Apparatus and method for presenting three dimensional objects with telepresence

• US 10,484,646 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hines, Tara, Basso, Andrea, Ivanov, Aleksey, Mikan, Jeffrey, Morris, Nadia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US16/017,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20180309958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/30 Image reproducers optical systems for producing stereoscopic or other three-dimensional effects G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may obtain images of an object captured at different viewing angles of a first portion of a viewing perspective of the object, and generate additional images for a second portion of the viewing perspective based on interpolation, extrapolation or both of the captured images. Holographic content for the object based on the captured images and the additional images is generated, in accordance with load balancing. The holographic content and second video content of a second user at a second location are provided to the first local device for presentation at a first display device that simulates the second user and the object being present at the first location and simulates interaction of a first user at the first location with the object based on movement of the first user with respect to the holographic content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

obtaining a plurality of captured images of an object that are captured by a camera system at a plurality of different viewing angles, wherein the plurality of different viewing angles of the plurality of captured images captures a first portion of a viewing perspective of the object;

generating a plurality of generated additional images for a second portion of the viewing perspective of the object;

performing a load balancing based on a determination of available processing resources for the processing system, a first local device remote from the processing system, and a second local device remote from the processing system;

generating, in accordance with the load balancing, holographic content for the object based on the plurality of captured images and the plurality of generated additional images, wherein the generating occurs at one of the first local device, the second local device or both, according to the load balancing;

providing, in accordance with the load balancing, the holographic content to the first local device for presentation of the holographic content with first video content at a first display device utilizing a first telepresence configuration that simulates a second user and the object being present at a first location and simulates interaction of a first user with the object based on movement of the first user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the first local device and the first display device are associated with the first user and located at the first location, and wherein the holographic content is representative of the captured images and the additional images,

wherein second video content is provided in accordance with the load balancing to the second local device for presentation with the second video content at a second display device utilizing a second telepresence configuration that simulates the first user and the object being present at a second location and simulates interaction of the second user with the object based on movement of the second user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the second local device and the second display device are associated with the second user and located at the second location, and

wherein the first video content and the second video content are associated with a communication session between the first user and the second user;

detecting a user interaction of the first user with the object; and

adjusting a presentation of the object at the second display device, to obtain an adjusted presentation, responsive to the user interaction.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the viewing perspective comprises 360 degrees of viewing perspective.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the camera system comprises a three dimensional stereoscopic camera.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second video content is adapted for presentation as three dimensional content.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise generating three dimensional content for the first video content based on two dimensional first images.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operated by a service provider, wherein the camera system is associated with the second user and located at the second location, wherein the second user is associated with a merchant, and wherein revenue that is generated in association with the presentation of the holographic content is shared between the service provider and the merchant.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving interaction signals representative of user inputs at a user interface of the processor as received interaction signals; and

manipulating the holographic content in the first telepresence configuration based on the received interaction signals.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the manipulating of the holographic content comprises adjusting an orientation of the object in the holographic content, wherein the user interaction comprises a gesture rotating the object, and wherein the adjusted presentation comprises a hand of the first user rotating the object according to the adjusting of the orientation of the object in the holographic content.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the manipulating of the holographic content is performed at least in part by adjusting a position of a camera of the camera system.

10. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a processing system including a processor, a plurality of captured images of an object that are captured by a camera system at a plurality of different viewing angles, wherein the plurality of different viewing angles of the plurality of captured images captures a first portion of a viewing perspective of the object;

producing, by the processing system, a plurality of additional images for a second portion of the viewing perspective of the object;

performing, by the processing system, a load balancing based on a determination of available processing resources for the processing system, a first local device remote from the processing system, and a second local device remote from the processing system;

producing, by the processing system in accordance with the load balancing, holographic content for the object based on the plurality of captured images and the plurality of additional images, wherein the producing occurs at one of the first local device, the second local device or both, according to the load balancing;

providing, by the processing system in accordance with the load balancing, the holographic content to the first local device for presentation with first video content at a first display device utilizing a first telepresence configuration that simulates a second user and the object being present at a first location and simulates interaction of a first user with the object based on movement of the first user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the first local device and the first display device are associated with the first user and located at the first location, and wherein the holographic content is representative of the captured images and the additional images,

wherein the holographic content and second video content are provided in accordance with the load balancing to the second local device for presentation with second video content at a second display device utilizing a second telepresence configuration that simulates the first user and the object being present at a second location and simulates interaction of the second user with the object based on movement of the second user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the second local device and the second display device are associated with the second user and located at the second location, and

wherein the first video content and the second video content are associated with a communication session between the first user and the second user;

detecting, by the processing system, a user interaction of the first user with the object; and

adjusting, by the processing system, a presentation of the object at the second display device, to obtain an adjusted presentation, responsive to the user interaction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the camera system comprise a three dimensional stereoscopic camera.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a request to initiate a communication session to the holographic content, the first video content, the second video content, or a combination thereof is provided via a social network application.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining, by the processing system, three dimensional content based on the plurality of captured images.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, a navigation request associated with the three dimensional content; and

transmitting, by the processing system, navigation information to the camera system for adjusting a position of a camera of the camera system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein navigation of the three dimensional content is performed without adjusting a position of a camera of the camera system.

16. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

obtaining object content based on a plurality of captured images of an object that are captured by a camera system at a plurality of different viewing angles, wherein the plurality of different viewing angles of the plurality of captured images captures a first portion of a viewing perspective of the object;

generating a plurality of additional images for a second portion of the viewing perspective of the object based on one of interpolation, extrapolation or both of the plurality of captured images;

performing a load balancing based on a determination of available processing resources for the processing system, a first local device remote from the processing system, and a second local device remote from the processing system;

generating, in accordance with the load balancing, holographic content for the object based on the plurality of captured images and the plurality of additional images, wherein the generating occurs at one of the first local device, the second local device or both, according to the load balancing; and

providing in accordance with the load balancing, the holographic content and second video content of a second user at a second location to the first local device for presentation at a first display device at a first location that simulates the second user and the object being present at the first location and simulates interaction of a first user at the first location with the object based on movement of the first user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the first local device and the first display device are associated with the first user and located at the first location, and wherein the holographic content is representative of the captured images and the additional images,

wherein second video content is provided in accordance with the load balancing to the second local device for presentation with the second video content at a second display device utilizing a second telepresence configuration that simulates the first user and the object being present at the second location and simulates interaction of the second user with the object based on movement of the second user with respect to the holographic content, wherein the second local device and the second display device are associated with the second user and located at the second location;

detecting a user interaction of the first user with the object; and

adjusting a presentation of the object at the second display device at the second location, to obtain an adjusted presentation, responsive to the user interaction.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the holographic content is presented as three dimensional content that provides different viewing perspectives based on viewer position.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

manipulating a position of the object in the holographic content based on interaction signals representative of user inputs at a user interface of the first local device.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the camera system comprise a stereoscopic camera.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, in accordance with the load balancing, the holographic content of the first user at the first location to the second local device for presentation with first video content at the second display device that simulates the first user and the object being present at the second location and simulates interaction of the second user with the object based on movement of the second user with respect to the holographic content.