System and method for constructing and displaying active virtual reality cyber malls, show rooms, galleries, stores, museums, and objects within

• US 7,899,719 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catherine Lin-Hendel
• Original Assignee: Catherine Lin-Hendel
• Inventors: Lin-Hendel, Catherine
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US12/507,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 705 271- 272, 705/26, 705 261- 269
• US Class Current: 705/27.2
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)

Abstract

A system and method for virtually displaying on-line a gallery, a showroom, a store, a mall or any other room or space and the objects contained in said room or space, wherein the data displayed is comprised of a virtual reality data packet. The system displays still photographs of virtual reality shots and textual materials, and plays virtual reality video clips and audio stories about the room and/or the objects contained therein. Links are associated with each object so that detailed information in graphical, video, audio and/or textual forms that are related to the object and are stored external to the virtual reality data packet can be retrieved on demand from an external database for presentation to the viewer. The system also provides on-line controls that enable the viewer to move around the space, and a feature that enables a viewer to view an object from 360° around the object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene including a plurality of first objects, wherein the virtual reality scene is built from a plurality of images representing different views of the physical scene;

enabling a user to navigate within the virtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or more perspectives of the different views;

displaying a selectable object within the virtual reality scene, one object of the plurality of first objects corresponding to the selectable object wherein the selectable object is built from a plurality of images of the one object taken from different respective angles;

in response to receiving a first selection of the selectable object, displaying the one object in a rotational view window, and enabling the user to observe the one object from a plurality of angles;

after receiving a second selection of the selectable object within the rotational view window, displaying a link to an actionable commerce application comprising a submission mechanism that allows the user to at least one of order and buy at least the one object of the plurality of first objects.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the physical scene corresponds to one of:

a show-room, a gallery, a store, a mall, and an auction site.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each image of the plurality of images has a unique image address.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selectable object has a unique identification.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one image of the plurality of images is a virtual reality shot.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one image of the plurality of images is a video frame.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selectable object is indexed by an area that the selectable object occupies in an image containing the selectable object.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the user selects the selectable object by clicking within the area that the selectable object occupies.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the user a selection of the selectable object within the virtual reality scene;

displaying an additional selectable object within the virtual reality scene, a second object of the plurality of first objects corresponding to the additional selectable object;

receiving from the user an additional selection of the additional selectable object within the virtual reality scene;

wherein the submission mechanism further allows the user to at least one of order and buy the second object of the plurality of first objects, the step of displaying the link to the submission mechanism is performed after the step of receiving from the user the additional selection, and the selectable object is built from a plurality of images of the one of the plurality of first objects taken from different angles.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene including a plurality of first objects, wherein the virtual reality scene is built from a plurality of images representing different views of the physical scene;

enabling a user to navigate within the virtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or more perspectives of the different views;

displaying a selectable object within the virtual reality scene, the selectable object corresponding to one object of the first objects, wherein the selectable object is built from a plurality of images of the one object taken from different respective angles;

upon receiving a selection of the selectable object, displaying the one object in a rotational view window, and enabling the user to observe the one object from a plurality of angles; and

receiving a selection of the selectable object within the rotational view window, and displaying additional information related to the selectable object, wherein the additional information includes at least one of;

a link to buy the one object and a link to bid on the one object.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying in the rotational view window command buttons operable to enable the user to scroll left, right, up, and down, and zoom-in and zoom-out within one of the plurality of images of the one object.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the physical scene corresponds to one of:

a show-room, a gallery, a store, a mall, and an auction site.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each image has a unique image address.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the selectable object has a unique identification.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of images of the one object is selected from the group consisting of:

a virtual reality shot and a video frame.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the selectable object is indexed by an area that the selectable object occupies in an image containing the selectable object.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the user selects the selectable object by clicking within the area that the selectable object occupies.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene including a plurality of first objects, wherein the virtual reality scene is built from a plurality of images representing different views of the physical scene;

enabling a user to navigate within the virtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or more perspectives of the different views;

displaying two or more selectable objects within the virtual reality scene, the two or more selectable objects comprising a first selectable object and a second selectable object, one first object of the plurality of first objects corresponding to the first selectable object, a second first object of the plurality of first objects corresponding to the second selectable object, wherein the first selectable object is built from a plurality of images of the one first object, and the second selectable object is built from a plurality of images of the second first object;

receiving a selection of at least the first and second selectable objects during a virtual reality presentation;

storing the selection, wherein the stored selection includes links to additional information regarding the first and second selectable objects;

in response to receiving the selection, displaying the one first object and the second first object in a rotational view window, and enabling the user to observe the one first object and the second first object from a plurality of angles; and

after receiving the selection, displaying a link to an actionable commerce application comprising a submission mechanism that allows the user to bid on the one first object and the second first object.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the additional information related to the first and second selectable objects is retrieved and stored when the user selects a submit button.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the additional information further includes at least one of:

a plurality of graphical images of one of the first objects, an enlarged still image of one of the first objects, a photograph of one of the first objects, a virtual reality presentation of one of the first objects, a video of one of the first objects, an audio description of one of the first objects, and a textual description of one of the first objects.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the physical scene corresponds to one of:

a show-room, a gallery, a store, a mall, and an auction site.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein each image has a unique image address.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein each selectable object has a unique identification.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the plurality of images is selected from the group consisting of:

a virtual reality shot and a video frame.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the first selectable object is indexed by an area that the first selectable object occupies in an image containing the first selectable object.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the user selects the first selectable object by clicking within the area that the first selectable object occupies.