Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention include a method of differentiating touch screen users based on characterization of features derived from the touch event acoustics and mechanical impact and includes detecting a touch event on a touch sensitive surface, generating a vibro-acoustic waveform signal using at least one sensor detecting such touch event, converting the waveform signal into at least a domain signal, extracting distinguishing features from said domain signal, and classifying said features to associate the features of the domain signal with a particular user.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that determine when an initial stroke and a subsequent stroke track may be part of a common user input action. A method may include receiving a signal from which an initial stroke track representing an initial movement of a user controlled indicator against a touch sensitive surface and sensing a subsequent stroke track representing subsequent movement of the user controlled indicator against the touch sensitive surface can be determined. The method further includes determining that the initial stroke track and the subsequent stroke track comprise portions of common user input action when the initial stroke track is followed by the subsequent stroke track within a predetermined period of time and a trajectory of the initial stroke track is consistent with a trajectory of the subsequent stroke track.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of embodiments of the present invention include a classification system configured to treat edge contact of a touch screen as a separate class of touch events such that any touches occurring near the edge of the touch screen are to be processed by a classifier that is configured to process edge contacts as compared to a classifier that is configured to process other contacts that may occur in the approximate middle of the touch screen which may be wholly digitized. An apparatus may employ two separate and distinct classifiers, including a full touch classifier and an edge touch classifier. The touch screen may be configured to have two different sensing regions to determine which of the two classifiers is appropriate for a touch event.

Abstract: A method of classifying touch screen events uses known non-random patterns of touch events over short periods of time to increase the accuracy of analyzing such events. The method takes advantage of the fact that after one touch event, certain actions are more likely to follow than others. Thus if a touch event is classified as a knock, and then within 500 ms a new event in a similar location occurs, but the classification confidence is low (e.g., 60% nail, 40% knuckle), the classifier may add weight to the knuckle classification since this touch sequence is far more likely. Knowledge about the probabilities of follow-on touch events can be used to bias subsequent classification, adding weight to particular events.

Abstract: Described herein are various technologies pertaining to presenting search results to a user, wherein the search results are messages generated by way of social networking applications. An interactive graphical object is presented together with retrieved messages, and messages are filtered responsive to interactions with the interactive graphical object. Additionally, a graphical object that is indicative of credibility of a message is presented together with the message.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention include a method of differentiating touch screen users based on characterization of features derived from the touch event acoustics and mechanical impact and includes detecting a touch event on a touch sensitive surface, generating a vibro-acoustic waveform signal using at least one sensor detecting such touch event, converting the waveform signal into at least a domain signal, extracting distinguishing features from said domain signal, and classifying said features to associate the features of the domain signal with a particular user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that resolve near touch ambiguities in a touch screen includes detecting a touch screen touch event and detecting a vibro-acoustic event. These events generate signals received respectively by two different sensors and/or processes. When the two events occur within a pre-defined window of time, they may be considered to be part of the same touch event and may signify a true touch.

Abstract: A system for classifying touch events includes a touch screen configured to display an interactive element, one or more vibro-acoustic sensors coupled to the touch screen, a touch event detector configured to monitor the one or more vibro-acoustic sensors and to save vibro-acoustic signals sensed by the one or more vibro acoustic sensors, wherein the touch event detector is further configured to detect touch events in which the interactive element is touched by a first or a second finger part of a user, and wherein the touch events result in generating the vibro-acoustic signals, and a vibro-acoustic classifier configured to classify the vibro-acoustic signals.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive surface, for example a touch pad or touch screen. The user physically interacts with the touch-sensitive surface, producing touch events. The resulting interface actions taken depend at least in part on the touch type. The type of touch is determined in part based on capacitive image data produced by the touch event.

