U.S. patent application number 12/357184 was filed with the patent office on 2009-05-21 for physical feedback channel for entertainment or gaming environments.
Invention is credited to Sophie Boucher, Peter BUCHNER, Ulrich Clanget, Jorg Treiner.
Application Number | 20090131165 12/357184 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34429424 |
Filed Date | 2009-05-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090131165 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BUCHNER; Peter ; et
al. |
May 21, 2009 |
PHYSICAL FEEDBACK CHANNEL FOR ENTERTAINMENT OR GAMING
ENVIRONMENTS
Abstract
A physical feedback system for computer gaming environments
including a computing device for executing an application software
program, the computing device having an interface for transmitting
feedback signals generated by the application software program, and
a wearable receiver having means for receiving the feedback signals
from the computing device and actuator means designed to enter
physical feedback sensations to the body and/or head of a user
using the skin of the user as an interface.
Inventors: |
BUCHNER; Peter;
(Kirchheim/Tech, DE) ; Clanget; Ulrich; (St.
Ingbert, DE) ; Treiner; Jorg; (Berlin, DE) ;
Boucher; Sophie; (Paris, FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OBLON, SPIVAK, MCCLELLAND MAIER & NEUSTADT, P.C.
1940 DUKE STREET
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
34429424 |
Appl. No.: |
12/357184 |
Filed: |
January 21, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10995001 |
Nov 22, 2004 |
|
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12357184 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/332 20140902;
G06F 3/016 20130101; G06F 2203/013 20130101; A63F 13/02 20130101;
G06F 1/163 20130101; A63F 2300/302 20130101; A41D 1/002 20130101;
A63F 13/212 20140902; A63F 13/285 20140902; A63F 13/52
20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/30 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 24, 2003 |
EP |
03 026 896.5 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: a first wearable device including sensors
configured to receive biological data from a first user and a
channel configured to transmit signals representing the biological
data; a computing device configured to receive the signals and to
execute an application software program, the computing device
having an interface configured to transmit feedback signals
generated by the application software program based on the received
signals; and a second wearable device including a receiver
configured to receive the feedback signals from the computing
device and an actuator configured to produce physical feedback
sensations to a body and/or head of a second user using skin of the
second user as an interface.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the
first wearable device and the second wearable device is integrated
in a piece of garment.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein a display is integrated
into the piece of garment, and the display is configured to react
to the feedback signals from the computing device.
4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second wearable
device includes a controller configured to control an array of
actuators according to an operational pattern depending on any
feedback signal received.
5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the application
software is an entertainment or game-type software.
6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the feedback signals
are generated depending on a user or application context.
7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the feedback signals
are generated depending on at least one of a background scene,
defined virtual objects, sounds, colors and a virtual actor
generated by a game-type software.
8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the application
software is designed to display scenes on the monitor, and
different elements of the scenes displayed are respectively
associated with a channel of the feedback signals and each channel
is associated with a respective subgroup of the actuator.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is
configured to produce at least one of vibrational stimuli, tactile
stimuli and heat stimuli.
10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first wearable
device and the second wearable device each include means for
manually adjusting operational parameters of the actuator.
11. A method for providing physical feedback sensations to a body
of a second user of an application software program, the method
comprising: receiving biological data of a first user from sensors
of a first wearable device; transmitting signals representing the
biological data to an application software program; receiving the
signals in the application software program; generating feedback
signals in the application software program based on the received
signals; transmitting the feedback signals to a second wearable
device; and producing, based on the received feedback signals,
physical feedback sensations to a body and/or head of the second
user using skin of the second user as an interface.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein an array of actuators
is controlled according to an operational pattern depending on any
feedback signal.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein signals representing
biological data from the first user are transmitted to the
computing device hosting the application software program for
further processing.
14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the feedback signals
are generated depending on at least one of a background scene,
defined virtual objects, sounds, colors and a virtual actor
generated by a game-type software.
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the application
software is divided into several logical parts, and each part is
associated with a channel of the feedback signals and each channel
is associated with a respective subgroup of an actuator.
16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one of
producing vibrational stimuli, tactile stimuli and heat stimuli to
a user.
17. A computer readable storage medium in which a program is
recorded, said program executing a method comprising: receiving
biological data of a first user from sensors of a first wearable
device; transmitting signals representing the biological data to an
application software program; receiving the signals in the
application software program; generating feedback signals in the
application software program based on the received signals;
transmitting the feedback signals to a second wearable device; and
producing, based on the received feedback signals, physical
feedback sensations to a body and/or head of the second user using
skin of the second user as an interface.
