface. For example, the action to be performed in response to the control gesture may include a scrolling action, a selection action, a zooming action, and / or other suitable user interface control actions. In this way, the user can navigate through one or more applications associated with the user device 102, and can select an application to run on the user device 102 by performing a control gesture (e.g., an air hand gesture). The user is then able to navigate through the selected application to view or manipulate the data within the application.

[0055] When the control item 104 is removed from the second proximity zone 124, the user device 102 may cease monitoring for control gestures. In some implementations, an application that the user interacted with immediately before the control item 104 was removed from the second proximity zone 124 may remain running on the user device. In this manner, when the control item 104 is subsequently detected within the first proximity zone 122, the user device 102 may provide presentation data associated with such currently running applications for display.

[0056] As described above, when the control article 104 is not detected within the first proximity zone 122 or the second proximity zone 124, the user device 102 can operate in a standby mode. When operating in the standby mode, the user device 102 can provide standby data on the user interface for display. Such standby data can include time information or other information associated with the current date and time. In some implementations, the standby data can be configured to simulate the dial of a watch.

[0057] It should be understood that the proximity zone configuration 120 is depicted for illustrative purposes only. For example, various other proximity zone configurations may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In particular, various other suitable proximity zone configurations having various other proximity zone amounts, sizes, shapes, etc. may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, one or more proximity zones may include any suitable number of sub-zones. As described above, the number of sub-zones may be determined based at least in part on the amount of display data to be displayed and / or the desired manner in which the display data will be displayed. For example, the sub-zones may be configured to allow data to be "scrolled out" in a progressive manner so that a desired number of data iterations (e.g., first, second, third, etc. presentation data) are displayed.

[0058] Figure 3-Figure 8 An example display configuration of an example user interface 200 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown, the user interface 200 can be associated with a wearable computing device such as a smart watch. Specifically, the user interface 200 can be displayed on a display device associated with a smart watch face. However, it should be understood that various other suitable user interfaces associated with various other suitable user devices can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Such a display configuration of the user interface 200 can be determined at least in part based on the position of the control item 104 relative to the user device 102. For example, in some implementations, the display configuration of the user interface 200 can be determined at least in part based on the position of the control item 104 in the user device 102. Figure 2 Presence within the proximity zone configuration 120 shown determines such a display configuration.

[0059] For example, Figure 3 A display configuration 202 is depicted that is displayed on the user interface 200. The display configuration 202 can correspond to a standby mode of the user device 102. As shown, the display configuration 202 includes standby data of a watch face configured to specify a current time. For example, the display configuration 202 depicts a watch face with a minute hand and an hour hand that specify a current time. The display configuration 202 can be displayed on the user interface 202 when no control article 104 is detected within a proximity zone configuration, such as the proximity zone configuration 120 or other proximity zone configurations associated with the user device 102.

[0060] When the user device 102 detects the control article 104 within the first proximity zone 122, the user device 102 may initiate operation in the presentation mode. Figure 4A display configuration 204 associated with the user interface 200 is depicted. The display configuration 204 may correspond to a presentation mode configured to display non-interactive data associated with a currently running message application. In this way, the display configuration 204 may display first presentation data associated with the user interface 200. For example, when the user device 102 detects the control article 104 within the first proximity area 122, the user device 102 may provide presentation data associated with the display configuration 204 for display. Such presentation data includes an application icon 205. The application icon 205 is associated with a message application installed on the user device 102. As shown, the application icon 205 may correspond to a dial element associated with the user interface 200 displayed on the watch face. As shown, the application icon 205 includes a message indicator 206 or is otherwise associated with the message indicator 206, and a sender indicator 208 associated with the message application. In this way, the display configuration 204 may provide the user with a first presentation data indicating an initial indication of an unread or received message. In some implementations, the message indicator 206 and / or the sender indicator 208 can be scrolled into the user interface 200 based at least in part on the position of the control item 104. For example, the message indicator 206 and / or the sender indicator can be configured to scroll up or down the user interface 200 on an individual basis as the control item 104 approaches or exits the user device 102.

