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AppleGranted patentAR, VR & displaysInterest 8/10

Apple patents eye-tracking and hand gestures to select screen items

Apple has been granted a patent for a system that combines eye tracking with hand movements to control a screen. The method detects when a user is looking at a specific item and makes an air gesture, using whether their eyes are open or closed to confirm or cancel the selection.

Why it mattersThis technology could make headsets or future devices easier to use by allowing users to select items with a glance and a simple hand motion, reducing the need for physical buttons.

In the filing’s own words

The present disclosure generally relates to managing inputs. In some examples, one or more techniques are described, such as managing location-defined inputs, enabling certain inputs, interacting with locked objects, interacting with interface objects, virtual controller-based inputs, and gaze directed inputs.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: at a computer system that is in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices: while presenting, via the display generation component, a user interface object, detecting a gaze input directed to the user interface object; after detecting the gaze input directed to the user interface object, detecting, via the one or more input devices, an air gesture, wherein the air gesture is detected before detecting that the gaze input is directed to a location that does not correspond to the user interface object; and in response to detecting the air gesture: in accordance with a determination that one or more eyes of the user were opened in conjunction with the air gesture being detected, selecting the user interface object; and in accordance with a determination that one or more eyes of the user were closed for more than a threshold amount of time in conjunction with the air gesture being detected, forgoing selection of the user interface object; and repeating the method until the method is performed at least one time when the one or more eyes of the user were opened in conjunction with the respective air gesture being detected and at least one time when one or more eyes of the user were closed for more than the threshold amount of time in conjunction with the respective air gesture being detected.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for detecting inputs
Patent number
US12769431B2
Application number
18616383
Filed
Mar 26, 2024
Granted
Oct 20, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
36

Classified under

G06F 3/0481 Physics & computingG06F 3/013 Physics & computingG06F 3/017 Physics & computing

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.