18. A computer game console in which a program is executed, said
program executing a method comprising: receiving biological data of
a first user from sensors of a first wearable device; transmitting
signals representing the biological data to an application software
program; receiving the signals in the application software program;
generating feedback signals in the application software program
based on the received signals; transmitting the feedback signals to
a second wearable device; and producing, based on the received
feedback signals, physical feedback sensations to a body and/or
head of the second user using skin of the second user as an
interface.
19. A wearable game accessory including a controller in which a
method is executed, said method comprising: receiving biological
data of a first user from sensors of a first wearable device;
transmitting signals representing the biological data to an
application software program; receiving the signals in the
application software program; generating feedback signals in the
application software program based on the received signals;
transmitting the feedback signals to a second wearable device; and
producing, based on the received feedback signals, physical
feedback sensations to a body and/or head of the second user using
skin of the second user as an interface.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation of and claims the benefit
priority from U.S. Ser. No. 10/995,001, filed Nov. 22, 2004, the
entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by
reference, which claims the benefit of priority from European
Patent Application No. 03026896.5, filed Nov. 24, 2003.
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of
providing physical feedback to the user of an application, such as
f.e. a computer game or other entertainment application
software.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ART
[0003] To understand the proposed idea of the present invention, it
is necessary to briefly describe the main features, advantages and
problems of haptic interfaces and tactile communication systems
according to the state of the art.
[0004] Haptic interfaces represent an interesting alternative to
conventional human-machine interfaces and feature a wide variety of
applications. Examples include virtual-reality (VR) applications
for immersive simulation, teleoperated master-slave robot systems,
and robotic surgery. A haptic interface according to the state of
the art comprises a special input/output device (e.g. a
force-feedback joystick, a haptic mouse, or an exoskeleton), a
real-time controller, and a real-time simulation of a virtual
environment. The controller thereby collects information from
integrated sensors of the input/output device (e.g. position,
velocity, force or torque sensors), which are then used as input
information to the simulation. The simulation estimates the forces
a user should feel based on this input information and the internal
state of the simulation itself. The simulation outputs are then
used by the controller to drive the input/output device's
actuators, which allows said user to touch, feel, and manipulate
virtual environments.
[0005] WO 01/41636 A1 refers to a tactile communication system
enabling remotely control of tactile output devices, e.g. motor
actuators, which are used for a sensory/tactile stimulation of
human muscles, limbs, and body joints by vibrations, warmth
electromagnetic pulses, etc.
[0006] WO 98/14860 pertains to a method for transmitting the touch
of a sensor array via a computer or computer network and a
corresponding system for transmitting perceptible feelings, which
comprises at least one computer, a sensor array for detecting
touches from a person and providing sensor signals, an actuator
array for generating physically perceptible pressure signals, and a
control unit linking the sensor array and the actuator array to the
computer.
[0007] In EP 0 875 821 A2, a communication terminal device with a
tactile feedback is described. The device comprises a pen-input
tablet, a microphone, an acceleration sensor and a number of
pressure sensors.
[0008] A computerized system including a touch/pressure-sensitive
transducer and a computer responsive thereto for producing a sentic
cycle and recording touch expression is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
5,305,423.
PROBLEMS OF PRIOR-ART SOLUTIONS
[0009] Today, entertainment and gaming software such as e.g.
adventure games are getting more and more realistic due to a more
and more enhanced graphical resolution and frame rate. Modern game
console platforms are also used in combination with hand-held
controller devices providing a haptic force-feedback function.
However, these force-feedback controller devices according to the
state of the art do not provide a realistic way of feeling tactile
sensations in virtual game scenarios.
OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0010] In view of the explanations mentioned above, it is the
object of the present invention to provide a controlling device
which allows a more realistic (intuitive) feedback.
[0011] This object is achieved by means of the features of the
independent claims. Advantageous features are defined in the
subordinate claims. Further objects and advantages of the invention
are apparent in the detailed description which follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A system providing realistic physical feedback in a computer
gaming environment according can comprise: [0013] a computing
device for executing an application software program, the computing
device having an interface for transmitting feedback signals
generated by the application software program, and [0014] a
wearable receiver having means for receiving the feedback signals
from the computing device and actuator means designed to enter
physical feedback sensations to the body and/or head of a user
using the skin of the user as an interface.
