Three dimensional virtual reality enhancement techniques

• US 6,256,043 B1
• Filed: 09/26/1997
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Carraro, Gianpaolo U., Ahuja, Sudhir Raman, Aho, Alfred Vaino, Rosenthal, Eugene J., Ensor, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevenson, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US08/938,304
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/433, 345/428, 345/474, 345/972
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/972 Inserted real-time video in operator interface

Abstract

For a world that has a portion of the world distant from the point of view of the user represented in only two dimensions as a video on a video screen, when an object on the video screen undergoes a trajectory that takes at least a portion of it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video but instead is a location in the world that is represented by computer graphics, in addition to being able to continue to see such an object when it is rendered as computer graphics in the computer graphics part of the world, i.e., popped out from the video, one is able to interact with such an object. Thus, an object which pops out from a video into the computer graphics part of the world may be “investigated” by a viewer of the world. For example, the user could enter a store which popped out of the video, and engage in virtual shopping therein. The particular store which is actually entered may be customized on a per user basis, e.g., as a function of geography. When the proprietor of a virtual store, or his representative, e.g., electronic agent, detects the avatar of one or more persons in the vicinity of the avatar of a store for which such proprietor'"'"'s store corresponds to the virtual store for such passing persons, a message may be transmitted to such passing persons.

Claims

1. A method for use in accessing an object in a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of objects, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which is represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a viewer of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

changing the representation of said object from a video representation to one modeled as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world;

receiving an indication of a selection of said object by said viewer when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics; and

accessing additional information about said selected object.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a billboard.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a store.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a vendor stand.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a garage sale.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said additional information is determined as a function of specified parameters of said viewer of said world.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said additional information is determined as a function of a location in the real world of said viewer of said world.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said additional information is determined as independent of a location in the real world of said viewer of said world.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said additional information is determined as a function of preferences of said viewer of said world.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a store selected from among a plurality of stores as a function of a location of said viewer and said additional information is relevant to objects for sale at said store.

11. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a store selected from among a plurality of stores as a function of specified parameters of said viewer and said additional information is relevant to objects for sale at said store.

12. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including the step of opening a communication channel between said viewer of said world and a location defined as a function of said additional information.

13. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said additional information is determined as a function of a location in the real world of said viewer of said world and further including the step of opening a communication channel between a viewer of said world and a location defined as another function of said additional information.

14. A method for use by a plurality of users in exploring a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of objects, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which is represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of at least one of said users, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

changing the representation of said object from a video representation to one modeled as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world;

receiving an indication of a selection of said object by a user when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics; and

transmitting to at least at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users additional information about said selected object;

wherein said additional information about said selected object that is supplied one of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users is different from the additional information about said selected object that is supplied to another of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users.

15. The invention as defined in claim 14 wherein said object is an avatar of a store and wherein said additional information supplied to said one of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users relates to a first real world store and wherein said additional information supplied to said other one of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users relates to a second real world store, said first and second stores being different.

16. The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein said additional information actually supplied to said one of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users and to said other of said at least two distinct subsets of said plurality of users is determined as a function of defined parameters regarding said one and said other distinct subsets.

17. A method for use in accessing an object in a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of object, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which was represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a user of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

changing the representation of said object from a video representation to one modeled as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world; and

opening a communication channel when an avatar of said user is within a specified distance of said object in said first portion of said world when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics.

18. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said communication channel connects to a display avatar in said world.

19. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said communication channel connects to a billboard avatar in said world.

20. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said communication channel connects said user and an actor on behalf of said object.

21. The invention as defined in claim 20 wherein said actor is an autonomous agent representing said object.

22. The invention as defined in 17 wherein said communication channel is presented as a advertisement avatar in said first portion of said world.

23. The invention as defined in 17 wherein said communication channel is a voice channel.

24. The invention as defined in 17 wherein said communication channel is a data channel.

25. The invention as defined in 17 wherein said communication channel is a chat session.

26. A method for use in accessing an object in a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of objects, said world being explored by a plurality of users, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which was represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a user of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

changing the representation of said object from a video representation to one modeled as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world; and

opening a plurality of communication channels when an avatar of said user is within a specified distance of said object in said first portion of said world when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics.

27. The invention as defined in claim 26 wherein a first of said communication channels connects said user and an actor on behalf of a first real world item represented by said object and a second of said communication channels connects said user and an actor on behalf of a second real world item represented by said object, said first and second actors being different.

28. The invention as defined in claim 26 wherein said a first communication channel of said plurality of communication channels connects to a first billboard avatar in said world and carries thereto, for display thereon, a first message and a second communication channel of said plurality of communication channels connects to a second billboard avatar in said world and carries thereto, for display thereon, a second message, said first message being different from said second message.

29. The invention as defined in claim 26 wherein a first communication channel of said plurality of communication channels connects said user and an actor on behalf of said object and a second communication channel of said plurality of communication channels connects a second user and another actor on behalf of said object, said first actor being different from said second actor and each of said first and second actors representing different respective real world items that are each represented in said world by said object.

30. A method for use in processing a view of a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of objects, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which is represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a viewer of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

revealing a representation of said object as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world;

accessing additional information about said object not required to display said object as said computer graphics to said viewer having a viewpoint external to said object when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics.

31. The invention as defined in claim 30 further including the step of prestoring said representation of said object as computer graphics.

32. The invention as defined in claim 30 further including the step of displaying said additional information to said viewer.

33. The invention as defined in claim 30 further including the step of displaying said additional information to said viewer in a window distinct from said computer graphics.

34. The invention as defined in claim 30 wherein said video displayed an exterior view of said object and wherein said additional information includes information for generating an interior view of said object.

35. A method for use in processing a view of a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which is represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a viewer of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

revealing a representation of said object as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world;

arranging a data structure for said object as computer graphics so that said viewer can access other information about said object other than a view of its representation as computer graphics which was revealed as it moved to said location modeled as computer graphics when said object'"'"'s representation is modeled as computer graphics.

36. A method for use in accessing an object in a three dimensional world in which a first portion of said world is modeled as computer graphics and a second portion of said world is represented by a video, wherein said video is made up of a sequence of images displayed on a video screen which exists in said first portion of said world, said video displaying a plurality of objects, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that an object which was represented as part of said video on said video screen has moved, from the point of view of a viewer of said world, to a location that is off of said video screen, so that said object can no longer be displayed on said video screen and will disappear from said world;

changing the representation of said object from a video representation to one modeled as computer graphics whereby said object remains visible in said world, albeit not on said video screen, and said video screen continues to exist in said world; and

arranging a data structure for said object as computer graphics so that said viewer can access other information about said object other than a view of its representation as computer graphics to which it was changed when said object represented by said video moved to said location modeled as computer graphics.

37. The invention as defined in claim 36 further including the steps of:

receiving an indication of a selection of said object by said viewer; and

accessing said additional information about said selected object.

38. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information is displayed in a separate window.

39. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information defines an interior view of said object.

40. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information is used to associate said object with a real world object.

41. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said addtional information is used to associate said object with a real world object as a function of a real world location of said viewer of said object.

42. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information is used to associate said object with a real world object as a function of preferences of said viewer of said object.

43. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information is used to establish a communication channel between said object and a real world object as a function of a real world location of said viewer of said object.

44. The invention as defined in claim 37 wherein said additional information is used to establish a communication channel between said object and a real world object and wherein said real world object is selected as a function of a real world location of said viewer of said object.