Patent Applications From Microsoft: Wearable Computer Pointing Device, Game Builder For Mobile & More

Detecting finger orientation on a touch-sensitive device:

The determination of an orientation of a finger touching a touch-sensitive device is disclosed. In one embodiment, a computing device comprises a display screen configured to display an image to a user, and an intensity-sensitive touch-sensing input mechanism configured to detect one or more objects touching the display screen. The device also comprises a controller configured to determine an orientation of a finger touching the screen from a direction between a center of a first set of touch data and a center of a second set of touch data, and to adjust an image on the display screen in response to a determined orientation of the finger.

Wearable computer pointing device

Described is a technology by which a computer pointing device (generally a mouse but alternatively a game controller or remote control device) may be worn on the hand and operated without needing to contact a mousing surface. Gyroscopic-based sensors convert the wearer’s hand and wrist movements to signals which are sent to a host computing device such as a conventional personal computer, a gaming console, an electronic appliance, and so forth. The data received from the pointing device may be used to move a cursor or the like, and other received data may correspond to left and right mouse clicks, scrolling operations, and so forth. A user-controlled enable switch/sensor selectively activates or deactivates the pointing device so that only intended movements result in data transmission. Gestures may also be sensed and used to trigger defined functions.

Displaying user interface elements having transparent effects

Embodiments are configured to provide information for display. Various embodiments include processing functionality that can be used to efficiently process pixel data associated with video, graphical, and other information. The functionality can be used in conjunction with different hardware and/or software architectures and configurations. In an embodiment, a computing device includes functionality to use a distinct window having alpha and occlusion features that can be used when processing pixel data associated with user interface (UI) elements and video, but is not so limited. The computing device can use the distinct window to display user interface elements having different levels or amounts of transparency as part of video capture and playback operations.
Game builder for mobile device-based games: 

A rules-based physical-virtual world game builder architecture. Mobile device games can be constructed via a website from customizable atomic rule-based units, and also supports the reuse and remixing of game components by the game creator, members of an online community, or by any other user. Once composed, the game can be played via player mobile devices, which send content to a server or peer device that hosts the game rule statements, and can trigger distribution of new content, rules, or other information. The architecture can comprise an interface component for providing access, a build component for constructing a rule/rule unit for execution during game play, and an execution component for executing the rule/rule units based on data received during game play. Game creation and play can occur via any number of different client types, on any number of clients, and can be via client/server and/or peer-to-peer architectures.

You can read more on Microsoft Patent applications here.