[0015] The wearable receiver can be integrated in a piece of
garment.
[0016] A display can be integrated into the piece of garment.
[0017] The wearable receiver can comprise a controller for
controlling an array of actuators according to an operational
pattern depending on any feedback signal received.
[0018] The system furthermore can comprise a channel for
transmitting signals representing biological data from the user to
the computing device hosting the application software program.
[0019] The application software can be an entertainment or
game-type software.
[0020] The feedback signals can be generated depending on a
background scene and/or a virtual actor of a game-type
software.
[0021] The application software can be divided into several logical
parts, wherein each part is associated with a channel of the
feedback signals and each channel is associated with a respective
subgroup of the actuator means.
[0022] The actuator means can comprise means for generating
vibrational, tactile and/or heat.
[0023] The wearable receiver can comprise means for adjusting
manually operational parameters of the actuator means.
[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method for providing physical feedback sensations to the body of a
user of an application software program can comprise the following
steps: [0025] generating feedback signals in an application
software program, [0026] transmitting the feedback signals to a
wearable receiver, and [0027] entering, based on the received
feedback signals, physical feedback sensations to the body and/or
head of a user using the skin of the user as an interface.
[0028] Another aspect relates to computer program product, a
computer game console and a wearable game accessory respectively
supporting such a method.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] Further advantages and conceivable applications of the
present invention result from the subordinate claims as well as
from the following description of one embodiment of the invention
as depicted in the following drawings:
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a user wearing a piece of clothing which
includes integrated actuators for generating vibrations, heat or
coolness, pressure and/or electric pulses generated by actuators
worn on or placed near the user's body,
[0031] FIG. 2 block diagram showing the interaction between
biometric sensors placed on or close to the body of a person
wearing said piece of clothing, a game console platform and its
controlling unit,
[0032] FIG. 3a shows a piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt) comprising
a wearable display,
[0033] FIG. 3b shows a piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt) comprising
a wearable display which shows a simulated heavy violation by
coloring parts of said shirt red,
[0034] FIG. 4a illustrates a tactile communication scenario
according to a first embodiment of the invention, and
[0035] FIG. 4b illustrates a tactile communication scenario
according to a second embodiment of this invention,
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0036] In the following, different embodiments of the present
invention as depicted in FIGS. 1 to 4b shall be explained in
detail. The meaning of the symbols designated with reference
numerals and signs in these figures can be taken from an annexed
table.
[0037] The present invention particularly refers to a piece of
clothing or wearable accessory 101 equipped with at least one
wearable computing device 100, wherein the computing device is
connected to the central controlling unit 109'' e.g. of a game
console application or any type of application software running on
an external controlling device 109 over a wireless or wirebound
link 199. It comprises means (100C) for receiving (S202') and
processing (S202') e.g. digitally encoded control information
representing physical feedback signals from the external
controlling device 109, actuating means 106a-d placed on or close
to the body of a person wearing said piece of clothing or wearable
accessory 101, which generate multi-sensorial feedback e.g. from a
virtual gaming scene by generating (S104') visual, auditive,
tactile, gustatoric and/or olfactoric stimuli, particularly stimuli
using the skin of a user as an interface, as well as means for
activating, controlling and deactivating (S104) these actuating
means 106a-d according to said control information.
[0038] The central controlling unit can be connected operatively
with a monitor device, as it is well known f.e. from game consoles,
to transmit and eventually receive signals from the monitor
device.
[0039] According to a further aspect of the invention, said device
100 features a tactile interface which comprises different sensing
means 105a-c for detecting tactile input information when being
touched by a user and/or a number of actuating means 106a-d for
generating (S104') tactile stimuli, which provides said user with
sensoric feedback f.e. from a virtual gaming scene according to
said control information.
