Abstract: An interaction management module (IMM) is described for allowing users to engage an interactive surface in a collaborative environment using various input devices, such as keyboard-type devices and mouse-type devices. The IMM displays digital objects on the interactive surface that are associated with the devices in various ways. The digital objects can include input display interfaces, cursors, soft-key input mechanisms, and so on. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for establishing a frame of reference for governing the placement of each cursor on the interactive surface. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for allowing users to make a digital copy of a physical article placed on the interactive surface. The IMM also provides a mechanism which duplicates actions taken on the digital copy with respect to the physical article, and vice versa.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer storage media for detecting user input in an extended interaction space of a device, such as a handheld device. The method and system allow for utilizing a first sensor of the device sensing in a positive z-axis space of the device to detect a first input, such as a user's non-device-contacting gesture. The method and system also contemplate utilizing a second sensor of the device sensing in a negative z-axis space of the device to detect a second input. Additionally, the method and system contemplate updating a user interface presented on a display in response to detecting the first input by the first sensor in the positive z-axis space and detecting the second input by the second sensor in the negative z-axis space.

Abstract: A system is described herein which receives internal-assessed (IA) movement information from a mobile device. The system also receives external-assessed (EA) movement information from at least one monitoring system which captures a scene containing the mobile device. The system then compares the IA movement information with the EA movement information with respect to each candidate object in the scene. If the IA movement information matches the EA movement information for a particular candidate object, the system concludes that the candidate object is associated with the mobile device. For example, the object may correspond to a hand that holds the mobile device. The system can use the correlation results produced in the above-indicated manner to perform various environment-specific actions.

Abstract: There is provided an electronic device having a touch-sensing element configured for sensing touches on a surface thereof. A baseline sensitivity setting determines a sensitivity of the touch-sensing element. The touch-sensing element is configured to register a touch that meets or exceeds the baseline sensitivity setting, and to ignore a touch that does not meet the baseline sensitivity setting. The device further includes a sensor that senses an operating condition of the device. A memory of the device includes code executable by the device and configured to adjust the baseline sensitivity setting based upon the sensed operating condition.

Abstract: A touch sensor provides frames of touch sensor data, as the touch sensor is sampled over time. Spatial and temporal features of the touch sensor data from a plurality of frames, and contacts and attributes of the contacts in previous frames, are processed to identify contacts and attributes of the contacts in a current frame. Attributes of the contacts can include, whether the contact is reliable, shrinking, moving, or related to a fingertip touch. The characteristics of contacts can include information about the shape and rate of change of the contact, including but not limited to a sum of its pixels, its shape, size and orientation, motion, average intensities and aspect ratio.

Abstract: An input device has both a touch sensor and a position sensor. A computer using data from the input device uses the relative motion of a contact on a touch sensor with respect to motion from a position detector to disambiguate intentional from incidental motion. The input device provides synchronized position sensor and touch sensor data to the computer to permit processing the relative motion and performing other computations on both position sensor and touch sensor data. The input device can encode the magnitude and direction of motion of the position sensor and combines it with the touch sensor data from the same time frame, and output the synchronized data to the computer.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for monitoring interactions by an input object with an interactive interface projected onto an interface object. That is, an input object (e.g., a finger) and an interface object (e.g., a wall, a hand, a notepad, etc.) may be identified and tracked in real-time using depth data (e.g., depth data extracted from images captured by a depth camera). An interactive interface (e.g., a calculator, an email program, a keyboard, etc.) may be projected onto the interface object, such that the input object may be used to interact with the interactive interface. For example, the input object may be tracked to determine whether the input object is touching or hovering above the interface object and/or a projected portion of the interactive interface. If the input object is in a touch state, then a corresponding event associated with the interactive interface may be invoked.

Abstract: A “Contact Discriminator” provides various techniques for differentiating between valid and invalid contacts received from any input methodology by one or more touch-sensitive surfaces of a touch-sensitive computing device. Examples of contacts include single, sequential, concurrent, or simultaneous user finger touches (including gesture type touches), pen or stylus touches or inputs, hover-type inputs, or any combination thereof. The Contact Discriminator then acts on valid contacts (i.e., contacts intended as inputs) while rejecting or ignoring invalid contacts or inputs. Advantageously, the Contact Discriminator is further capable of disabling or ignoring regions of input surfaces, such tablet touch screens, that are expected to receive unintentional contacts, or intentional contacts not intended as inputs, for device or application control purposes.

Abstract: An interaction system is described which uses a depth camera to capture a depth image of a physical object placed on, or in vicinity to, an interactive surface. The interaction system also uses a video camera to capture a video image of the physical object. The interaction system can then generate a 3D virtual object based on the depth image and video image. The interaction system then uses a 3D projector to project the 3D virtual object back onto the interactive surface, e.g., in a mirrored relationship to the physical object. A user may then capture and manipulate the 3D virtual object in any manner. Further, the user may construct a composite model based on smaller component 3D virtual objects. The interaction system uses a projective texturing technique to present a realistic-looking 3D virtual object on a surface having any geometry.

Abstract: A multi-touch orientation sensing input device may enhance task performance efficiency. The multi-touch orientation sensing input device may include a device body that is partially enclosed or completely enclosed by a multi-touch sensor. The multi-touch orientation sensing input device may further include an inertia measurement unit that is disposed on the device body, The inertia measurement unit may measures a tilt angle of the device body with respect to a horizontal surface, as well as a roll angle of the device body along a length-wise axis of the device body with respect to an initial point on the device body.

