Service providing system and service providing device that provides a specific service in response to user authority determination based on positional relationships of virtual objects

• US 7,159,179 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukui, Yoshiki, Taniguchi, Shinya, Kitada, Naruhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl; Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US10/245,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20040051734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 354/156, 715/741, 715/744, 715/730, 715/743, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 715/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

The invention provides a service providing system in which it is determined whether users have use authority to utilize a service providing apparatus, such as a projector, so that only users having the use authority can utilize the service providing apparatus. The invention also provides a service providing system and a service providing apparatus. In accordance with the invention, users are allowed to have use authority to utilize the service providing apparatus through entrance into an arbitrary place, or the like so that the service providing apparatus can be conveniently utilized. A service providing system includes an instruction apparatus to give operation instructions to a projector, a virtual object management apparatus to control operations related to virtual objects, such as the setting of the virtual objects, a use authority management unit to manage determination of the presence of use authority which a system user needs in order to utilize a service, the projector to display an image on a display unit in response to the contents of the instructions issued from the system user, and a network to perform data communication among the respective apparatuses.

Claims

1. A service providing system to provide a specific service in response to the contents of instructions issued from a system user having use authority, comprising:

a service providing apparatus to provide the specific service;

an instruction apparatus to give the instructions to the service providing apparatus;

a use authority determination device to determine whether the system user has the use authority; and

a virtual object management terminal to manage a virtual object, the virtual object management terminal including;

a virtual object setting device which causes the service providing apparatus to be matched with a first virtual object and the instruction apparatus to be matched with a second virtual object and a predetermined device other than the service providing apparatus to be matched with a third virtual object, and places the first virtual object in a virtual space matched with an actual space and the second virtual object at or around the position of the instruction apparatus in the virtual space and the third virtual object at or around the position of the predetermined device in the virtual space,

a position information acquisition device to acquire position information used to specify the position of the instruction apparatus, and

a positional relationship calculation device to calculate the positional relationship between the first and second and third virtual objects based on the acquired position information, and

the use authority determination device being configured to determine that the system user has the use authority if the calculated positional relationship is a relationship in which the second and third virtual objects and the first virtual object exist in an identical position in an overlapped state.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, the service providing apparatus being caused to be matched with a plurality of first virtual objects and the plurality of first virtual objects being placed in the virtual space matched with the actual space, and causes the instruction apparatus to be matched with a plurality of second virtual object and the plurality of second virtual objects being placed at or around the position of the instruction apparatus in the virtual space, and causes the predetermined device other than the service providing apparatus to be matched with a plurality of third virtual objects and the plurality of third virtual objects being placed at or around the position of the predetermined device in the virtual space, and the use authority determination device being configured to determine that the system user has the use authority if there is a relationship in which any one of the plurality of the second virtual objects and any one of the plurality of the third virtual objects and any one of the first virtual objects exist in an identical position in an overlapped state.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an overlap history storage device to store a history that when the service providing apparatus was caused to be matched with a plurality of first virtual objects, the second virtual object and any one of the first virtual objects existed in an identical position in an overlapped state, the use authority determination device being configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on the contents stored in the overlap history storage device.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, the specific service causing an image to be displayed on a display unit in response to the contents of the instructions issued from the system user, and the service providing apparatus being a projection-type display apparatus to display the image on the display unit.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, the use authority determination device being configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on attribute information on data to be projected by the projection-type display apparatus.