Devices and methods for controlling electronic devices or systems with physical objects
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsShem Nguyen, Soravis Prakkamakul
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Some examples described in this disclosure are performed at a first electronic device (e.g., a computer system) that is in communication with a display and one or more input devices. In some examples, the first electronic device detects a change in a physical environment of the first electronic device due to movement of one or more physical objects in the physical environment indicative of a user input. In some examples, the first electronic device performs a first action at the first electronic device or at a second electronic device in communication with the first electronic device in accordance with the change in the physical environment due to movement of the one or more physical objects in the physical environment.
Claims10
A method comprising:
- at a first electronic device in communication with a display and one or more input devices:
- detecting a change in a physical environment of the first electronic device due to a movement of one or more physical objects, different from a hand of a user and different from a writing implement, in the physical environment indicative of a user input including detecting movement of a first physical object, of the one or more physical objects relative to a second physical object, from a first location in the physical environment of the first electronic device to a second location in the physical environment, wherein the first physical object is less than a threshold distance from the second physical object before detecting the change in the physical environment;
- after detecting the change in the physical environment, in accordance with a determination that the first physical object is more than the threshold distance from the second physical object, performing a first action at the first electronic device or at a second electronic device in communication with the first electronic device in accordance with the change in the physical environment due to the movement of the one or more physical objects in the physical environment;
- and
- in accordance with a determination that the first physical object is not more than the threshold distance from the second physical object, forgoing performing the first action at the first electronic device or the second electronic device.
A first electronic device, comprising:
- one or more input devices, including a first input device configured to detect a gaze of a user of the first electronic device;
- a display;
- and
- one or more processors configured to perform a method comprising:
- detecting a change in a physical environment of the first electronic device due to a movement of one or more physical objects, different from a hand of the user, in the physical environment indicative of a user input;
- performing a first action at the first electronic device or at a second electronic device in communication with the first electronic device in accordance with the change in the physical environment due to the movement of the one or more physical objects, in relation to a second physical object, different from the one or more physical objects, in the physical environment;
- and
- before performing the first action in accordance with the change in the physical environment due to the movement of the one or more physical objects in the physical environment, receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input for configuring the first action to be performed based on the one or more physical objects;
- and
- in response to receiving the input:
- initiating a process to configure the first action to be performed based on movement of the one or more physical objects,
- wherein the input for configuring the first action to be performed based on the one or more physical objects includes the gaze of a user of the first electronic device directed to the one or more physical objects for a threshold amount of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.