[0061] As an example, when the control article 104 approaches the user device 102, the message indicator 206 and / or sender indicator 208 associated with the message from Todd can be displayed on the user interface 200 before the message indicator 206 and / or sender indicator 208 associated with the messages from Ivan and Timo. In some implementations, the messages can be listed in the order in which the messages arrived. In some implementations, the message indicator 206 and / or sender indicator 208 can be rolled down from the user interface 200 to make room for one or more additional message indicators and / or sender indicators to be displayed.

[0062] When the control article 104 is in proximity to the user device 102, the user device 102 may display additional or different presentation data. For example, Figure 5 An example display configuration 210 is depicted. The display configuration 210 may correspond to second presentation data displayed on the user interface 200 when operating in the presentation mode. As shown, the second presentation data may include additional data corresponding to the first presentation data of the display configuration 204. The second presentation data may be presentation data associated with the application icon 205. For example, the second presentation data includes a message preview 212 that describes a portion of a message from Timo. The second presentation data also includes a time of receipt indicator 214.

[0063] The first presentation data and the second presentation data 206 of the display configuration 204 may be displayed based at least in part on the position of the control item 104 within the first proximity zone 122. For example, the first presentation data may be displayed when the control item 104 is present in the sub-zone 126, and the second presentation data may be displayed when the control item 104 crosses into the sub-zone 128. In some implementations, the display of the first and second presentation data may be triggered by the control item 104 crossing one or more distance thresholds associated with the first proximity zone 122.

[0064] When the control article 104 enters the second proximity zone 124, the user device 102 may initiate operation in the interactive mode. When in the interactive mode, the user device 102 may provide the interactive data for display on the user interface 200. For example, Figure 6 Display configuration 216 is depicted. Display configuration 216 can correspond to an interaction mode of user device 102. When control article 104 enters second proximity zone 124, user device 102 can begin monitoring for control gestures. Upon detecting execution of a control gesture by control article 104, user device 102 can perform one or more user interface actions based on the detected control gesture.

[0065] As shown, display configuration 216 depicts message preview 212. Display configuration 216 also depicts application icons 218 and 220. Application icons 218 and 220 may correspond to applications installed on user device 102. Similar to application icon 205, application icons 218 and 220 appear with a watch face element associated with a smart watch face. Display configuration 216 also depicts time indicator 222. For example, the time indicator corresponds to a watch hand of the time data depicted in display configuration 202. The time indicator may move as the watch hand moves to reflect the changing time.

[0066] When operating in interactive mode, user device 102 can accept control gesture input performed by control item 104, and can control user interface 200 based at least in part on the control gesture. As shown, each control gesture of a predetermined set of control gestures can correspond to a contextual user interface control action to be performed in response to detecting that control item 104 performs a control gesture. For example, a user can perform a control gesture (e.g., through manipulation of control item 104) to prompt the user device to control user interface 200 in a desired manner. For example, a user can interact with a messaging application to select one or more messages to be fully displayed. Figure 7 As shown, upon selection of a message, user device 102 may provide the entire message for display. Figure 7An example display configuration 224 is depicted. For example, the user device 102 can provide for display a message body 226 corresponding to the message preview 212 associated with the message received from Timo. In some implementations, the user can scroll or cycle through one or more additional received messages (e.g., messages received from Ivan and / or Todd) so that the entirety of such additional messages is displayed on the user interface 202.

[0067] Reference again Figure 6 , the user can also navigate to application icons 218 and 220 (e.g., by performing a control gesture). Figure 8 Display configuration 228 is depicted. Display configuration 228 depicts application icon 218 after a control gesture is performed by control article 104 to prompt scrolling to application icon 218. As shown, application icon 218 corresponds to a weather application. After scrolling to application icon 218, a preview 230 of the weather application can be displayed on user interface 200. The user can then select application icon 218 to prompt user device 102 to open the weather application so that the weather application runs on user device 102. The opening of the weather application can trigger additional interaction data associated with the weather application to be displayed on user interface 200. The user can then interact with the weather application in a desired manner.

