Virtual place-located anchor

• US 10,102,678 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gavriliuc, Anatolie, Osborn, Dan, Heijster, Stephen, Huai, Hongwu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US15/359,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20170076505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0005 Adaptation of holography to specific applications holographic optical element G02B5/32; holographic scanner G02B26/106; recognition using holographic mask G06V10/88; holographic memories G11B7/0065, G11C13/042
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2294 Addressing the hologram to an active spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2227/02 Handheld portable device, e.g. holographic camera, mobile holographic display
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2270/55 being an optical element, e.g. spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A method is disclosed that includes receiving an instruction to generate a virtual place-located anchor at a virtual location that is world-locked. Data items from a target data source are received. A subset of the data items is linked to the virtual place-located anchor. A first display device is caused to display virtual content of the subset of data items at the virtual place-located anchor. If a condition under which a second user is authorized to view the virtual content is satisfied, a second display device is caused to display the virtual content at the virtual place-located anchor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an instruction to generate a virtual place-located anchor at a virtual location that is world-locked;

receiving third party comments to a posting from a first user on a social network, wherein the posting is associated with the virtual place-located anchor;

linking the third party comments to the virtual place-located anchor;

causing a first display device to display the third party comments at the virtual place-located anchor to a first user;

determining if a condition under which a second user is authorized to view the third party comments is satisfied; and

if the condition is satisfied, causing a second display device to display the third party comments to the second user at the virtual place-located anchor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an instruction to the social network to indicate that the posting is associated with the virtual place-located anchor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying at the virtual location an anchor hologram representing the virtual place-located anchor; and

displaying the third party comments within a predetermined distance of the anchor hologram.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual location is world-locked to a position that is fixed in a three dimensional coordinate space overlaid upon the real world three dimensional environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual location is world-locked to a position relative to an object in the real world three dimensional environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the object is at an initial real world location, further comprising:

receiving sensor data from the first display device;

using the sensor data, identifying the object at a subsequent real world location different from the initial real world location; and

causing the first display device to display the third party comments to the first user at the virtual place-located anchor at the virtual location world-locked to the position relative to the object at the subsequent real world location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual place-located anchor is a base virtual place-located anchor, the method further comprising:

receiving an instruction to generate a mirrored virtual place-located anchor at another virtual location that is world-locked; and

causing the first display device to display the third party comments to the first user at the mirrored virtual place-located anchor at the other virtual location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party comments are a first plurality of third party comments, the social network is a first social network, the method further comprising:

receiving a second plurality of third party comments from a second social network;

linking a subset of the second plurality of third party comments to the virtual place-located anchor; and

causing the first display device to display world-locked virtual content of the subset of the second plurality of third party comments to the first user at the virtual place-located anchor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the second user is connected with the first user via the social network, then the condition is satisfied.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if the second display device is located within a predetermined viewing range of the virtual place-located anchor, then the condition is satisfied.

11. A computing device, comprising:

an anchor program executed by a processor of the computing device, the anchor program configured to;

receive an instruction to generate a virtual place-located anchor at a virtual location that is world-locked;

receive third party comments to a posting from a first user on a social network, wherein the posting is associated with the virtual place-located anchor;

link the third party comments to the virtual place-located anchor;

cause a first display device to display virtual content of the third party comments at the virtual place-located anchor to a first user;

determine if a condition under which a second user is authorized to view the third party comments is satisfied; and

if the condition is satisfied, cause a second display device to display the third party comments to the second user at the virtual place-located anchor.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the virtual location is world-locked to a position that is fixed in a three dimensional coordinate space overlaid upon the real world three dimensional environment.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the virtual location is world-locked to a position relative to an object in the real world three dimensional environment.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the object is at an initial real world location, and the anchor program is configured to:

receive sensor data from the first display device;

using the sensor data, identify the object at a subsequent real world location different from the initial real world location; and

cause the first display device to display the third party comments to the first user at the virtual place-located anchor at the virtual location world-locked to the position relative to the object at the subsequent real world location.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the third party comments are related to an image, a video, a comment, or an update that is posted by the first user to the social network.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the anchor program is configured to:

receive from the first display device an image of an object in the real world three dimensional environment at the virtual location, wherein the posting from the first user on the social network comprises the image.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the virtual place-located anchor is a base virtual place-located anchor, and the anchor program is configured to:

receive an instruction to generate a mirrored virtual place-located anchor at another virtual location that is world-locked; and

cause the first display device to display the third party comments to the first user at the mirrored virtual place-located anchor at the other virtual location.

18. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the third party comments are a first plurality of third party comments, the social network is a first social network, and the anchor program is configured to:

receive a second plurality of third party comments from a second social network;

link a subset of the second plurality of third party comments to the virtual place-located anchor; and

cause the first display device to display world-locked virtual content of the subset of the second plurality of third party comments to the first user at the virtual place-located anchor.

19. A head-mounted display device, comprising:

a computing device;

a non-see-through display; and

an anchor program executed by a processor of the computing device, the anchor program configured to;

receive an instruction to generate a virtual place-located anchor at a virtual location that is world-locked;

receive third party comments to a posting from a first user on a social network, wherein the posting is associated with the virtual place-located anchor;

link the third party comments to the virtual place-located anchor;

cause the non-see-through display to display the third party comments-at the virtual place-located anchor to a first user;

determine if a condition under which a second user is authorized to view the third party comments is satisfied; and

if the condition is satisfied, cause another display device to display the third party comments to the second user at the virtual place-located anchor.