How Kinect works: Microsoft's motion-control patent approved [seattlepi.com]

Check the full post for patent details

No, Microsoft's upcoming Kinect motion-control sensor for Xbox 360 isn't magic. The accessory, coming Nov. 4 for $150, uses a complex system of cameras, sensors, microphones and -- just as importantly -- software to watch and listen to a gamer moving in front of it.

A Microsoft patent, granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, gives some insight into how Kinect works. In fact, the patent application sums up nicely, in one paragraph, what Kinect's sensors see and how Kinect sends that data to an Xbox.

How Kinect works: Microsoft's motion-control patent approved