Method for adaptive interaction with a legacy software application

A method for facilitating an interaction between an electronic system and a user in accordance with a legacy software application, the electronic system including a computing system and an input device, the computing system comprises of a display, a processor, and one or more sensors for detecting a present object, the input device comprises of a plurality of user-manipulated input controls, the method comprising:

• executing the legacy application with the processor;
• executing a supplemental software program with the processor, to identify a plurality of interactive features for the legacy application, wherein the one or more interactive features include at least one feature that does not correspond to an interactive feature provided by the legacy application;
• and
• physically reconfiguring the plurality of user-manipulated input controls and assigning functionality to said plurality of user-manipulated input controls as reconfigured, by the processor and based on the plurality of identified interactive features;
• receiving an input from the user via one or more of the user-manipulated input controls;
• processing the input at least partly by the supplemental software program;
• and
• providing a result of said processing to the legacy application,
• wherein the supplemental software program is a plugin, and
• wherein said physically reconfiguring and said assigning functionality are further based on a current position of the user relative to the user-manipulated input controls as detected by the sensors.

A non-transitory computer readable storage device containing an executable program for facilitating an interaction between an electronic system and a user in accordance with a legacy software application, the electronic system comprising a computing system and an input device, the computing system comprises of the legacy software application, a display, a processor, and one or more sensors for detecting a present object, and the input device comprises of a plurality of user-manipulated input controls, where the program performs steps comprising:

• executing the legacy application with the processor;
• executing a supplemental software program with the processor, to identify a plurality of interactive features for the legacy application;
• dynamically assigning functionality to the plurality of user-manipulated input controls based on the plurality of identified interactive features;
• displaying a visual depiction of the assigned functionality on the display of the computing system;
• receiving an input from the user via one or more of the user-manipulated input controls;
• processing the input at least partly by the supplemental software program;
• and
• providing a result of said processing to the legacy application
• wherein the functionality assigned to any given one of the plurality of user-manipulated input controls varies dynamically depending upon whether the one or more sensors detect an object proximate to the given one of the plurality of user-manipulated controls,
• wherein the plurality of identified interactive features includes at least one feature that does not correspond to an interactive feature provided by the legacy application, and
• wherein the supplemental software program is a plugin.

A non-transitory computer readable storage device containing an executable program for facilitating an interaction between an electronic system and a user in accordance with a legacy software application, the electronic system including a computing system and an input device, the computing system comprises of a display, a processor, and one or more sensors for detecting a present object, the input device comprises of a plurality of user-manipulated input controls, where the program performs steps comprising:

• executing the legacy application with the processor;
• executing a supplemental software program with the processor, to identify a plurality of interactive features for the legacy application, wherein the one or more interactive features include at least one feature that does not correspond to an interactive feature provided by the legacy application;
• and
• physically reconfiguring the plurality of user-manipulated input controls and assigning functionality to said plurality of user-manipulated input controls as reconfigured, by the processor and based on the plurality of identified interactive features;
• receiving an input from the user via one or more of the user-manipulated input controls;
• processing the input at least partly by the supplemental software program;
• and
• providing a result of said processing to the legacy application,
• wherein the supplemental software program is a plugin, and
• wherein said physically reconfiguring and said assigning functionality are further based on a current position of the user relative to the user-manipulated input controls as detected by the sensors.