APPLICATIONS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL ENVIRONMENTS CONSTRUCTED FROM IMAGES

• US 20080028341A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kasperkiewicz, Tomasz S.M., Szeliski, Richard S., Aguera y Arcas, Blaise H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,712,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

Applications that extend the basic concept of determining spatial relationships between images and generating a model allowing users to experience the images in a 3D environment are provided. One application is directed to the creation of documents that may be readily shared, viewed, and edited, wherein the documents include references to underlying content comprising a 3D environment and images positioned therein and captures connections between images. Another application relates to ranking images based on user viewing information, such as the number of users who have viewed an image and how long an image was viewed. Yet another application is directed to analyzing the spatial density of images within a 3D environment to determine points of user interest. A further application relates to using spatially indexed images to navigate between webpages and 3D environments.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for creating a document;

wherein the document comprises one or more references to underlying content, the underlying content including a three-dimensional (3D) environment having a plurality of two-dimensional images located therein based on spatial information associated with each of the plurality of images; and

wherein the document defines connections between at least a portion of the 2D images, the connections comprising one or more paths through the underlying content.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the plurality of images comprise at least one of a photograph, a video, and an artwork image.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the connections between at least a portion of the images are based on at least one of a spatial relationship, a subject relationship, a time relationship, and an author relationship.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions for creating the document include instructions for adding new content to the underlying content.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the underlying content further comprises at least one of an ambient audio, an audio narration, and an annotation.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the document further defines a connection between at least one of an ambient audio, an audio narration, and an annotation with at least a portion of the one or more paths through the 3D environment.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the one or more paths through the underlying content comprise at least one of:

a linear path through the 3D environment; and

a plurality of paths through the 3D environment having one or more decision points between the plurality of paths.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions for creating the document include instructions for automatically determining connections between images based on at least one of:

user viewing information associated with users viewing the images in the 3D environment; and

the spatial density of the images in the 3D environment.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the computer-useable instructions further comprise at least one of instructions for editing the document, instructions for viewing the document, and instructions for sharing the document.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the instructions for editing the document include instructions for editing the document without altering the underlying content.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the instructions for editing the document include instructions for adding new content to the underlying content.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the instructions for editing the document include instructions for allowing multiple users to edit the document substantially simultaneously.

13. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of ranking images, the method comprising:

receiving user viewing information associated with each of a plurality of images, each of the images being positioned in a three-dimensional (3D) environment based on spatial information associated with each of the images; and

ranking at least a portion of the plurality of images based on the user viewing information to provide one or more image rankings.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the user viewing information for an image includes information associated with at least one of a number of users who have viewed the image, a user dwell time for the image, and information associated with an author of the image.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises controlling the presentation of images based on the one or more image rankings.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises automatically defining one or more connections between images based on the one or more image rankings.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises receiving user navigation information associated with user navigations through the 3D environment.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the user navigation information includes information regarding paths taken by users when navigating through the 3D environment.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises automatically defining one or more paths through the 3D environment based on the user navigation information.

20. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of using images to determine points of user interest, the method comprising:

providing a three-dimensional (3D) environment having a plurality of images, each of the images being positioned in the 3D environment based on spatial information associated with each of the images; and

determining points of user interest by analyzing the spatial density of the images within the 3D environment.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 20, further comprising controlling the presentation of images based on the spatial density of the images within the 3D environment.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 20, further comprising determining connections between images based on the spatial density of the images within the 3D environment.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, further comprising defining paths through the 3D environment based on the connections between the images determined based on the spatial density of the images within the 3D environment.

24. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for navigating between a first image in a webpage and a three-dimensional (3D) environment having a plurality of images, the method comprising:

presenting the first image within the webpage, the first image including a hyperlink to the 3D environment, the 3D environment having the plurality of images positioned therein based on spatial information associated with each of the images, the 3D environment further having the first image positioned therein based on spatial information associated with the first image;

receiving a user selection of the first image within the webpage; and

responsive to the user selection of the first image within the webpage, presenting the 3D environment.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the 3D environment is presented from a position within the 3D environment based on the spatial information associated with the first image.

26. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

navigating to a second image in the 3D environment, wherein the second image includes a hyperlink to a second webpage, the second webpage including the second image;

receiving a user selection of the second image within the 3D environment; and

responsive to the user selection of the second image within the 3D environment, presenting the second webpage.