US 9,069,385 B1Granted

Communicating physical gestures as compressed data streams

AssigneeSprint Communications Company L.P.

InventorsJohn D. Lynch, Brian D. Mauer, Larry D. Cummings, Pedro A. Zamora

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Computer-readable media and systems for communicating physical gestures as compressed data streams are provided. In particular, a technique is employed for generating replicated physical gestures on a user-interface display to visibly communicate sign language without transmitting information standard to typical video sessions, such as audio or video frames. In general, the technique entails the following steps: receiving coordinate representations of user-initiated physical gestures (e.g., hand movements); deciphering the received coordinate representations to identify corresponding motion patterns; and conveying the motion patterns to a presentation component for rendering. Rendering involves replicating the physical gestures by providing animations that carry out the motion patterns. The coordinate representations are generally received from a mobile device that captures physical gestures of a sender by employing a position-tracking interface. Upon capturing the physical gestures, the mobile device maps the coordinate representations to the physical gestures and records/transmits the coordinate representations at a high-speed frame rate.

Claims20

Dependent claims

One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for communicating physical gestures across a wireless network as a data stream, the method comprising:

receiving within the data stream coordinate representations of one or more user-initiated physical gestures captured by a position-tracking interface of a mobile device, wherein the physical gestures are captured by a process that includes at least temporarily, recording the coordinate representations at a high-speed frame rate that is greater than about 14 frames per second;
determining that bandwidth is unavailable for the data stream of the coordinate representations such that the coordinate representations are converted into reduced bandwidth streaming data based in part on isolating the coordinate representations from corollary information;
deciphering the coordinate representations to identify corresponding predefined motion patterns via a mapping procedure comprising:
(1) aggregating the coordinate representations that correspond to a particular one of the physical gestures;
and
(2) comparing, the aggregated coordinate representations against a library of predefined motion patterns to determine a match;
upon identifying corresponding predefined motion patterns each being a graphical depiction of movement, conveying the predefined motion patterns different from a composite of the original image to a presentation component for rendering;
and
generating animations from the graphical depiction of movement of each of the predefined motion patterns that match the coordinate representations of the one or more physical gestures in replicating the one or more physical gestures.

6 more elements

A computerized method for communicating sign language across a wireless network, the method comprising:

capturing coordinate representations of one or more user-initiated physical gestures that are associated with a sign language that utilizes hand gesturing to communicate, wherein capturing comprises:
(a) locating traceable elements disposed on a wearable input device;
and
(b) tracking the traceable elements, at high-speed frame rate to recognize the one or more physical gestures, wherein the one or more physical gestures comprise discrete spatial movements of the wearable input device;
and
conveying the coordinate representations via a wireless network for rendering at a remote presentation component, wherein rendering comprises:
(a) replicating the one or more physical gestures upon deciphering the coordinate representations;
wherein replication involves comparing the coordinate representations against a library of predefined motion patterns, each being a graphical depiction of movement, to determine a match;
and
(b) generating animations from the graphical depiction of movement of each of the predefined motion patterns that correspond to the coordinate representations to render the one or more physical gestures with a computer-generated model surfaced at a display device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/350,778Filed 8 Jan 2009
Granted: 30 Jun 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 3/017
Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer: gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a…
G06F 3/014
Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality: hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
G06V 40/28
Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition: recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language
G06F
Computing and data processing