AUGMENTED REALITY METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DESIGNING ENVIRONMENTS AND BUYING/SELLING GOODS

• US 20100185529A1
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syndigo, LLC
• Original Assignee: Edgenet, Inc. (Syndigo, LLC)
• Inventors: Rudolph, Scott, Chesnut, Casey
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Described is a method and a corresponding system for designing interior and exterior environments and for selling real world goods that appear as virtual objects within an augmented reality-generated design. The method includes the steps of generating a digitized still or moving image of a real world environment; providing in a programmable computer a database of virtual objects; parsing the image with a programmable computer to determine if the image contains any real world markers corresponding to the virtual objects in the database; retrieving corresponding virtual objects from the database and superimposing the images contained in the virtual objects in registration upon their corresponding real world markers in the image; and enabling users to retrieve the attributes of the real world objects depicted in the augmented reality image.

Claims

1. A method for designing interior and exterior environments and for selling real world goods that appear as virtual objects within an augmented reality-generated design, the method comprising:

(a) generating a digitized still or moving image of a real world environment;

(b) providing in a programmable computer a database of virtual objects wherein each virtual object has at least one corresponding real world marker, wherein each virtual object depicts a real world object for sale, and further wherein each virtual object encodes an image of its corresponding real world object and attributes of the corresponding real world object;

then

(c) parsing the image of step (a) with a programmable computer to determine if the image contains any real world markers corresponding to the virtual objects in the database; and

then

(d) retrieving corresponding virtual objects from the database and superimposing the images contained in the virtual objects in registration upon their corresponding real world markers in the image of step (a) to generate an augmented reality image;

(e) enabling users to retrieve the attributes of the real world objects depicted in the augmented reality image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises generating a digitized still image of a real world environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes a two-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes a three-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes attributes of the corresponding real world object selected from the group consisting of manufacturer, model designation, purchase price, physical dimensions, weight, color, texture, country of manufacture, availability in inventory, shipping cost to user'"'"'s location, product-specific requirements, compatibility with other real world objects, user manual, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein step (e) comprises enabling users to retrieve the attributes of the real world objects on a networked computer, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, or an Internet-enabled wireless device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein step (c) comprises parsing the image of step (a) for real world markers selected from the group consisting of circular, linear, matrix, variable bit length matrix, multi-level matrix, black/white (binary), gray scale patterns, two- or three-dimensional codes, two-or three-dimensional renderings of real world objects, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises generating a digitized moving image of a real world environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes a two-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes a three-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein in step (b) each virtual object encodes attributes of the corresponding real world object selected from the group consisting of manufacturer, model designation, purchase price, physical dimensions, weight, color, country of manufacture, availability in inventory, shipping cost to user'"'"'s location, product-specific requirements, compatibility with other real world objects, user manual, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (e) comprises enabling users to retrieve the attributes of the real world objects on a networked computer, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, or an Internet-enabled wireless device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) comprises parsing the image of step (a) for real world markers selected from the group consisting of circular, linear, matrix, variable bit length matrix, multi-level matrix, black/white (binary), gray scale patterns, two- or three-dimensional codes, two-or three-dimensional renderings of real world objects, and combinations thereof.

14. A system for designing interior and exterior environments and for selling real world goods that appear as virtual objects within an augmented reality-generated design, the system comprising:

a digital imaging device configured to generate a digitized still or moving image of a real world environment, the imaging device operationally connected to;

a programmable computer having stored therein a database of virtual objects wherein each virtual object corresponds to at least one real world marker, wherein each virtual object depicts a real world object for sale, and further wherein each virtual object encodes an image of its corresponding real world object and attributes of the corresponding real world object;

a comparator program stored in the programmable computer and configured to parse images generated by the imaging device to determine if the image contains any real world markers corresponding to the virtual objects in the database;

a retrieval program configured to retrieve corresponding virtual objects from the database and a merging unit to superimpose the images contained in the virtual objects in registration upon their corresponding real world markers in the image generated by the imaging device, thereby generating an augmented reality image;

a display device configured to enable users to retrieve the attributes of the real world objects depicted in the augmented reality image.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the digital imaging device is selected from the group consisting of a digital still camera, a digital movie camera, and a digital scanner.

16. The system claim 14, wherein the real world markers are selected from the group consisting of circular, linear, matrix, variable bit length matrix, multi-level matrix, black/white (binary), gray scale patterns, two- or three-dimensional codes, two-or three-dimensional renderings of real world, three-dimensional objects, and combinations thereof.

17. The system claim 14, wherein each virtual object encodes a two-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

18. The system claim 14, wherein each virtual object encodes a three-dimensional image of its corresponding real world object.

19. The system claim 14, wherein each virtual object encodes attributes of the corresponding real world object selected from the group consisting of manufacturer, model designation, purchase price, physical dimensions, weight, color, texture, country of manufacture, availability in inventory, shipping cost to user'"'"'s location, product-specific requirements, compatibility with other real world objects, user manual, and combinations thereof.