Mobile devices and methods employing haptics
A variety of haptic improvements useful in mobile devices are detailed. In one, a smartphone captures image data from a physical object, and discerns an object identifier from the imagery (e.g., using watermark, barcode, or fingerprint techniques). This identifier is sent to a remote data structure, which returns data defining a distinct haptic signature associated with that object. This smartphone then renders this haptic signal to the user. (Related embodiments identify the object using other means, such as location, or NFC chip.) In another arrangement, haptic feedback signals social network information about a product or place (e.g., the user's social network friends “Like” a particular brand of beverage). In yet another arrangement, the experience of watching a movie on a television screen is augmented by tactile effects issued by a tablet computer on the viewer's lap. In still another arrangement, commercial vendors bid for rights to employ different ones of a library of haptic signals on one or more users' smartphones, e.g., to alert such user(s) to their products/services. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
1. A method comprising:
with a mobile device, capturing image data depicting a physical object;
processing the image data to obtain metadata corresponding to said physical object;
transmitting the metadata to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile device.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
said metadata indicates one of plural classes to which the physical object belongs; and
said presenting includes presenting a first haptic signature if the physical object belongs to a first class of the plural classes, and presenting a second haptic signature different than the first if the physical object belongs to a second class of the plural classes.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second haptic signatures differ in waveform.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second haptic signatures differ in amplitude.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second haptic signatures differ in frequency.
6. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second haptic signatures differ in duration.
7. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second haptic signatures differ in two or more of: waveform, amplitude, frequency and duration.
8. The method of claim 2 wherein said plural classes include at least two of: a class of persons, a class of books, a class of DVDs, a class of barcodes, a class of printed text, a class of landmarks such as buildings, a class of logos, a class of works of art, and a class of product containers.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing comprises processing by a second remote system different than the first remote system.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the physical object is a beverage container bearing a trademark, and wherein the haptic signature was earlier defined by a proprietor of the trademark.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata comprises text relating to the physical object.
12. A method comprising:
with a near field sensor in a mobile phone device, capturing identification data from a chip associated with a physical object;
transmitting at least some of the identification data captured from the chip to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile phone device.
13. A method employing a camera-equipped mobile phone executing a visual search application, the method including:
receiving input, and using said input to determine—at least in part—a first class of visual stimulus, among plural different classes, to which the visual search application should respond;
detecting whether imagery captured by the mobile phone includes visual stimulus of the first class; and
if so, providing haptic output from the mobile phone signaling detection of visual stimulus of the first class.
14. The method of claim 13 in which the input comprises user input.
15. The method of claim 13 in which the input comprises data relating to location of the mobile phone.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the plural different classes of visual stimulus comprises at least two of: barcodes, text, books, DVDs, landmarks, logos, works of art, and product containers.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein the plural different classes of visual stimulus comprises at least three of: barcodes, text, books, DVDs, landmarks, logos, works of art, and product containers.
18. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing software instructions for configuring a system programmed thereby to perform acts including:
with a mobile device, capturing image data depicting a physical object;
processing the image data to obtain metadata corresponding to said physical object;
transmitting the metadata to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile device.
19. The medium of claim 18 wherein said metadata indicates one of plural classes to which the physical object belongs and wherein said medium further includes instructions for configuring the system to perform acts including:
presenting a first haptic signature if the physical object belongs to a first class of the plural classes, and presenting a second haptic signature different than the first if the physical object belongs to a second class of the plural classes.
20. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing software instructions for configuring a system programmed thereby to perform acts including:
with a near field sensor in a mobile phone device, capturing identification data from a chip associated with a physical object;
transmitting at least some of the identification data captured from the chip to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile phone device.
21. A mobile device including a camera, a processor and a memory, the memory including software instructions that configure the mobile device to perform acts including:
with the camera, capturing image data depicting a physical object;
processing the image data to obtain metadata corresponding to said physical object;
transmitting the metadata to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile device.
22. A mobile device including a near field sensor, a processor and a memory, the memory including software instructions that configure the mobile device to perform acts including:
with a near field sensor in the mobile phone device, capturing identification data from a chip associated with a physical object;
transmitting at least some of the identification data captured from the chip to a first remote system;
in response to said transmitting, receiving data indicating a haptic signature associated with the physical object; and
presenting the haptic signature to a user of the mobile phone device.