Virtual display device for an interactive merchant sales environment

• US 10,134,082 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Benkar, Rohan, Murari, Jaya Kumar, Hsieh, Leo, Jiang, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Haq, Naeem U
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sutch, Jr., Norman Donald
• Application Number:
  US14/513,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

There is provided systems and method for a virtual display device for an interactive merchant sales environment. A device, such as a communication device, may allow a user to view virtual images of items in a user environment so that a user may view what their potential purchase may look like when placed into the user environment. The user environment may include a residential room, an office, a car interior, or other location where a user may place purchased items. The user may submit a request to view an item in the user environment to the device, which may communicate the request to a merchant or a service provider. The virtual image may correspond to digital image(s) of an item used to present a three dimensional virtual image of the item in the user environment. The device may receive the virtual image(s) and display them to the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an input device;

a virtual display output device for projecting a first virtual image of a physical merchant location having an object for sale in a merchant environment separate from a user environment for a first user, wherein the first virtual image is displayed to the first user in the user environment that the first user physically occupies using physical spatial parameters of the user environment, wherein the user environment comprises a real-world physical environment;

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processor coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to display the first virtual image of the physical merchant location to the first user within the user environment;

communicating the request to a service provider;

receiving data for a virtual environment corresponding to the physical merchant location from the service provider, wherein the data comprises the first virtual image of the object displayable within the virtual environment, and wherein the data further comprises projectable images of the physical merchant location displayable in the user environment;

determining lighting information in the user environment using the input device, wherein the lighting information comprises light intensity and color characteristics within the user environment;

determining display requirements for the data using the lighting information, wherein the display requirements comprise data to display the first virtual image and the projectable images in the user environment corresponding to the object in the physical merchant location;

generating a three dimensional projection of the physical merchant location using the physical spatial parameters of the user environment and the display requirements for the data, wherein the three dimensional projection displays the object within the virtual environment for the physical merchant location;

projecting, using the virtual display output device, the three dimensional projection within the user environment;

receiving a selection of the object in the three dimensional projection during the projecting of the three dimensional projection; and

generating a transaction for the object from the selection and the data for the virtual environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a visual input device for determining the physical spatial parameters for the user environment and storing the physical spatial parameters.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining display dimensions for the three dimensional projection in the user environment using the physical spatial parameters prior to the projecting the three dimensional projection, wherein the three dimensional projection is projected using the display dimensions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the projectable images comprise real-world merchant environment images, and wherein the projecting the three dimensional projection comprises projecting the real-world merchant environment images in the user environment.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the input device comprises a visual input unit for determining the physical spatial parameters for the user environment, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining object display parameters for the three dimensional projection in the user environment using the physical spatial parameters; and

determining merchant display dimensions for the real-world merchant environment images in the user environment using the physical spatial parameters,

wherein the projecting the three dimensional projection uses the object display parameters and the real-world merchant environment images using the merchant display dimensions.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

an output device for communicating walkthrough information to the first user for the real-world merchant environment images of the merchant environment,

wherein the operations further comprise;

receiving the walkthrough information for the real-world merchant environment images; and

outputting the walkthrough information to the first user in the user environment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the walkthrough information comprises at least one of an automated walkthrough, a live walkthrough from a second user, a visual indicator, or a voice indicator.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the data further comprises movement data through the physical merchant location using the real-world merchant environment images, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request to transition between the real-world merchant environment images; and

adjusting the real-world merchant environment images in the user environment using the movement data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transition between the real-world merchant environment images adds a new object, and wherein the first user utilizes the input device to select the new object for display.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second virtual image of the new object; and

projecting the second virtual image for display in the user environment using the physical spatial parameters of the user environment.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the input device, a command to move the first virtual image to a new location in the user environment, and wherein the projecting the three dimensional projection moves the first virtual image to the new location using the physical spatial parameters of the user environment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, using the input device, a purchase request for the object in the transaction; and

processing the purchase request.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

communicating, using one of the service provider or a merchant offering the object for sale, with a courier for delivery of the object to the first user.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the input device, a change to one of a color of the object or a material of the object for display in the user environment;

requesting new data for the object, wherein the new data comprises a visual change to the first virtual image based on the change; and

adjusting the three dimensional projection based on the new data.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, via an input device of a communication device, a request to display a layout of a physical merchant location having items available from a merchant associated with the physical merchant location within a user environment that a user physically occupies using a virtual display device, wherein the request comprises a selection of the items displayed for sale from the merchant in a merchant environment separate from the user environment, and wherein the user environment comprises a real-world physical environment having physical spatial parameters;

communicating, via a communication module of the communication device, the request to a service provider;

receiving, via the communication module, data for a virtual environment corresponding to the physical merchant location from the service provider, wherein the data comprises a virtual image for the items displayable within the virtual environment, and wherein the data further comprises projectable images of the physical merchant location displayable in the user environment;

determining lighting information in the user environment using the input device, wherein the lighting information comprises light intensity and color characteristics within the user environment;

determining display requirements for the data using the lighting information, wherein the display requirements comprises data to display the virtual image and the projectable images in the user environment corresponding to the items in the physical merchant location;

generating a three dimensional projection of the physical merchant location using the physical spatial parameters of the user environment and the display requirements for the data, wherein the three dimensional projection displays the items within the virtual environment for the physical merchant location;

displaying, via the virtual display device of the communication device, the three dimensional projection within the user environment;

receiving a selection of an item in the three dimensional projection from the items during the displaying the three dimensional projection; and

generating a transaction for the item from the selection and the data for the virtual environment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the layout comprises an interior aspect of the user environment, and wherein the user environment comprises one of a residential room or a business office.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the interior aspect comprises at least one of upholstery, window tint, window coverings, interior trim, interior paint, artwork, furniture, or an electronic appliance.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, via the communication module, instructions for placement of the communication device in the user environment for displaying the virtual image in the three dimensional projection to scale in the user environment; and

communicating, via an output display device of the communication device, the instructions to the user in the user environment.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, via one of the input device or the virtual display device, a purchase request for an item in the layout; and

communicating, via the communication module, the purchase request to at least one of the merchant or the service provider.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via an input device of a communication device, a request to display a three dimensional projection of a physical merchant location having an item within a user environment that a user physically occupies using a virtual display module, wherein the request comprises a selection of the item displayed for sale from a merchant in a merchant environment separate from the user environment, and wherein the user environment comprises a real-world physical environment having physical spatial parameters;

transmitting, via the communication device, the request to a merchant offering the item for sale;

receiving, via the communication device, data for a virtual environment corresponding to the physical merchant location from a service provider, wherein the data comprises a three dimensional digital image of the item from the merchant displayable within the virtual environment, and wherein the data further comprises projectable images of the physical merchant location displayable in the user environment;

determining lighting information in the user environment using the input device, wherein the lighting information comprises light intensity and color characteristics within the user environment;

determining display requirements for the data using the lighting information, wherein the display requirements comprises data to display the three dimensional digital image and the projectable images in the user environment corresponding to the item in the physical merchant location;

generating a three dimensional projection of the physical merchant location using the physical spatial parameters of the user environment and the display requirements for the data, wherein the three dimensional projection displays the item within the virtual environment for the physical merchant location;

projecting, via an output display device of the communication device, the three dimensional projection within the user environment;

receiving selection of the item in the three dimensional projection during the projecting of the three dimensional projection; and

generating a transaction for the item from the selection and the data for the virtual environment.