46 results about "Haptic user interfaces" patented technology

A method of configuring a widget and a tactile user interface which displays the widget are disclosed which enable menu-setting operations with minimal touch gestures and occupation of screen space. The interface includes a touch sensitive display device and memory which stores instructions for displaying the widget and a set of graphic objects together on the display device. The widget has two or more virtual sides, each of the sides being associated with a respective functionality. The widget is flipped, in response to a recognized touch gesture, from a first of the sides to a second of the sides, whereby the functionality of the widget is changed. The graphic objects are associated, in memory, with respective items having attributes. The graphic objects exhibit a response to the widget functionality of a currently displayed one of the sides of the widget based on the attributes of the respective items.

A system for controlling flight of an aircraft has sensors (37, 43), a receiver (45), and a digital control system (57), all of which are carried aboard the aircraft. The sensors (37, 43) determine the position of the aircraft relative to the earth and the inertial movement of the aircraft. The receiver (45) receives transmitted data (51, 55) communicating the position and movement of a reference vehicle relative to the earth. The control system (57) calculates the position and velocity of the aircraft relative to the reference vehicle using the data from the sensors (37, 43) and the receiver (45) and then commands flight control devices (33) on the aircraft for maneuvering the aircraft in a manner that maintains a selected position and / or velocity relative to the reference vehicle. The system allows use of a graphical or tactile user interfaces.

A fluid user interface is presented for applications such as immersive multimedia. In one embodiment, one or more sprays or jets create an immersive multimedia environment in which a participant can interact within the immersive multimedia environment by blocking, partially blocking, diverting, or otherwise engaging with a fluid, to create computational input. When the fluid is air, a keyboard can be implemented on cushions of air coming out of various nozzles or jets. When the fluid is water, the invention may be used in environments such as showers, baths, hot tubs, waterplay areas, gardens, and the like to create a fun, playful, or wet user-interface. In some embodiments, the spraying is computationally controlled, so that the spray creates a tactile user-interface for the control of such devices as new musical instruments. These may be installed in public fountains to result in a fluid user interface to music by playing in the fountains. The invention may also be used in a setting like a karaoke bar, in which participants perform music by playing in a fountain while they sing. Small self contained embodiments of the invention may exist as pool toys, bath toys, or decorative fountains that can sit on desk tops, or the like.

A system and method are provided for dynamically generating a query using touch gestures. A virtual magnet is movable on a display device of a tactile user interface in response to touch. A user selects one of a set of text documents for review, which is displayed on the display. The system is configured for recognizing a highlighting gesture on the tactile user interface over the displayed document as a selection of a text fragment from the document text. The virtual magnet is populated with a query which is based on the text fragment selected with the highlighting gesture. The populated magnet is able to cause a subset of displayed graphic objects to exhibit a response to the magnet as a function of the query and the text content of the respective documents which the objects represent and / or to cause responsive instances in a text document to be displayed.

A system for controlling flight of an aircraft has sensors, a receiver, and a digital control system, all of which are carried aboard the aircraft. The sensors determine the position of the aircraft relative to the earth and the inertial movement of the aircraft. The receiver receives transmitted data communicating the position and movement of a reference vehicle relative to the earth. The control system calculates the position and velocity of the aircraft relative to the reference vehicle using the data from the sensors and the receiver and then commands flight control devices on the aircraft for maneuvering the aircraft in a manner that maintains a selected position and / or velocity relative to the reference vehicle. The system allows use of a graphical or tactile user interfaces.