INDICATING THE GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF A DIGITALLY-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

• US 20140055491A1
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Malamud, Mark, Levien, Royce
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Technologies are described for indicating a geographic origin of a digitally-mediated communication relative to a location of a recipient by presenting the indication in an augmented reality scene. For example, an augmented reality scene can be presented to the recipient. The geographic origin of an incoming digital communication may be determined and a relative location of the origin with respect to the recipient'"'"'s location may be computed. A format for presenting the relative location may be derived from the digital communication and the geographic origin. The augmented reality scene may be updated with the relative location based on the derived format. Techniques for integrating digital communications, location-based services, and augmented reality applications can enhance the recipient'"'"'s experience by providing a perceptual solution to the loss of certain fundamental aspects of natural communication, such as the ability to instantly determine the geographic origin or relative location of an incoming digital communication.

Claims

1. A system configured to indicate locations of digital communications, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory bearing processor instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to at least;

render an augmented reality scene;

determine a geographic origin and a geographic destination of a digital communication; and

determine an augmented reality format for presenting a first graphical object in the augmented reality scene, the first graphical object indicative of a relative location of the geographic origin to the geographic destination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the determine the geographic origin and the geographic destination of the digital communication comprises determining a first geographic location of a first computing device originating the digital communication and a second geographic location of a second computing device receiving the digital communication;

the augmented reality format is determined based on the digital communication, the geographic origin, the geographic destination, and presentation requirements; and

the first graphical object comprises a combination of visual, auditory, and haptic indications configured to provide a three dimensional presentation of the first geographic location relative to the second geographic location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality format comprises instructions for a visual presentation of an augmented reality object configured to indicate the geographic origin.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the visual presentation is based on one or more of the following:

a second graphical object derived from the digital communication, an animation of the second graphical object, information derived from the geographic origin, a level of detail associated with the information, a presentation persistence associated with displaying the augmented reality object to a user, textual information describing the geographic origin, and graphical hints configured to orient the user to the geographic origin.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality format comprises instructions for an auditory presentation of an augmented reality object configured to indicate the geographic origin.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the auditory presentation is based on one or more of the following:

a sound associated with the digital communication, a sound associated with the geographic origin, and a volume and quality based on the geographic origin.

7. A method for presenting geographic locations in an augmented reality environment, the method comprising:

generating an augmented reality scene based on a first location of a first computing device;

determining a second location of a second computing device initiating a digital communication with the first computing device; and

determining a format for presenting in the augmented reality scene the first location, the second location, and an object that indicates a relative position of the first location to the second location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital communication comprises one or more of real-time and store-and-forward communications.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second locations are derived from at least one or more of the following:

satellite positioning system-based information, cellular triangulation data, wireless access points interpolation data, and geographical tags.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining the second location comprises determining a resolution level, wherein the resolution level is controlled at the second computing device based on one or more of:

enabling a determination of the second location, disabling the determination of the second location, a detail level of information associated with the second location, and a preview presentation of the second location.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the format of the object comprises instructions for presenting a link to information about objects associated with the second location, and wherein the information is presented as augmented reality objects.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising rendering the first location, the second location, and the object as augmented reality objects in the augmented reality scene.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the format of the object is determined based on the digital communication, the second location, the first location, and presentation requirements.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the format of the object comprises instruction for presenting a cross-modality presentation configured to provide a three dimensional perception of the second location relative to the first location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the cross-modality presentation comprises a visual presentation, an auditory presentation, a haptic presentation, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the visual presentation is configured based on one or more of the following:

a graphical object derived from the digital communication, an animation of the graphical object, information derived from the second location, a level of detail associated with the information, a presentation persistence associated with displaying the augmented reality object to a user of the first computing device, textual information describing the second location, and graphical hints configured to orient the user to the second location.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the auditory presentation is configured based on one or more of the following:

a sound associated with the digital communication, a sound associated with the second location relative to the first location, and a volume and a quality based on the second location relative to the first location.

18. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for:

exchanging a digital communication with a computing device;

receiving a location of the computing device; and

rendering an augmented reality scene including the location of the computing device and a representation of a relative location of the computing device.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the rendering the augmented reality scene comprises presenting the location and the relative location as augmented reality objects, and wherein the presentation comprises at least a visual presentation, an auditory presentation, or a combination thereof configured to provide a three dimensional perceptual indication of the location and the relative location.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the visual presentation is configured based on one or more of the following:

a graphical object derived from the digital communication, an animation of the graphical object, information derived from the location of the computing device, a level of detail associated with the information, a presentation persistence associated with displaying the augmented reality object to a user, textual information describing the location of the computing device, and graphical hints configured to orient the user to the location of the computing device, and wherein the auditory presentation is configured based on one or more of the following;

a sound associated with the digital communication, a sound associated with the location of the computing device, and a volume and quality derived from the location of the computing device.