Microsoft Patent Application: Waving A Magic Wand?

Microsoft has applied for a patent for something it's calling a "Magic Wand," a device that can control other devices through a set of I/O components. Microsoft evokes the hero of J.K. Rowlings' title character in its patent application, noting there's long been an "imaginative current flowing" in popular culture related to magic.

"Given the widespread commercial success of 'Harry Potter' books and feature films, as well the many predecessors in the fantasy genre such as 'The Lord of the Rings,' Dungeons and Dragons, etc., it is readily apparent that a number of communities or demographic segments are enamored with the idea of magic," Microsoft wrote in the patent application. ' Microsoft believes most "pragmatic individuals" would be interested in a magic wand that actually worked to control or communicate with objects or components in an associated nearby environment. The device could include an accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, range finder or biometric sensor and be used to control a light device, a thermostat, a media device, a game console, a computer, a controller device or some other component, according to Microsoft.

According to Microsoft, consumers want devices that are small and convenient but also have a very rich feature set. Miniaturization advances mean that significant computing power can be delivered in devices smaller than a matchbook, the company said.

"Hence, miniaturization is no longer the primary technological bottleneck for meeting the demands of consumers. Rather, the challenges are increasingly leaning toward the user interface of such devices. For example, technology exists for building a full-featured cellular phone (or other device) that is no larger than a given user's thumb, yet packing a keypad and display in such a device is all but impossible. Even devices that are not so small, but desire to provide multifunctional features, can suffer from a related difficulty. In particular, packing a lot of features into a single device generally increases the complexity of use."

Microsoft believes a wandlike device could meet the demands of rich functionality with ease of use, according to the patent application. ' "[The device] comprises an architecture that can facilitate rich interaction with and/or management of environmental components included in an environment. At least a portion of the architecture can be included in a housing that can be referred to as (and can but need not resemble) a wand. The architecture can include a variety of I/O components such as keys/keypad, navigation buttons, lights, switches, displays, speakers, microphones, transmitters/receivers, or substantially any other suitable component found in or related to conventional user-interfaces."

Based upon the orientation of the wand, the device can determine an appropriate set of feature choices, which can be transmitted to the targeted device to perform the function, according to the patent application.