[0040] According to a first embodiment of the invention as depicted
in FIG. 4a, tactile stimulation is achieved by means of a dedicated
piece of clothing equipped with one or a number of the same or
different types of mechanical and/or electric actuators 106a-d
(e.g. micro motors, micro speakers, piezo elements, micro fans and
electrostatic discharge modules for simulating e.g. "laser shocks",
etc.). Said actuators are embedded into a piece of clothing 101 or
into a part of said clothing worn by the player, wearable
accessories or intelligent jewelries that are preferably worn on
the upper part of the person's body or on his/her arms. To get a
more realistic impression of the gaming atmosphere (displayed on
the monitor device), simulated environmental conditions such as
wind, rain or heat become feelable to said player. The intensity of
simulated tactile sensations, which is under main control of the
game console application software and also controlled by different
controlling means which are directly controllable by the player,
depends on the number of worn clothing layers. The game console
application 109' is usually responsible for controlling only a
single actuator 106 or a number of actuators 106a-d at a time and
works according to a predefined set of rules.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in addition to the signals
originating from the game console, furthermore feedback data from
the player, detected by a number of biometric (105a-c) and/or
environmental sensors (105') placed on or close to the user's body
can also be used to influence the game console application
software. The sensors are used for measuring e.g. the skin
conductivity, which indicates the degree of sweating, body
temperature, blood volume pressure, respiration and/or pulse rate
(and therewith the excitement level) of the player or several
environmental conditions (e.g. the temperature, atmospheric
pressure, relative humidity and/or wind speed) in the environment
of said person, respectively.
[0042] There are usually different types of visual or audio
information conveyed to the user. Possible categories are:
(1) information regarding the atmosphere, e.g. via the rhythm of
music indicating danger, (2) information about what the main
character in a virtual game scenario shown on the monitor is doing
(e.g. jumping or firing), and (3) information related to other
characters such as enemies and partners of the main character.
These different categories of information (background, main and
foreground information) can be conveyed by different types of
actuators (acoustic, optical, haptic actuators or special actuators
that generate signals stimulating a player's gustatoric or
olfactoric sense) to represent different levels of information to
the user. For each category, the intensity of a signal can be
varied.
[0043] The controlling unit 100C of a wearable computing device 100
integrated into the player's clothes thereby acts as a wireless or
wired link between the actuators 106a-d and the game console
platform 109. Besides conventional wireless standards such as
Bluetooth, ZigBee or IEEE 802.11b WLAN technology, high-speed fixed
network connections such as Ethernet, USB or 1394 can also be
supported.
[0044] A second embodiment of the present invention as depicted in
FIG. 4b is based on an active wearable device 100 driven by e.g. a
game console platform 109 which targets a relaxing stimulation of a
person wearing a piece of clothing 101 including such an embedded
active wearable device 100. This device comprises at least one
haptic interface and/or a number of sensors 105a-c and actuators
106a-d placed on or close to a user's body (e.g. on the neck,
shoulders and/or arms of said person), which are used for sensing
tactile input information, monitoring his/her physiological,
physical and/or psychological condition (which especially includes
physical expressions of affection reflecting the player's feelings,
emotional states or states of mind) and generating different types
of stimulation (e.g. heat, pressure, vibrational and/or electric
pulses, etc.) based on this information, respectively. In this
connection, so-called "relax software titles" are needed which are
specially designed to control the actuators in a way that is being
received by said person as a tactile sensation and/or relaxing
stimulation. The software for running the haptic interface can also
be supported by relaxing music, video or graphical scenes. Also
conceivable is a combination of the first and said second
embodiment.
[0045] A third embodiment of the present invention is directed to
an interactive tactile communication scenario, wherein wearable
computing devices of at least two players, each wearing a piece of
clothing as described above and having a communication platform
(i.e. a game console or PC) with the appropriate interfaces and
application software, are interconnected via a wireless or wired
network link. Thereby, a number of biometric (110c) and/or
environmental signals (110c') indicating the physical condition,
emotional states and/or states of mind of a first person wearing a
first piece of clothing 101 equipped with a first wearable
computing device 100 and/or tactile sensations perceived by said
first person are continuously (or intermittently) sensed and
monitored (S100).
[0046] After having extracted (S101) a number of features from said
biometric (110c) and/or environmental signals (100c'), these
features are analyzed (S102) and mapped (S103) to a number of
emotional patterns (meta information), that are stored in an
integrated read access memory (RAM) for further processing. This
meta information is then transmitted (S201) to a second person
wearing a second piece of clothing 101' equipped with at least one
further wearable computing device 100' for receiving (S202) and
reproducing (S104) tactile sensations perceived and/or physical
affection expressed by said first person. The application software
thereby allows a "remote touch" by opening an e.g. Internet-based
"tactile remote control" connection between the two players. Each
player can alternatively select to control the distant wearable
device of his/her counterpart or his/her own wearable device.