[0068] As described above, it should be understood that various other user interfaces with various other display configurations may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, various user interfaces associated with various user devices may be used and may be controlled using various suitable control gestures. In addition, various other suitable presentation and / or interaction data associated with various other suitable applications may be displayed within the user interface.

[0069] Fig. 9 A flowchart of an example method (300) for providing gesture-based control of a user interface according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The method (300) may be implemented by one or more computing devices, such as Fig.12 In addition, Fig. 9 The steps are depicted to be performed in a specific order for the purposes of illustration and discussion. One of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosure provided herein, will understand that the steps of any method discussed herein may be adapted, rearranged, expanded, omitted or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] At (302), the method (300) may include providing standby data corresponding to a standby mode of a user interface associated with the user device for display. For example, the standby data may include time data or other data associated with a current time and / or data. In some implementations, the user device may operate in the standby mode when the user device does not detect a control item. As described above, the control item may be an item or object configured to perform a control gesture to control the operation of the user device.

[0071] At (304), the method (300) may include detecting the presence of a control article in a first proximity zone proximate to the user device. The first proximity zone may be included in a proximity zone configuration having one or more proximity zones. The first proximity zone may be any suitable shape and / or size. In some implementations, the boundaries of the first proximity zone may be determined based at least in part on an antenna beam pattern associated with the user device.

[0072] At (306), method (300) may include providing presentation data corresponding to a presentation mode of the user interface for display. When the control item is present in the first proximity area, the user device may operate in the presentation mode. For example, the presentation data may be displayed in response to detecting the presence of the control item in the first proximity area. The presentation data may include data associated with an application currently running on the user device. The presentation data may be non-interactive data. In some implementations, the presentation data may be displayed for the duration that the control item is present in the first proximity area. In some implementations, the user device will not detect or respond to control gestures performed by the control item when operating in the presentation mode.

[0073] At (308), the method (300) may include detecting the presence of a control item in a second proximity zone proximate to the user device. The second proximity zone may be included in a proximity zone configuration. In some implementations, the proximity zone configuration may be predetermined. The second proximity zone may separate the user device and the first proximity zone. For example, the second proximity zone may be a zone or area adjacent to the user device and may extend outward from the user device in one or more directions. The first proximity zone may be adjacent to the second proximity zone and may extend outward from the first proximity zone in one or more directions. The first and second proximity zones may be separated by one or more boundaries or thresholds.

[0074] At (310), method (300) may include providing interaction data corresponding to an interaction mode of the user interface for display. When the control item is located in the second proximity area, the user device may operate in the interaction mode. For example, the interaction data may be displayed in response to detecting the presence of the control item in the second proximity area. For example, the interaction data may include data associated with one or more applications installed on the user device or otherwise associated with the user device. When operating in the interaction mode, the user device may be configured to interact with the user (e.g., via a control gesture performed).

[0075] At (312), method (300) may include initiating monitoring of control gestures. For example, the user device may track the control item and determine a motion profile associated with the control item. As shown, determining the motion profile may include determining velocity data, position data (e.g., spatial coordinates, radial distance from the user device, etc.), and / or other data during one or more time periods. The motion profile may be compared to a set of predetermined control gestures to determine a match (or sufficient match) between a movement pattern of the control item and a control gesture from the predetermined set of control gestures.

[0076] At (314), the method (300) may include determining that the control article performs a control gesture when the control article is located in the second proximity area. At (316), the method (300) may include performing one or more actions based at least in part on the determined control gesture. For example, each control gesture of the set of control gestures may have corresponding one or more actions to be performed by the user device in response to detecting that the control article performs the control gesture. In some implementations, the one or more actions may correspond to user interface control actions, such as scrolling, selecting, zooming, etc. within the user interface. For example, the user interface control action may be a contextual action based at least in part on the current state of the user interface.

