INFORMATION PROVIDING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD, INFORMATION PROVIDING PROCESSING PROGRAM, RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING INFORMATION PROVIDING PROCESSING PROGRAM RECORDED THEREIN, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM

• US 20140118343A1
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Takami, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• 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 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation

Abstract

An information providing device can efficiently search for image data which includes an image of an object matching a user'"'"'s preference, or can efficiently recommend information related to an image-capturing spot matching the user'"'"'s preference. The information providing device receives three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement of an object in three-dimensional space, and line-of-sight information for specifying a point-of-view position and a line-of-sight direction in the three-dimensional space, from a terminal device, generates two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in a two-dimensional plane, an arrangement of the object projected on the two-dimensional plane based on the received three-dimensional arrangement information and line-of-sight information, and compares arrangement information stored in a memory means that stores image data and the arrangement information which indicates, in an image, an arrangement of the object included in the image indicated by the image data, and the generated two-dimensional arrangement information, and searches for the image data based on a result of the comparison.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. An information providing device that a terminal device can access through a network,

the information providing device comprising:

a receiving means that receives three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement of an object in three-dimensional space, and line-of-sight information for specifying a point-of-view position and a line-of-sight direction in the three-dimensional space, from the terminal device;

a generating means that generates two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in a two-dimensional plane, an arrangement of the object projected on the two-dimensional plane based on the received three-dimensional arrangement information and line-of-sight information; and

a searching means that compares arrangement information stored in a memory means that stores image data and the arrangement information which indicates, in an image, an arrangement of the object included in the image indicated by the image data, and the generated two-dimensional arrangement information, and searches for the image data based on a result of the comparison.

20. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the receiving means receives the line-of-sight information for specifying a plurality of pairs of point-of-view positions and line-of-sight directions;

the generating means generates a plurality of items of the two-dimensional arrangement information based on the plurality of pairs specified based on the received line-of-sight information; and

the searching means compares the arrangement information stored in the memory means and the plurality of items of the generated two-dimensional arrangement information.

21. The information providing device according to claim 20, further comprising:

a selecting means that selects two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement which minimizes a degree of overlap of objects in the two-dimensional plane, from the plurality of the generated two-dimensional arrangement information,

wherein the searching means compares the arrangement information stored in the memory means and the selected two-dimensional arrangement information.

22. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the receiving means further receives selection information which indicates an object selected by a user from objects arranged in the three-dimensional space;

and

the searching means compares an arrangement of the object indicated by the received selection information among arrangements indicated by the generated two-dimensional arrangement information, and an arrangement of an object corresponding to the object indicated by the received selection information among arrangements indicated by the arrangement information stored in the memory means.

23. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the receiving means further receives selection information which indicates an object selected by a user from objects arranged in the three-dimensional space;

and

the generating means generates the two-dimensional arrangement information by excluding objects which are other than object information indicated by the received selection information among objects arranged in the three-dimensional space, from projection objects on the two-dimensional plane.

24. The information providing device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a display control means that displays object candidates which represent objects arranged in the three-dimensional space, on a display screen of the terminal device such that a user can select an object candidate,

wherein the receiving means receives three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement of the object candidate which is selected by the user and which is arranged in virtual three-dimensional space, as three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates the arrangement of the object in the three-dimensional space.

25. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the receiving means further receives color information which indicates a color of the object in the three-dimensional space;

and

the searching means further compares the color of the object indicated by the received color information and a color of an object included in the image indicated by the image data.

26. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the memory means stores position information of the image data;

the receiving means further receives condition information which indicates a condition related to the position information; and

the searching means makes the comparison of the image data associated with position information which satisfies the condition indicated by the received condition information.

27. The information providing device according to claim 21,

wherein the memory means stores position information of the image data;

the receiving means further receives condition information which indicates a condition related to the position information; and

the searching means makes the comparison of the image data associated with position information which satisfies the condition indicated by the received condition information.