Therefore, the application software provides predefined patterns
for a mutual tactile stimulation and also enables the users to
create their own individual "remote touch" patterns or sequences.
In case of an online connection, real-time entertaining is
available; for non-real-time operation the provision of an email
interface to drive the "remote touch" scenario is also possible.
Finally, it should be mentioned that this embodiment can
advantageously be combined with said first and/or said second
embodiment described above.
[0047] In addition to the haptic interface, a user can also wear a
piece of clothing 300a/b (e-g. a shirt) that comprises optical
fibers and/or any other type of wearable optical displays 102, 102'
or 102''. These displays can e.g. [0048] show the name and/or logo
of an interactive network game or display the current high-score
rank of a player participating in said game and/or any other
game-related information (cf. FIG. 3a), [0049] show a simulated
heavy violation by using integrated optical fibers for coloring
parts of said shirt red (cf. FIG. 3b), or [0050] display relaxing
images, images reflecting emotional states of a user wearing said
piece of clothing--e.g. in the form of emoticons ("smileys", e.g.
":-)", ":-|", or ":-(", etc.) or other symbols and signs--or any
other type of visual information.
[0051] According to a further aspect of the invention, the haptic
interface additionally comprises actuators 106a-d which are used
for generating low-frequency vibrations or acoustic signals making
the player feeling tired, stressed or unconcentrated and simulating
physical strain.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE Depicted Features and their Corresponding
Reference Signs No. Technical Feature (System Component or
Procedure Step) 100 wearable computing device, integrated into a
first piece of clothing 101 (e.g. a smart jacket) or any type of
wearable accessory such as watches, wrist or arm bracelets, rings,
brooches, etc. (so-called "digital jewelry"), comprising actuators
transmitting feedback-information using the skin of a user as an
interface for entering informational sensation to the body of the
user 100' wearable computing device, integrated into a second piece
of clothing 101' worn by a second user wearable computing device
100C central controlling unit (.mu.C) of the wearable computing
device 100 central controlling unit (.mu.C') of the second wearable
computing device 100' transmitting means of the wearable computing
device 100 receiving means of the wearable computing device 100'
for wirelessly receiving information transmitting means of the
wearable computing device, that is used for wirelessly transmitting
information receiving means of the wearable computing device for
wirelessly receiving information diagram showing a user wearing a
piece of clothing 101 which includes a number of integrated
electronic devices for monitoring tactile sensations, emotional
states and/or the state of mind of the user, analyzing said
feelings and combining vibrational, heat, pressure or electric
pulses generated by actuators 106a-c worn on and/or placed near the
user's body for stimulating said user block diagram showing the
feature extraction and tactile stimulation procedure according to
the present invention 101 first piece of clothing (e.g. a smart
jacket) equipped with at least one wearable computing device as
described above, worn by a first person, 101' second piece of
clothing (e.g. a smart jacket) equipped with at least one further
integrated wearable computing device, worn by a second person, that
is specially adapted to receive digitally encoded information from
said first piece of clothing or wearable accessory 101 102 liquid
crystal display (LCD), incorporated into the upper right front part
of the piece of clothing 101, that is used e.g. to display relaxing
images, images reflecting emotional states of a person wearing said
piece of clothing 101 - e.g. in the form of emoticons ("smileys",
e.g. ":-)", ":-|", ":-(", etc.) or other symbols and signs - or any
other type of visual information 102' wearable display, embedded
into a piece of clothing 300a (e.g. a shirt), which displays the
name and/or logo of an interactive network game, the current
high-score rank of a player participating in said game,
game-related and/or any other type of textual and/or visual
information 102'' wearable display, embedded into another piece of
clothing 300b (e.g. a shirt), which displays a simulated heavy
violation by using integrated optical fibers made of quartz glass
and/or plastics for illuminating and/or coloring parts of said
shirt red 103 tactile interface, integrated into said piece of
clothing 101, which is used for sensing tactile input information,
monitoring a user's physiological, physical and/or psychological
condition and generating heat, pressure, vibrational and/or
electric pulses or other types of stimulation based on this tactile
input information, physical or mental strain of said user and/or
context information provided by applications running on a game
console 109 104 smart button for buttoning up said jacket 101,
which can also be used for activating or deactivating an integrated
function allowing the wearer of said jacket 101 e.g. to listen
his/her favorite music stored on an integrated microchip, tune into
his/her favorite radio channel, display moving images on the liquid
crystal display 102, activate or deactivate integrated heating
elements, etc. 105, different biometric sensors (body temperature,
blood volume 105a-c pressure, skin conductivity, respiration rate
and/or pulse rate sensors, etc.) for monitoring a number of
biometric signals indicating the physical condition and excitement
level of a user wearing the jacket 101, 105' different
meteorological sensors 105' (e.g. thermometer, barometer,