[0077] As described above, in some implementations, the first and / or second proximity zones may include one or more sub-zones within the first and / or second proximity zones. Detection of a control object within a sub-zone may trigger the user device to display data. For example, Fig.10 A flowchart of an example method (400) for providing first and second presentation data for display according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The method (400) may be implemented by one or more computing devices, such as Fig.12 In addition, Fig.10The steps are depicted to be performed in a specific order for the purposes of illustration and discussion. One of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosure provided herein, will understand that the steps of any method discussed herein may be adapted, rearranged, expanded, omitted or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0078] At (402), the method (400) may include detecting the presence of a control article in a first sub-area within the proximity zone. As shown, the first sub-area may be an area or zone that defines a portion of the proximity zone. In this manner, the first sub-area may be located within the proximity zone. In some implementations, the first sub-area may be a sub-area that is farthest from the user device within the proximity zone.

[0079] At (404), method (400) may include providing first presentation data for display. In response to detecting the presence of a control item in the first sub-area, the first presentation data may be provided for display. As described above, the first presentation data may correspond to a presentation mode associated with a user interface associated with the user device. In some implementations, the first presentation data may include a first subset of presentation data to be displayed in association with the presentation mode. For example, the first presentation data may include data associated with an application currently running on the user device.

[0080] At (406), the method (400) may include detecting the presence of a control article in a second sub-area within the proximity area. The second sub-area may be defined as a zone or region within the proximity area that is separate from the first sub-area. In some implementations, the first and second sub-areas may be adjacent sub-areas. In some implementations, the second sub-area may be closer to the user device than the first sub-area.

[0081] At (408), method (400) may include providing second presentation data for display. The second presentation data may be provided for display in response to detecting the presence of the control article in the second sub-area. In some implementations, the second presentation data may include a second subset of presentation data to be displayed in association with the presentation mode. For example, the second presentation data may include additional data or data associated with a currently running application that is different from the first presentation data. The second presentation data may be displayed in addition to or as an alternative to the first presentation data.

[0082] In some implementations, one or more additional sub-regions (e.g., a third sub-region, a fourth sub-region, etc.) can be used to trigger display of additional presentation data (third presentation data, fourth presentation data, etc.). In some implementations, distance thresholds within the proximity region can be used to trigger display of various presentation data (e.g., first presentation data, second presentation data, etc.). In such implementations, the proximity region can correspond to a zone or region between the distance thresholds.

[0083] Fig.11 An example control gesture group 440 is depicted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the control gesture group 440 includes a plurality of control gestures that can be performed by a representative control object 442 (e.g., a human hand). Specifically, the control gesture group 440 includes a virtual dial control gesture and a virtual button control gesture. In some implementations, the control gesture group may include one or more additional control gestures, such as a double virtual button control gesture, a shake control gesture, a long shake control gesture, and / or other suitable control gestures.

[0084] As shown, the control gestures in the control gesture group 440 each include a motion component for controlling an item. For example, a virtual dial control gesture may include the rotation of a thumb and fingers of a human hand to simulate the rotation of a dial or knob. As another example, a virtual button control gesture may include the movement of thumbs or fingers toward each other to simulate the pressing of a button. In this way, a double virtual tap motion may include two such motions in succession to simulate a double press of a button. As yet another example, a shake control gesture may include the movement of one or more fingers in a back and forth motion to simulate a shake motion. In this way, a long shake control gesture may include a longer back and forth motion of one or more fingers to simulate a longer shake motion.

[0085] As described above, when a user computing device (e.g., a smartwatch) according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure detects the execution of a control gesture included in control gesture group 440 through a suitable control item (e.g., a hand of a user approaching the user computing device), the user computing device may perform one or more actions. Specifically, the control gestures in control gesture group 440 may be mapped to one or more actions to be performed in response to detecting a control gesture in the control gestures set by the control item. Such an action may be a contextual user interface control action.