28. The information providing device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a transmitting means that transmits the image data searched by the searching means, to the terminal device.

29. The information providing device according to claim 19,

wherein the memory means stores position information of the image data;

and

the information providing device further comprises a transmitting means that transmits the position information of the image data searched by the searching means, to the terminal device.

30. The information providing device according to claim 27,

wherein the memory means stores position information of the image data;

and

the information providing device further comprises a transmitting means that transmits the position information of the image data searched by the searching means, to the terminal device.

31. An information providing method in an information providing device that a terminal device can access through a network,

the information providing method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement of an object in three-dimensional space, and line-of-sight information for specifying a point-of-view position and a line-of-sight direction in the three-dimensional space, from the terminal device;

a generating step of generating two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in a two-dimensional plane, an arrangement of the object projected on the two-dimensional plane based on the received three-dimensional arrangement information and line-of-sight information; and

a searching step of comparing arrangement information stored in a memory means that stores image data and the arrangement information which indicates, in an image, an arrangement of the object included in the image indicated by the image data, and the generated two-dimensional arrangement information, and searching for the image data based on a result of the comparison.

32. An information providing system comprising:

a terminal device; and

an information providing device that the terminal device can access through a network,

wherein the terminal device comprises;

a transmitting means that transmits three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates an arrangement of an object in three-dimensional space and line-of-sight information for specifying a point-of-view position and a line-of-sight direction in the three-dimensional space, to the information providing device; and

the information providing device comprises;

a receiving means that receives the three-dimensional arrangement information and the line-of-sight information transmitted from the terminal device;

a generating means that generates two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in a two-dimensional plane, an arrangement of the object projected on the two-dimensional plane based on the received three-dimensional arrangement information and line-of-sight information; and

a searching means that compares arrangement information stored in a memory means that stores image data and the arrangement information which indicates, in an image, an arrangement of the object included in the image data, and the generated two-dimensional arrangement information, and searches for the image data based on a result of the comparison.

33. The information providing system according to claim 32,

wherein at least one of the terminal device and the information providing device further comprises:

a specifying means that specifies a reference position to which a line of sight is directed in virtual three-dimensional space;

the terminal device further comprises;

an acquiring means that acquires three-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in virtual three-dimensional space, an arrangement of a virtual object arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space by a user'"'"'s operation; and

a setting means that sets the line-of-sight information by moving the point-of-view position while a direction to the reference position specified based on the point-of-view position is regarded as the line-of-sight direction, according to the user'"'"'s operation; and

the transmitting means transmits the acquired three-dimensional arrangement information and the set line-of-sight information.

34. The information providing system according to claim 33,

wherein the specifying means specifies, as the reference position, a position of a virtual object of a maximum size among virtual objects arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space.

35. The information providing system according to claim 33,

wherein, when a plurality of virtual objects is arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space, the specifying means specifies, as the reference position, a position which is a gravity center of positions of the plurality of arranged virtual objects.

36. The information providing system according to claim 33,

wherein at least one of the terminal device and the information providing device further comprises:

a second generating means that generates a plurality of pieces of two-dimensional arrangement information which indicates, in the two-dimensional plane, the arrangement of the virtual object projected on the two-dimensional plane based on the acquired three-dimensional arrangement information, and for which at least one of point-of-view positions and line-of-sight directions is different;

the specifying means specifies the reference position on a line of a sight indicated by a point-of-view position and a line-of-sight direction used to generate two-dimensional arrangement information which minimizes a degree of overlap of virtual objects arranged in the two-dimensional plane among the plurality of pieces of the generated two-dimensional arrangement information; and

the setting means sets, as a initial state, the point-of-view position and the line-of-sight direction used to generate the two-dimensional arrangement information which minimizes the degree of overlap of the virtual objects arranged on the two-dimensional plane, and changes the point-of-view position and the line-of-sight direction from the initial state according to the user'"'"'s operation.