Systems and methods for hands-off control of a mobile communication device
AssigneeTalkler Labs, LLC
InventorJeffrey Korn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments of the invention provide techniques and supporting systems for allowing a user to interrupt operation of an application in a hands-free manner. In one example, a software application responds to a combination of predefined physical actions and/or verbal utterances from the user, and cause the mobile communication device to pause or change its actions.
Claims44
A method for interrupting operation of an application on a mobile device, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an audio signal at an audio sensor of the mobile device;
- polling at least one additional sensor other than the audio sensor for signals directed at the mobile device;
- applying a threshold filter against each received signal;
- determining a time interval during which the signals were received at the mobile device;
- and
- if a subset of the received signals meets its respective threshold and the time interval falls within a maximum timing threshold, interrupting the operation of the application on the mobile device, and otherwise allowing the application to continue to operate without interruption.
A system for interrupting operation of an application on a mobile device, the system comprising:
- a processor for executing computer-executable instructions;
- and
- a memory for storing the computer-executable instructions, that when executed by the processor implements a user application, wherein the user application facilitates the interruption of an executing application by:
- receiving an audio signal at an audio sensor of the mobile device;
- polling at least one additional sensor other than the audio sensor for signals directed at the mobile device;
- applying a threshold filter against each received signal;
- determining a time interval during which the signals were received at the mobile device;
- and
- if a subset of the received signals meets its respective threshold and the time interval falls within a maximum timing threshold, interrupting the operation of the application on the mobile device, and otherwise allowing the application to continue to operate without interruption.
A method for triggering an operation within a software application operating on a physical device using user-generated signals, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving at the device a plurality of user-generated signals, each of the signals being received at a different sensor on the device;
- validating that each of the user signals meet a respective threshold;
- validating that the plurality of user signals were received within a specified time interval;
- and
- if the plurality of signals meets its respective threshold and the time interval falls within a maximum timing threshold, modifying operation of the application, and otherwise allowing the application to continue to operate without interruption.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.