[0086] As an example, the virtual dial control gesture can be mapped to an action associated with navigating the user interface. Navigation can depend on the current context of the user interface. As an example, when the user interface is displaying Figure 8228, detection of execution of a virtual dial control gesture can cause the user device to cycle or scroll to dial elements (e.g., application icons 205, 218, 220) displayed on the user interface. As another example, when the user interface is displaying display configuration 224, detection of execution of a virtual dial control gesture can cause the user device to cycle or scroll to messages within a messaging application. The virtual dial control gesture can be a bidirectional control gesture. In this manner, rotation of a thumb and finger in a first direction (e.g., clockwise) can result in navigation (e.g., scrolling) in the first direction, and rotation of the thumb and finger in a second direction (e.g., counterclockwise) can result in navigation (e.g., scrolling) in the second direction.

[0087] The virtual button control gesture can be mapped to a selection action associated with the user interface. For example, the detection of the execution of the virtual button control gesture can cause the user device to open an application installed on the user device. As an example, when the user interface is displaying the display configuration 216, the detection of the execution of the virtual button control gesture can cause the user device to open a message application associated with the application icon 205. In this way, a more detailed view of the message application can be displayed, such as the view displayed in the display configuration 224. In some implementations, if the selected application (e.g., in response to the detection of the execution of the virtual button control gesture) is not running when selected, the virtual button control gesture can cause the selected application to run on the user device. For example, when the display configuration 228 is displayed on the user interface, the detection of the execution of the virtual button control gesture can cause the weather application associated with the application icon 218 to run on the user device. The virtual button control gesture can further cause the user interface to open a more detailed view of the weather application. As shown, once a more detailed view of the weather application is displayed, the control gesture associated with the control gesture group 440 can be used to control the user interface within the weather application.

[0088] Fig.12 An example computing system 500 is depicted that can be used to implement methods and systems according to example aspects of the present disclosure. System 500 can be implemented using a single computing device, or system 500 can be implemented using a client-server architecture in which a user computing device communicates with one or more remote computing devices 530 via a network 540. System 500 can be implemented using other suitable architectures.

[0089] As shown, the system 500 includes a user computing device 510. The user computing device 510 can be any suitable type of computing device, such as a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a speaker device, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a mobile device, a navigation system, a smart phone, a tablet, a wearable computing device, a display with one or more processors, or other suitable computing devices. The user computing device 510 can have one or more processors 512 and one or more memory devices 514. The user computing device 510 can also include a network interface for communicating with one or more remote computing devices 530 via a network 540. The network interface can include any suitable components for interfacing with one or more networks, including, for example, a transmitter, a receiver, a port, a controller, an antenna, or other suitable components.

[0090] The one or more processors 512 may include any suitable processing device, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, integrated circuit, logic device, graphics processing unit (GPU) device, or other suitable processing device dedicated to efficiently rendering images or performing other special-purpose calculations. The one or more memory devices 514 may include one or more computer-readable media, including but not limited to non-transitory computer-readable media, RAM, ROM, hard drive, flash drive, or other memory devices. The one or more memory devices 514 may store information accessible by the one or more processors 512, including computer-readable instructions 516 that can be executed by the one or more processors 512. The instructions 516 may be a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 512, cause the one or more processors 512 to perform operations. For example, the instructions 516 may be executed by the one or more processors 512 to implement, for example, reference Figure 1 The sensing module 106, gesture manager 108, interface manager 110, and / or motion tracker 112 are depicted.

[0091] like Fig.12 As shown, the one or more memory devices 514 may also store data 518 that may be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processors 512. The data 518 may include, for example, gesture data 114 motion profiles determined according to example embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as other data. The data 518 may be stored in one or more databases. In various implementations, the one or more databases may be implemented within the user computing device 510, connected to the user computing device 510 via a high-bandwidth LAN or WAN, and / or connected to the user computing device 510 via a network 540. The one or more databases may be split so that they are located in multiple locales.