Abstract: In embodiments of prediction-based touch contact tracking, touch input sensor data is recognized as a series of components of a contact on a touch-screen display. A first component of the contact can be identified, and a second component can be determined to correlate to the contact. The first component and the second component can then be associated to represent a tracking of the contact. Subsequent components of the contact can be determined and associated with the previous components of the contact to further represent the tracking of the contact.

Abstract: A method for resolving merged contacts detected by a multi-touch sensor includes resolving a first touch contact to a first centroid(N) for a frame(N) and resolving a second touch contact, distinct from the first touch contact, to a second centroid(N) for the frame(N). Responsive to the first touch contact and the second touch contact merging into a merged touch contact in a frame(N+1), the merged touch contact is resolved to a first centroid(N+1) and a second centroid(N+1).

Abstract: A synthetic gesture trace generator is described. In an embodiment, a synthetic gesture trace is generated using a gesture synthesizer which may be implemented in software. The synthesizer receives a number of inputs, including parameters associated with a touch sensor to be used in the synthesis and a gesture defined in terms of gesture components. The synthesizer breaks each gesture component into a series of time-stamped contact co-ordinates at the frame rate of the sensor, with each time-stamped contact co-ordinate detailing the position of any touch events at a particular time. Sensor images are then generated from the time-stamped contact co-ordinates using a contact-to-sensor transformation function. Where there are multiple simultaneous contacts, there may be multiple sensor images generated having the same time-stamp and these are combined to form a single sensor image for each time-stamp. This sequence of sensor images is formatted to create the synthetic gesture trace.

Abstract: A unique system and method is provided that facilitates pixel-accurate targeting with respect to multi-touch sensitive displays when selecting or viewing content with a cursor. In particular, the system and method can track dual inputs from a primary finger and a secondary finger, for example. The primary finger can control movement of the cursor while the secondary finger can adjust a control-display ratio of the screen. As a result, cursor steering and selection of an assistance mode can be performed at about the same time or concurrently. In addition, the system and method can stabilize a cursor position at a top middle point of a user's finger in order to mitigate clicking errors when making a selection.

Abstract: A unique system and method is provided that facilitates pixel-accurate targeting with respect to multi-touch sensitive displays when selecting or viewing content with a cursor. In particular, the system and method can track dual inputs from a primary finger and a secondary finger, for example. The primary finger can control movement of the cursor while the secondary finger can adjust a control-display ratio of the screen. As a result, cursor steering and selection of an assistance mode can be performed at about the same time or concurrently. In addition, the system and method can stabilize a cursor position at a top middle point of a user's finger in order to mitigate clicking errors when making a selection.

Abstract: A technology is described for interfacing with a computing application using a multi-digit sensor. A method may include obtaining an initial stroke using a single digit of a user on the multi-digit sensor. A direction change point for the initial stroke can be identified. At the direction change point for the initial stroke, a number of additional digits can be presented by the user to the multi-digit sensor. Then a completion stroke can be identified as being made with the number of additional digits. A user interface signal to can be sent to the computing application based on the number of additional digits used in the completion touch stroke. In another configuration of the technology, the touch stroke or gesture may include a single stroke where user interface items can be selected when additional digits are presented at the end of a gesture.

Abstract: A system described herein includes an acquirer component that acquires an electronic document that comprises text in a first language, wherein the acquirer component acquires the electronic document based at least in part upon a physical object comprising the text contacting or becoming proximate to the interactive display of the surface computing device. The system also includes a language selector component that receives an indication of a second language from a user of the surface computing device and selects the second language. A translator component translates the text in the electronic document from the first language to the second language, and a formatter component formats the electronic document for display to the user on the interactive display of the surface computing device, wherein the electronic document comprises the text in the second language.

Abstract: Multi-touch user interface interaction is described. In an embodiment, an object in a user interface (UI) is manipulated by a cursor and a representation of a plurality of digits of a user. At least one parameter, which comprises the cursor location in the UI, is used to determine that multi-touch input is to be provided to the object. Responsive to this, the relative movement of the digits is analyzed and the object manipulated accordingly. In another embodiment, an object in a UI is manipulated by a representation of a plurality of digits of a user. Movement of each digit by the user moves the corresponding representation in the UI, and the movement velocity of the representation is a non-linear function of the digit's velocity. After determining that multi-touch input is to be provided to the object, the relative movement of the representations is analyzed and the object manipulated accordingly.

Abstract: Architecture that combines multiple depth cameras and multiple projectors to cover a specified space (e.g., a room). The cameras and projectors are calibrated, allowing the development of a multi-dimensional (e.g., 3D) model of the objects in the space, as well as the ability to project graphics in a controlled fashion on the same objects. The architecture incorporates the depth data from all depth cameras, as well as color information, into a unified multi-dimensional model in combination with calibrated projectors. In order to provide visual continuity when transferring objects between different locations in the space, the user's body can provide a canvas on which to project this interaction. As the user moves body parts in the space, without any other object, the body parts can serve as temporary “screens” for “in-transit” data.

Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for interacting with an omni-directionally projected display. The omni-directionally projected display includes, in some embodiments, visual information projected on a display surface by way of an omni-directional projector. A user is able to interact with the projected visual information using gestures in free space, voice commands, and/or other tools, structures, and commands. The visual information can be projected omni-directionally, to provide a user with an immersive interactive experience with the projected display. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein can support more than one interacting user. Thus, the concepts and technologies disclosed herein may be employed to provide a number of users with immersive interactions with projected visual information.