Abstract: A method activates different interactive functions based on a classification of vibro-acoustic signals resulting from touch events with finger parts of a user. A primary function is trigger when an interactive element on a touch screen is touched with a finger tip of the user. An auxiliary function is launched when the interactive element is touched with a knuckle or fingernail of the user. The touch events result in generating the vibro-acoustic signals. The vibro-acoustic signals are classified and used to distinguish what finger part was used based on the classification of the vibro-acoustic signals.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive surface, for example a touch pad or touch screen. The user physically interacts with the touch-sensitive surface, producing touch events. The resulting interface actions taken depend at least in part on the touch type. The type of touch is determined in part based on vibro-acoustic data and touch data produced by the touch event.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive surface, for example a touch pad or touch screen. The user interacts with the touch-sensitive surface, producing touch interactions. The resulting actions taken depend at least in part on the touch type. For example, the same touch interactions performed by three different touch types of a finger pad, a finger nail and a knuckle, may result in the execution of different actions.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive surface, for example a touch pad or touch screen. The user interacts with the touch-sensitive surface, producing touch interactions. Some of these touch interactions may be detected as indicative of a grasp for manipulating a physical tool (e.g., the grasp for holding a pen). When these touch interactions are encountered, a corresponding virtual tool is instantiated. The virtual tool controls an action on the electronic device that is similar to an action that can be performed by the physical tool. For example, the virtual pen can be used to draw on the display, whereas the physical pen draws on paper. A representation of the virtual tool is also displayed on a display for the electronic device, possibly providing additional affordances, at a location that corresponds to a location of the detected touch interaction.

Abstract: A method activates different interactive functions based on a classification of vibro-acoustic signals resulting from touch events with finger parts of a user. A primary function is trigger when an interactive element on a touch screen is touched with a finger tip of the user. An auxiliary function is launched when the interactive element is touched with a knuckle or fingernail of the user. The touch events result in generating the vibro-acoustic signals. The vibro-acoustic signals are classified and used to distinguish what finger part was used based on the classification of the vibro-acoustic signals.

Abstract: An NUI system to provide user input to a computer system. The NUI system includes a logic machine and an instruction-storage machine. The instruction-storage machine holds instructions that, when executed by the logic machine, cause the logic machine to detect an engagement gesture from a human subject or to compute an engagement metric reflecting the degree of the subject's engagement. The instructions also cause the logic machine to direct gesture-based user input from the subject to the computer system as soon as the engagement gesture is detected or the engagement metric exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus classifies touch events. The apparatus includes a touch sensitive surface configured to generate a touch event when an object touches the touch sensitive surface. The touch event entails a mechanical vibration upon contact with the surface. The apparatus includes a touch event detector configured to detect the onset of a touch, and a touch event classifier configured to classify the touch event to identify the object used for the touch event. The mechanical vibration is created via any one of finger parts including a tip, a pad, a fingernail, and a knuckle, each of which has a unique feature different from each other.

Abstract: A cursor is moved in a user interface based on a position of a joint of a virtual skeleton modeling a human subject. If a cursor position engages an object in the user interface, and all immediately-previous cursor positions within a mode-testing period are located within a timing boundary centered around the cursor position, operation in a pressing mode commences. If a cursor position remains within a constraining shape and exceeds a threshold z-distance while in the pressing mode, the object is activated.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards using credibility-related data in conjunction with servicing a web request such as a search query or a request for page content. The credibility-related data may be used to convey information to a user indicative of a level of credibility, such as to view credibility information with each search result, or in association with returned web page content. The credibility-related data may be used to rank, re-rank and/or filter search results. Also described is extracting credibility-related feature data from search-related data and web pages, and using the feature data with a dataset of credibility-rated pages to learn/train relative feature weights in a credibility model used by the search engine.

Abstract: Described herein are various technologies pertaining to presenting search results to a user, wherein the search results are messages generated by way of social networking applications. An interactive graphical object is presented together with retrieved messages, and messages are filtered responsive to interactions with the interactive graphical object. Additionally, a graphical object that is indicative of credibility of a message is presented together with the message.