Sharing in an augmented and/or virtual reality environment

• US 10,250,720 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Clement, Manuel Christian, Welker, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/386,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

In a system and method for sharing items in an augmented and/or virtual reality environment, selected virtual items may be virtually propelled using, for example, a tossing or throwing motion, to a target recipient, so that the selected item may be shared with the target recipient without direct physical and/or virtual contact with the target recipient. Movement of a user'"'"'s hand may be detected and tracked, so that the intended target recipient for the shared item may be identified based on a projected trajectory of a throwing motion of the user'"'"'s hand. Associations between the user and different target recipients may cause different possible target recipients to exhibit different attractive forces, or different levels of magnetism, for particular items being tossed or thrown by a user for sharing, to further differentiate between the possible target recipients, and resolve recipient ambiguity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, by a computing device operating in an ambient environment, a virtual environment;

receiving, by a processor of the computing device, a selection of a virtual item by a selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item, the selected virtual item representing content associated with the selected virtual item;

tracking movement of the selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item;

projecting a virtual trajectory for propulsion of the selected virtual item based on the tracked movement of the selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item;

identifying a target recipient for the selected virtual item, including;

detecting a plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment, the plurality of possible recipients respectively corresponding to a plurality of virtual representations in the virtual environment;

detecting an attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients, wherein the attractive force is based on a commonality between a characteristic of the content of the selected virtual item and a characteristic of each of the plurality of possible recipients; and

identifying the target recipient based on the projected virtual trajectory for the propulsion of the selected virtual item and the detected attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients; and

sharing the content of the selected virtual item with the identified target recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, detecting the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients including detecting at least one of:

an existing association with one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

an existing share request from one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

a sharing history with one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

or

a common format type with one or more of the plurality of possible recipients.

3. The method of claim 1, tracking movement of the selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item including:

tracking a six degree of freedom movement of a hand of a user through a throwing movement of the hand of the user;

projecting the virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item based on the tracked throwing movement of the hand of the user; and

identifying the intended target recipient based on an extension of the projected virtual trajectory to one of a plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

identifying the target recipient from the plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment includes identifying the target recipient from a plurality of additional users sharing the virtual environment;

and

detecting the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment includes detecting the attractive force associated with each possible recipient based on at least one of;

an established association between the user and the possible recipient;

or

a request for sharing of the content of the virtual item by the possible recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the target recipient includes identifying the target recipient from a plurality of virtual display areas in the virtual environment, each of the plurality of virtual display areas being configured to receive a virtual item for display in the virtual environment, the method further comprising:

identifying a target display area of the plurality of virtual display areas for display of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item and the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of virtual display areas; and

displaying the content of the selected virtual item in the virtual environment, at the target display area identified as the target recipient.

6. The method of claim 5, identifying the target display area of the plurality of virtual target display areas including:

detecting the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of display areas based on a comparison of the characteristic of the selected virtual item and the characteristic of the respective virtual display area; and

identifying the target display area of the plurality of display areas as the target recipient for display of the content of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item and the detected attractive force.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the respective virtual display areas includes at least one of a virtual size of the virtual display area, a virtual orientation of the virtual display area, or a virtual texture of the of the virtual display area.

8. The method of claim 6, displaying the content of the selected virtual item at the target display area identified as the target recipient including at least one of:

re-sizing a virtual item previously displayed at the target display area identified as the target recipient to accommodate display of the selected virtual item at the target display area identified as the target recipient;

or

eliminating a virtual item previously displayed at the target display area identified as the target recipient to accommodate display of the selected virtual item at the target display area identified as the target recipient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the target recipient includes identifying the target recipient from a plurality of virtual storage areas in the virtual environment, each of the plurality of virtual storage areas being configured to receive a virtual item for storage, the method further comprising:

identifying a target storage area of the plurality of virtual storage areas to receive the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item and the respective attractive force associated with each of the plurality of virtual storage areas; and

sharing the content of the selected virtual item in the target storage area identified as the target recipient.

10. The method of claim 9, identifying the target storage area including:

detecting the respective attractive force associated with each of the plurality of virtual storage areas based on a comparison of the characteristic of the selected virtual item and the characteristic of the respective virtual storage area; and

identifying the target storage area from the plurality of virtual storage areas as the target recipient for receiving of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory of the selected virtual item and the detected attractive force.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the characteristic of the target storage area includes at least one of an item classification type, a share setting, or a designated destination.

12. A computing device, comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions, to cause the computing device to;

generate a virtual environment;

receive a selection of a virtual item by a selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item, the selected virtual item representing content associated with the selected virtual item;

track movement of the selection device in contact with the selected virtual item, and project a virtual trajectory for propulsion of the selected virtual item based on the tracked movement of the selected virtual item;

identify a target recipient for the selected virtual item, including;

detect a plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment, the plurality of possible recipients corresponding to a respective plurality of virtual representations in the virtual environment;

detect an attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients, the attractive force being based on a commonality between a characteristic of the content of the selected virtual item and a characteristic of each of the plurality of possible recipients; and

identify the target recipient based on the projected virtual trajectory for the propulsion of the selected virtual item and the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients; and

share the content of the selected virtual item with the target recipient.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein, in detecting an attractive force associated with each of the plurality of possible recipients, the instructions cause the computing device to detect at least one of:

an existing association between a user of the selection device or the selected virtual item and one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

an existing share request from one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

a sharing history between a user of the selection device or the selected virtual item and one or more of the plurality of possible recipients;

or

a common format type between the selected virtual item and one or more of the plurality of possible recipients.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein, in tracking movement of the selection device in virtual contact with the selected virtual item, the instructions cause the computing device to:

track a six degree of freedom movement of a hand of a user through a throwing movement of the hand of the user;

project the virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item based on the tracked throwing movement of the hand of the user; and

identify the target recipient based on an extension of the projected virtual trajectory to one of the plurality of possible recipients in the virtual environment.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein, in identifying the target recipient, the instructions cause the computing device to:

identify the target recipient from a plurality of additional users sharing the virtual environment; and

detect the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of additional users in the virtual environment, the attractive force associated with each additional user in the virtual environment being based on at least one of;

an established association between a user of the selection device or the selected virtual item and the user identified as the target recipient;

or

a request for sharing of the content of the virtual item from the user identified as the target recipient.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein, in identifying the target recipient, the instructions cause the computing device to:

identify the target recipient from a plurality of virtual display areas in the virtual environment, each of the plurality of virtual display areas being configured to receive at least one virtual item for display in the virtual environment; and

identify a virtual target display area of the plurality of virtual display areas for display of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item; and

display the content of the selected virtual item in the virtual environment, at the virtual target display area identified as the target recipient.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein, in identifying the virtual target display area of the plurality of virtual display areas, the instructions cause the computing device to:

detect the attractive force associated with each of the plurality of virtual display areas based on a comparison of the characteristic of the selected virtual item and the characteristic of the respective display area; and

identify the virtual target display area of the plurality of target display areas as the target recipient for display of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item and the detected attractive force.

18. The computing device of claim 12, wherein, in identifying the target recipient, the instructions cause the computing device to:

identify the target recipient from a plurality of virtual storage areas in the virtual environment, each of the plurality of virtual storage areas being configured to receive a virtual item for storage; and

identify a virtual target storage area of the plurality of virtual target storage areas to receive the content of the selected virtual item based on the projected virtual trajectory for the selected virtual item and a comparison of the attractive forces associated with each of the plurality of virtual target storage areas; and

share the content of the selected virtual item in the virtual target storage area identified as the target recipient.