hygrometer and/or wind speed meter) indicating different climatic
and/or meteorological conditions (temperature, atmospheric
pressure, relative humidity and wind speed) in the environment of
said user 106, actuating means (micro motors, micro speakers, piezo
106a-d elements, heating elements and micro fans or electrostatic
discharge modules, etc.) for generating vibrations, acoustic
signals, heat or coolness, pressure or electric pulses stimulating
the user, which are integrated e.g. into the waist belt of the
user's smart jacket 101 106' processing means for extracting (S101)
features from biometric signals taken from a user wearing said
jacket 101, which indicate the physical condition of said user,
and/or measured meteorological parameters in the environment of the
user, analyzing (S102') user inputs by evaluating oral and/or
written user statements and signs (e.g. Internet or SMS emoticons
such as ":-)", ":-|", or "- (" typed in on an integrated keyboard
107a of a user's smart jacket 101), which reflect perceived
sensations of said user, mapping (S103) the results of this
analysis to emotional patterns stored in a read access memory (RAM)
and using these patterns for activating/deactivating (S104) at
least one of the available actuators 106a-d that are integrated
into the piece of clothing 101 for stimulating the wearer's energy
level, said processing means being integrated e.g. into the waist
belt of the user's smart jacket 101 106'' battery pack, integrated
into the waist belt of the user's smart jacket 101 107 control
display, integrated into the left sleeve of the user's smart jacket
101 107a keyboard for inputting user and control information needed
for controlling said control display 107, integrated into the left
sleeve of said jacket 101 107b "JogDial" button, integrated into
the left sleeve of said jacket 101, which gives a rundown on the
user's physical performances after a sporting activity 108 fake
pocket, integrated into the upper left front part of said user's
jacket 101, which includes a digital pocket storage 109 game
console platform, driving the haptic interface 103 of a wearable
computing device 100 integrated into a piece of clothing 101 or any
other type of wearable accessory 109' game console application,
running on said game console 109 U129 109'' controlling unit of the
game console application, used for controlling the haptic interface
103 of the wearable computing device 100 or a number of different
sensors 105, 105' and actuators 106a-d placed on or close to said
user's body signs (e.g. Internet or SMS emoticons such as ":-)",
":-|", or ":-(" typed in on an integrated keyboard 107a of the
user's smart jacket 101), that reflect perceived sensations and/or
emotional states of a user wearing said jacket written statements
and/or spoken utterances reflecting tactile sensations and/or
emotional states perceived by a user wearing said jacket biometric
signals indicating the physical condition of a user's body,
detected by different biometric sensors 105 (e.g. body temperature,
blood volume pressure, respiration rate and/or pulse rate sensors)
integrated into the piece of clothing 101 worn by said user
environmental signals indicating climatic and/or meteorological
conditions (e.g. temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative
humidity, and/or wind speed) in the environment of said user,
detected by different meteorological sensors 105' (e.g.
thermometer, barometer, hygrometer, and wind speed meter)
literally, lexically and syntactically analyzed and semantically
interpreted written statement typed in on an integrated keyboard
107a of the piece of clothing 101 or phonetically, lexically and
syntactically analyzed and semantically interpreted spoken
utterance of a user wearing said jacket 101 ("feeling language
statement"), which reflects expressed feelings of said user
vibrations, heat or coolness, pressure and/or electric pulses
generated by actuators worn on and/or placed near the user's body
for stimulating the user depending on the perceived and analyzed
sensations of said user 300a piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt)
comprising a wearable display which shows the name or logo of an
interactive network game or displays the current high-score rank of
a player participating in said game and/or any other game- related
information 300b piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt) comprising a
wearable display which shows a simulated heavy violation by
coloring parts of said shirt red 400a tactile communication
scenario according to a first embodiment of the present invention
("Shock U"), wherein a wearable computing device 100 comprising at
least one haptic interface or a number of actuators 106a-d placed
on or close to a user's body, which are used for generating
different types of stimulation (e.g. heat, pressure, vibrational
and/or electric pulses), is controlled by the controlling unit
109'' of a game console platform 109 400b tactile communication
scenario according to a second embodiment of this invention ("Relax
U"), wherein a wearable computing device 100 - comprising at least
one haptic interface or a number of sensors 105a-c and actuators
106a-d placed on or close to a user's body, that are respectively
used for sensing tactile input information, monitoring his/her
physiological, physical and/or psychological condition (which
especially includes physical expressions of affection reflecting
said user's feelings, emotional states and/or states of mind) and
generating different types of stimulation (e.g. heat, pressure,
vibrational and/or electric pulses, etc.) based on this input
information, physical or mental strain of the user - is controlled
by the controlling unit 109' of the game console platform 109 S100
step #100: sensing and monitoring different biometric signals (e.g.