[0092] Fig.12The user computing device 510 may include various input / output devices for providing and receiving information from the user, such as a touch screen, a touch pad, data entry keys, a speaker, and / or a microphone suitable for speech recognition. For example, according to example aspects of the present disclosure, the user computing device 510 may have a display device 515 for presenting a user interface for displaying application data.

[0093] The user computing device 510 may exchange data with one or more remote computing devices 530 via a network 540. In some implementations, the remote computing device 530 may be a server, such as a network server. Fig.12 Only two remote computing devices 530 are shown, but any number of remote computing devices 530 may be connected to user computing device 510 via network 540 .

[0094] The remote computing device 530 may be implemented using any suitable computing device. Similar to the user computing device 510, the remote computing device 530 may include one or more processors 532 and memory 534. The one or more processors 532 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) and / or other processing devices. The memory 534 may include one or more computer-readable media and may store information accessible by the one or more processors 532, including instructions 536 and data 538 that may be executed by the one or more processors 532.

[0095] Remote computing device 530 may also include a network interface for communicating with one or more remote computing devices (e.g., user computing device 510) over network 540. The network interface may include any suitable components for interfacing with one or more networks, including, for example, a transmitter, receiver, port, controller, antenna, or other suitable components.

[0096] The network 540 may be any type of communication network, such as a local area network (e.g., an intranet), a wide area network (e.g., the Internet), a cellular network, or some combination thereof. The network 540 may also include a direct connection between the remote computing device 530 and the user computing device 510. In general, communication between the user computing device 510 and the remote computing device 530 may be performed via a network interface using any type of wired and / or wireless connection, using a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP / IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and / or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

[0097] The technology discussed herein refers to servers, databases, software applications and other computer-based systems, as well as the actions taken and the information sent to and from these systems. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the inherent flexibility of computer-based systems allows for great variations in the possible configuration, combination and division of tasks and functions between various components. For example, the server processes discussed herein can be implemented using a single server or multiple servers working in combination. Databases and applications can be implemented on a single system or distributed across multiple systems. Distributed components can operate sequentially or in parallel.

[0098] Although the subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific example embodiments thereof, it will be understood that changes, variations, and equivalents to these embodiments may be readily made by those skilled in the art upon gaining an understanding of the foregoing. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than limitation, and the present disclosure does not exclude the inclusion of such modifications, variations, and / or additions to the subject matter, which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising: detecting, via a radar module of a computing device, the presence of a control article in a first proximity zone proximate to the computing device; causing, by the computing device, display of a presentation mode of a user interface, the presentation mode including one or more non-interactive user interface elements, in response to detecting presence of the control article in the first proximity zone; detecting, via the radar module of the computing device, the presence of the control article in a second proximity zone proximate to the computing device, the second proximity zone defining a physical area separated from the first proximity zone, the first proximity zone being adjacent to the second proximity zone, and the second proximity zone separating the first proximity zone and the computing device; in response to detecting the presence of the control article in the second proximity zone, switching, by the computing device, a display from the presentation mode to an interactive mode of the user interface, the interactive mode including one or more interactive user interface elements and removing at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements; and In response to ceasing to detect the presence of the control item in the first proximity zone or the second proximity zone, the computing device switches the display from the presentation mode or the interaction mode to a standby mode of the user interface, the standby mode including one or more standby user interface elements and removing at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements or at least one of the interactive user interface elements.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining, via the radar module of the computing device, a control gesture performed by the control article when the control article is located in the second proximity zone; as well as At least one action is performed by the computing device based at least in part on the determined control gesture.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein: The at least one action comprises a control action associated with at least one of the interactive user interface elements.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein: The at least one interactive user interface element is one of a plurality of interactive user interface elements corresponding to the respective application; and The control action scrolls through the interactive user interface elements.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: The non-interactive user interface element is determined based on a position of the control item within the first proximity zone.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein: The non-interactive user interface elements include: a first non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a first sub-region within the first proximity region; and A second non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a second sub-area within the first proximity area.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: The non-interactive user interface element is determined based at least in part on a currently running application associated with the computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: The standby user interface element displays time data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein: At least one of the standby user interface elements is a clock face or a time display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: In response to detecting the presence of the control article in the second proximity zone, monitoring, via the radar module of the computing device, performance of a control gesture by the control article.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein: The monitoring includes: determining, via the radar module of the computing device, a motion pattern associated with the control article; and The motion pattern is compared, by the computing device, to one or more predetermined control gestures.

