USER-GENERATED CONTENT IN A VIRTUAL REALITY ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140253743A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Loxam, James, Blanchflower, Sean Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

The systems and methods allow users of mobile computing devices to generate augmented reality scenarios. Augmented reality content is paired with a real world trigger item to generate the augmented reality scenario. The augmented reality content is overlaid onto frames on a video when a trigger item is detected. Each mobile computing device may have an augmented reality application resident on the mobile computing device to allow a user to generate the augmented reality scenarios.

Claims

1. A method for generating an augmented reality scenario, comprising:

identifying, using a camera of a mobile computing device, a trigger item for use with the augmented reality scenario from a scene detected by the camera;

in response to receiving user input corresponding to a selection, identifying, at the mobile computing device, a user-selected content item to include as part of the augmented reality scenario;

associating, at the mobile computing device, the trigger item with the user-selected content item to generate the augmented reality scenario; and

transmitting the augmented reality scenario to a remote server system for storage so that when another computing device detects the trigger item using a camera of the other computing device, the user-selected content item is displayed on a display of the other computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selected content item corresponds to one or more of a video, an image, or a 3-dimensional (3D) object selected by a user of the mobile computing device, the user-selected content item being selected from a memory of the mobile computing device or from a remote source over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input to adjust at least one of a size or a position of the user-selected content item relative to the trigger item before storing the augmented reality scenario with the remote server system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user input to adjust at least one of the size or the position of the user-selected content item corresponds to a manipulation of the user-selected content item using one or more fingers of a user of the mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server system enables the augmented reality scenario to be shared with other users so that other users can operate respective computing devices to view the user-selected content item by detecting the trigger item.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the remote server system cooperates with multiple instances of an augmented reality application that each resides on different computing devices, including an instance of the augmented reality application that resides on the mobile computing device and that is operated by a user of the mobile computing device to generate the augmented reality scenario.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger item corresponds to one or more of an image, a billboard, a poster, or an article.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile computing device, causes the mobile computing device to:

identify a trigger item from a scene detected by a camera of the mobile computing device, the trigger item being specified by a user of the mobile computing device to configure an augmented reality scenario;

identify, at the mobile computing device, a user-selected content item to include as part of the augmented reality scenario;

generate, at the mobile computing device, the augmented reality scenario by associating the trigger item with the user-selected content item; and

storing the augmented reality scenario at a remote server system so that when another computing device detects the trigger item using a camera of the other computing device, the user-selected content item is displayed on a display of the other computing device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the user-selected content item corresponds to one or more of a video, an image, or a 3-dimensional (3D) object selected by the user, the user-selected content item being selected from a memory of the mobile computing device or from a remote source over a network.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the mobile computing device to further:

receive user input to adjust at least one of a size or a position of the user-selected content item relative to the trigger item before storing the augmented reality scenario with the remote server system.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the user input to adjust at least one of the size or the position of the user-selected content item corresponds to a manipulation of the user-selected content item using one or more fingers of a user of the mobile computing device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the mobile computing device to store the augmented reality scenario with the remote server system by sharing the augmented reality scenario with other users to enable the other users to operate respective computing devices to view the user-selected content item by detecting the trigger item.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the remote server system cooperates with multiple instances of an augmented reality application that each resides on different computing devices, including an instance of the augmented reality application that resides on the mobile computing device and that is operated by the user to generate the augmented reality scenario.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the trigger item corresponds to one or more of an image, a billboard, a poster, or an article.

15. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a camera;

a display;

one or more memory resources storing instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the camera, the display, and the one or more memory resources, to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile computing device to;

identify a trigger item for use with an augmented reality scenario from a scene detected by the camera;

in response to receiving user input corresponding to a selection of a user-selected content item, associate the trigger item with the user-selected content item to include as part of the augmented reality scenario, the user-selected content item being selected from the one or more memory resources or from a remote source over a network; and

transmit the augmented reality scenario to a remote server system for storage so that when another computing device detects the trigger item using a camera of the other computing device, the user-selected content item is displayed on a display of the other computing device.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the user-selected content item corresponds to one or more of a video, an image, or a 3-dimensional (3D) object selected by the user.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the mobile computing device to further:

receive user input to adjust at least one of a size or a position of the user-selected content item relative to the trigger item before storing the augmented reality scenario with the remote server system.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 17, wherein the user input to adjust at least one of the size or the position of the user-selected content item corresponds to a manipulation of the user-selected content item using one or more fingers of a user of the mobile computing device.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the remote server system enables the augmented reality scenario to be shared with other users so that other users can operate respective computing devices to view the user-selected content item by detecting the trigger item.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 19, wherein the remote server system cooperates with multiple instances of an augmented reality application that each resides on different computing devices, including an instance of the augmented reality application that resides on the mobile computing device and that is operated by a user of the mobile computing device to generate the augmented reality scenario.