Digital communication of captured three-dimensional object over a network

• US 20050036675A1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NextPat Limited
• Original Assignee: NextPat Limited
• Inventors: Agabra, David S., McKinley, William D., Knighton, Mark S.
• Application Number:
  US10/947,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050036675A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00224 wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00013 Reading apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00042 Monitoring, i.e. observation H04N1/00029 - H04N1/00039 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3236 Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

The three-dimensional imaging system providing distribution over a distributed network. A low-cost convenient three-dimensional imaging system having a digitizer and orientation fixture which automatically acquires and calibrates to each other. Automatic acquisition and calibration provide vastly improved ease of use. The system interfaces with a distributed network, such that authorization for operation and/or access to data captured may be controlled at a remote node on the distributed network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a capture module to drive a capture unit to capture three-dimensional data about a physical object; and

a communications module integrated with the capture module to communicate the three-dimensional (3D) data over a distributed network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed network is the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional data comprises three-dimensional geometry and surface image data that represents the physical object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the capture module automatically captures three-dimensional data from multiple aspects of the physical object.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a modeling module to automatically assemble and render a three-dimensional model based on the three-dimensional data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module automatically sends a representation of the three-dimensional data over the distributed network responsive to an external event.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the three-dimensional capture unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication is managed by a server node attached to the distributed network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the 3D data is stored for some period of time on more than one resource on the distributed network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication of the 3D data can be performed by more than one node attached to the distributed network.

11. A method comprising:

driving a capture of three dimensional data about a physical object from a capture module; and

communicating the three-dimensional data captured over a distributed from a communication module integrated with the capture module.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the three-dimensional data comprises both three-dimensional geometry and surface image data that represents the physical object.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

rendering a three-dimensional model from the three-dimensional data.