12. A computing system comprising: Radar module; one or more processors; and one or more memory devices storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: detecting, via the radar module, the presence of a control article in a first proximity zone proximate to the computing system; responsive to detecting presence of the control article in the first proximity zone, causing display of a presentation mode of a user interface associated with the computing system, the presentation mode including one or more non-interactive user interface elements; detecting, via the radar module, a presence of the control article in a second proximity zone proximate to the computing system, the second proximity zone defining a physical area separated from the first proximity zone, the first proximity zone being adjacent to the second proximity zone, and the second proximity zone separating the first proximity zone from the computing system; In response to detecting the presence of the control article in the second proximity zone, switching the display from the presentation mode to an interaction mode of the user interface, and In response to ceasing to detect the presence of the control item in the first proximity zone or the second proximity zone, the display switches from the presentation mode or the interaction mode to a standby mode of the user interface, the standby mode including one or more standby user interface elements and removing at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements or at least one of the interactive user interface elements.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein: The operations also include: determining, via the radar module, a control gesture performed by the control article when the control article is within the second proximity zone; and At least one action is performed based on the determined control gesture.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein: The non-interactive user interface elements include: a first non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a first sub-region within the first proximity region; and A second non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a second sub-area within the first proximity area.

15. The computing system of claim 12, wherein: At least one of the standby user interface elements is a clock face or a time display.

16. The computing system of claim 12, wherein: At least one of the interactive user interface elements corresponds to at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable medium storage devices, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable medium storage devices comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: detecting the presence of a control article in a first proximity zone proximate to the user computing device based on information received from a radar module of the user computing device; responsive to detecting presence of the control article in the first proximity zone, causing display of a presentation mode of a user interface associated with the user computing device, the presentation mode including one or more non-interactive user interface elements; detecting, based on the information received from the radar module of the user computing device, the presence of the control article in a second proximity zone proximate to the user computing device, the second proximity zone defining a physical area separated from a first proximity zone, the first proximity zone being adjacent to the second proximity zone, and the second proximity zone separating the first proximity zone from the user computing device; responsive to detecting the presence of the control article in the second proximity zone, switching the display from the presentation mode to an interactive mode of the user interface, the interactive mode including one or more interactive user interface elements and removing at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements; and In response to ceasing to detect the presence of the control item in the first proximity zone or the second proximity zone, the display switches from the presentation mode or the interaction mode to a standby mode of the user interface, the standby mode including one or more standby user interface elements and removing at least one of the non-interactive user interface elements or at least one of the interactive user interface elements.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable medium storage devices of claim 17, wherein: The operations also include: determining, based on the information received from the radar module of the user computing device, a control gesture to be performed by the control article when the control article is located in the second proximity zone; and At least one action is performed based at least in part on the determined control gesture.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable medium storage devices of claim 18, wherein: The non-interactive user interface elements include: a first non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a first sub-region within the first proximity region; and A second non-interactive user interface element based on the presence of the control article in a second sub-area within the first proximity area.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storage devices of claim 17, wherein: At least one of the standby user interface elements is a clock face or a time display.

Images