body temperature, blood volume pressure, respiration rate and/or
pulse rate) indicating the physical condition of a person wearing
said jacket 101 S100' step #1001: measuring meteorological
parameters (e.g. temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative
humidity and/or wind speed) indicating climatic and meteorological
conditions in the environment of said user S101 step #101:
extracting features from biometric signal taken from a user wearing
said jacket 101, which indicates the physical condition of said
user, and/or measured meteorological conditions in the environment
of said user S102 step #102: analyzing these features S102' step
#102': analyzing user inputs by evaluating oral and/or written user
statements and signs (e.g. Internet or SMS emoticons such as ":-)",
":-|", or ":-(" typed in on an integrated keyboard 107a of a user's
smart jacket 101), which reflect perceived sensations of the user
S103 step #103: translating these signals into a "feeling language
statement", that reflects perceived sensations and/or emotional
states of said user, by mapping results of this analysis to a
number of emotional patterns (meta information) stored in a read
access memory (RAM) S104 step #104: using these patterns for
activating or deactivating at least one of the available actuators
106a-d integrated into the piece of clothing 101 for stimulating a
user's energy level S104' step #104': continuously or
intermittently generating visual, auditive, tactile, gustatoric
and/or olfactoric stimuli based on digitally encoded control
information received from an external controlling unit 109'' via a
wireless or wired link S201 step #201: transmitting meta
information from a first person wearing a first piece of clothing
101 equipped with at least one integrated wearable computing device
to a second person wearing a second piece of clothing 101' equipped
with at least one further integrated wearable computing device for
receiving said meta information, evaluating and reproducing
feelable signals, tactile sensations perceived and/or physical
affection expressed by said first person S202 step #202: receiving
meta information representing feelable signals, tactile sensations
perceived and/or physical affection expressed by a first person
wearing a first piece of clothing 101 equipped with at least one
integrated wearable computing device S202' step #202': receiving
digitally encoded control information received from an external
controlling unit 109'' via a wireless or wired link S202'' step
#202'': processing this control information S301 step #301:
character scan procedure for automatically recognizing characters,
numbers and/or symbols typed in on the integrated keyboard 107a of
said smart jacket 101 S301' step #301': phonetic scan procedure for
automatically recognizing the phonemes in a spoken utterance of a
person wearing this piece of clothing 101 S302 step #302: lexical
scan procedure for automatically
recognizing feeling language tokens belonging to a "feeling
language vocabulary" reflecting perceived sensations and/or
emotional states of a user wearing said jacket S303 step #303:
syntax scan procedure for analyzing the grammatical structure of a
recognized "feeling language statement" S304 step #304: semantic
scan procedure for interpreting expressed feelings by performing a
semantic analysis of this recognized and syntactically analyzed
feeling language statement S401 step #401: searching the read
access memory (RAM) integrated into the wearable computing device
of the first piece of clothing 101 worn by said first person, which
serves as a repository for meta information representing feelings,
tactile sensations perceived and/or physical affection expressed by
said first person S401' step #401': selecting a pattern dependent
on an interpretation of a tactile sensation perceived or a feeling
expressed by said first person gained by a literal and/or phonetic,
lexical, syntactical and semantic analysis of a statement typed in
on an integrated keyboard 107a of said first piece of clothing 101
and/or a spoken utterance of said first person wearing this
particular piece of clothing 101, respectively S402 step #402:
enriching or updating the UPF pattern descriptors 600 of said
patterns with additional information derived from available context
information provided by a number of different biometric (105)
and/or environmental sensors (105') integrated into the first piece
of clothing 101 worn by said first person
* * * * *