Patents Assigned to Touchtable, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20130290421
    Abstract: Visualization of relatively complex data sets and the simultaneous synchronization of such data sets across both a network and to different areas having different capabilities is disclosed, especially in connection with session structure, synchronization, synchronized control of imagery, and restoring synchronization to a predefined tour.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: TouchTable, Inc.
    Inventors: James BENSON, James LAMANNA, Braddock GASKILL, David DOUGLAS, Scott CAMERON
  • Publication number: 20130082967
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying user gestures to control an interactive display identifies gestures based on a bounding box enclosing points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface and permits use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying gestures, position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may be considered. Center, width, height, aspect ratio, length and orientation of the bounding box diagonal may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed. Gestures may be identified based on the changes in time of these characteristics and quantities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: TOUCHTABLE, INC.
    Inventor: TouchTable, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8269739
    Abstract: An interactive display system, including a touch sensitive display, establishes a first image and at least one secondary image, each image representing various spatial coordinates, the spatial coordinates overlapping at least in part such that each image comprises an alternate depiction of subject matter common to all of the images. The first image is presented upon the display. Responsive to user input including contact with the display, imagery presented by the display is updated to integrate a region of at least one of the secondary images into the display. Each integrated region has substantially identical represented coordinates as a counterpart region of the first image. Further, each integrated region is presented in same scale and display location as the counterpart region of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 8188985
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a multi-user interactive display system including a display having a touch-sensitive display surface. A position is detected of each contact site at which the display surface experiences external physical contact. Each contact site's position history is utilized to compute velocity data for the respective contact site. At least one of the following is utilized to identify occurrence of one or more user gestures from a predetermined set of user gestures: the position history, the velocity data. Each user gesture corresponds to at least one predetermined action for updating imagery presented by the display as a whole. Action is commenced corresponding to the identified gesture. Responsive to a user gesture terminating with a nonzero velocity across the display surface, action is corresponding to the gesture is continued so as to simulate inertia imparted by said gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 8139043
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying gestures performed by a user to control an interactive display. The gestures are identified based on a bounding box enclosing the points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface. The invention thus permits the use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying the gestures, the position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may all be considered. In particular, the center, width, height, aspect ratio, length of the diagonal, and orientation of the diagonal of the bounding box may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventor: W. Daniel Hillis
  • Patent number: 8072439
    Abstract: The invention provides an interactive display that is controlled by user gestures identified on a touch detecting display surface. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, imagery is projected onto a horizontal projection surface from a projector located above the projection surface. The locations where a user contacts the projection surface are detected using a set of infrared emitters and receivers arrayed around the perimeter of the projection surface. For each contact location, a computer software application stores a history of contact position information and, from the position history, determines a velocity for each contact location. Based upon the position history and the velocity information, gestures are identified. The identified gestures are associated with display commands that are executed to update the displayed imagery accordingly. Thus, the invention enables users to control the display through direct physical interaction with the imagery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 7907124
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a multi-user interactive display system including a display having a touch-sensitive display surface. A position is detected for each contact site at which the display surface experiences external physical contact. Each contact site's position history is using to compute velocity data for the respective contact site. At least one of the following is using to identify occurrence of one or more user gestures from a predetermined set of user gestures: the position history, the velocity data. Each user gesture corresponds to at least one predetermined action for updating imagery presented by the display as a whole. Action is commenced corresponding to the identified gesture. Responsive to a user gesture terminating with a nonzero velocity across the display surface, action is corresponding to the gesture is continued so as to simulate inertia imparted by said gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Publication number: 20110022991
    Abstract: The invention provides an interactive display that is controlled by user gestures identified on a touch detecting display surface. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, imagery is projected onto a horizontal projection surface from a projector located above the projection surface. The locations where a user contacts the projection surface are detected using a set of infrared emitters and receivers arrayed around the perimeter of the projection surface. For each contact location, a computer software application stores a history of contact position information and, from the position history, determines a velocity for each contact location. Based upon the position history and the velocity information, gestures are identified. The identified gestures are associated with display commands that are executed to update the displayed imagery accordingly. Thus, the invention enables users to control the display through direct physical interaction with the imagery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: TOUCHTABLE, INC.
    Inventors: W. Daniel HILLIS, Bran Ferren
  • Publication number: 20100318904
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a multi-user interactive display system including a display having a touch-sensitive display surface. A position is detected of each contact site at which the display surface experiences external physical contact. Each contact site's position history is utilized to compute velocity data for the respective contact site. At least one of the following is utilized to identify occurrence of one or more user gestures from a predetermined set of user gestures: the position history, the velocity data. Each user gesture corresponds to at least one predetermined action for updating imagery presented by the display as a whole. Action is commenced corresponding to the identified gesture. Responsive to a user gesture terminating with a nonzero velocity across the display surface, action is corresponding to the gesture is continued so as to simulate inertia imparted by said gesture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: TOUCHTABLE, INC.
    Inventors: W. Daniel HILLIS, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 7728821
    Abstract: The invention provides an interactive display that is controlled by user gestures identified on a touch detecting display surface. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, imagery is projected onto a horizontal projection surface from a projector located above the projection surface. The locations where a user contacts the projection surface are detected using a set of infrared emitters and receivers arrayed around the perimeter of the projection surface. For each contact location, a computer software application stores a history of contact position information and, from the position history, determines a velocity for each contact location. Based upon the position history and the velocity information, gestures are identified. The identified gestures are associated with display commands that are executed to update the displayed imagery accordingly. Thus, the invention enables users to control the display through direct physical interaction with the imagery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren, Ryan McKinley
  • Patent number: 7724242
    Abstract: An interactive display system, including a touch sensitive display, establishes a first image and at least one secondary image, each image representing various spatial coordinates, the spatial coordinates overlapping at least in part such that each image comprises an alternate depiction of subject matter common to all of the images. The first image is presented upon the display. Responsive to user input including contact with the display, imagery presented by the display is updated to integrate a region of at least one of the secondary images into the display. Each integrated region has substantially identical represented coordinates as a counterpart region of the first image. Further, each integrated region is presented in same scale and display location as the counterpart region of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Daniel Hillis, Bran Ferren
  • Patent number: 7719523
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying gestures performed by a user to control an interactive display. The gestures are identified based on a bounding box enclosing the points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface. The invention thus permits the use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying the gestures, the position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may all be considered. In particular, the center, width, height, aspect ratio, length of the diagonal, and orientation of the diagonal of the bounding box may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Touchtable, Inc.
    Inventor: W. Daniel Hillis
  • Publication number: 20100117979
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying gestures performed by a user to control an interactive display. The gestures are identified based on a bounding box enclosing the points at which a user contacts a touch sensor corresponding with the display surface. The invention thus permits the use of inexpensive and highly reliable grid-based touch sensors that provide a bounding box to describe contact information. In identifying the gestures, the position, motion, shape, and deformation of the bounding box may all be considered. In particular, the center, width, height, aspect ratio, length of the diagonal, and orientation of the diagonal of the bounding box may be determined. A stretch factor, defined as the maximum of the ratio of the height of the bounding box to the width of the bounding box and the ratio of the width of the bounding box to the height of the bounding box, may also be computed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: TOUCHTABLE, INC.
    Inventor: W. Daniel HILLIS