TELEPRESENCE EXPERIENCE

• US 20150244976A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: CHOU, Philip A., ZHANG, Zhengyou, CHEN, Yinpeng
• Granted Patent: US 9,883,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/00 Details of colour television systems

Abstract

The description relates to remote collaboration via a telepresence experience. One example can include an interactive digital display. The example can also include a virtual user presentation component configured to generate a graphical user interface that includes a virtual representation of a remote user on the interactive digital display. The graphical user interface can be configured to present the remote user in a side by side or mirror image relationship to a local user of the interactive digital display.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a touch sensitive display; and

,

a virtual user presentation component configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a virtual representation of a remote user on the touch sensitive display and wherein the graphical user interface is configured to present the remote user in a side by side or mirror image relationship to a local user of the touch sensitive display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual user presentation component is further configured to cause an image of the local user to be captured and to separate a portion of the image containing the local user from background portions of the image and to send the portion of the image containing the local user and content displayed on the touch sensitive display to a remote device associated with the remote user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system includes the remote device or wherein the system does not include the remote device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive display includes a processor and storage, and wherein the virtual user presentation component is stored on the storage for execution by the processor.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a red, green, blue, +depth (RGBD) camera positionable to capture the touch sensitive display and a region in front of the touch sensitive display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the RGBD camera is fixedly mounted to the touch sensitive display or wherein the RGBD camera is physically separated from the touch sensitive display but communicatively coupled to the touch sensitive display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI comprises a portion for presenting the virtual representation of the remote user and another portion for presenting a virtual drawing surface.

8. The system of claim 7, and when the remote user changes content on the virtual drawing surface, the virtual user presentation component is configured to create a visual representation that connects the virtual representation of the remote user in the portion to the changed content on the virtual drawing surface.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a red, green, blue, +depth (RGBD) camera configured to capture a region in front of the touch sensitive display and wherein the virtual user presentation component is configured to correlate the region as captured by the RGBD camera with locations on the touch sensitive display.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a red, green, blue, +depth (RGBD) camera configured to capture a region in front of the touch sensitive display and wherein the virtual user presentation component is configured to transmit RGBD information about the local user and changes made to the GUI by the local user to the GUI.

11. A system, comprising:

a touch sensitive display lying in a plane; and

,

a red, green, blue, plus depth (RGBD) camera positioned on or in front of the plane and oriented to sense a region in front of the touch sensitive display, wherein the RGBD camera is calibrated to map 3-D coordinates on the touch sensitive display to corresponding 3-D coordinates of the region; and

,

a virtual user presentation component configured to transmit digital content from the touch sensitive display and RGBD data from the region to another touch sensitive display and to update the digital content displayed on the touch sensitive display to reflect changes invoked on the another touch sensitive display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the RGBD camera is deployably secured to the touch sensitive display and can be deployed from a storage position parallel to the plane to a capture position in front of the plane.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the capture position orients the RGBD camera at an orientation that is neither horizontal nor vertical.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the RGBD camera comprises a first RGBD camera that is oriented generally parallel to the plane and a second RGBD camera that is oriented to capture the region in front of the plane and wherein the first and second RGBD cameras and the touch sensitive display are mounted in a housing.

15. The system of claim 14, manifest as a mobile device or a device that is configured to be mounted on a vertical wall.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual user presentation component is configured to separate portions of the RGBD data relating to a user in the region from background data and only transmit the portions of the RGBD data relating to the user to the another touch sensitive display.

17. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving data relating to a visualization of a remote user and the remote user'"'"'s hand interacting with a remote touch sensitive display;

presenting a graphical user interface that includes a first portion for presenting a virtual representation of the remote user and a second portion for interaction by the remote user and a local user; and

,

presenting a virtual representation of the user'"'"'s hand interacting on the second portion and virtually extending a representation of the remote user'"'"'s arm from the virtual representation of the remote user in the first portion to the virtual representation of the user'"'"'s hand in the second portion.

18. The method of claim 17, sending other data about the local user and the local user'"'"'s interactions with the second portion to the remote touch sensitive display.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the representation of the remote user'"'"'s arm is a life-like representation or wherein the representation is a symbolic representation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving data comprises receiving raw data or receiving processed data.