Viewing and navigating within panoramic images, and applications thereof
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for viewing panoramic images, comprising:
- (a) receiving at least a portion of a first panoramic image;
(b) presenting a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the first panoramic image, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigational icon used to navigate between panoramic images;
(c) changing the three-dimensional overlay'"'"'s orientation in three-dimensional space as it is rendered with the first panoramic image so as to match a change in orientation of the first panoramic image within the viewport;
(d) retrieving a second panoramic image in response to a user selecting the navigation icon, wherein the second panoramic image is located at a direction relative to a location of the first panoramic image, the direction corresponding to a position of the navigation icon in the three-dimensional overlay;
(e) in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon, automatically displaying at least a portion of the second panoramic image determined in (d) in the viewport, in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon and prior to display of the second panoramic image in (e);
(f) zooming into the first panoramic image to create a sense of movement; and
(g) fading between the first and second panoramic images, wherein the zooming and fading presents a smooth transition between the first and second panoramic images to the user.
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Abstract
A panorama viewer is disclosed which facilitates navigation from within the panorama of a larger, structured system such as a map. The panorama viewer presents a viewport on a portion of a panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image. As the orientation of the viewport within the panoramic image changes, the three-dimensional overlay'"'"'s orientation in three-dimensional space also changes as it is rendered with the panoramic image in a manner that matches the change in orientation of the viewport.
149 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for viewing panoramic images, comprising:
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(a) receiving at least a portion of a first panoramic image; (b) presenting a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the first panoramic image, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigational icon used to navigate between panoramic images; (c) changing the three-dimensional overlay'"'"'s orientation in three-dimensional space as it is rendered with the first panoramic image so as to match a change in orientation of the first panoramic image within the viewport; (d) retrieving a second panoramic image in response to a user selecting the navigation icon, wherein the second panoramic image is located at a direction relative to a location of the first panoramic image, the direction corresponding to a position of the navigation icon in the three-dimensional overlay; (e) in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon, automatically displaying at least a portion of the second panoramic image determined in (d) in the viewport, in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon and prior to display of the second panoramic image in (e); (f) zooming into the first panoramic image to create a sense of movement; and (g) fading between the first and second panoramic images, wherein the zooming and fading presents a smooth transition between the first and second panoramic images to the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for viewing panoramic images, comprising:
- a panorama viewer that receives at least a portion of a first panoramic image, and presents a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the first panoramic image, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigational icon used to navigate between panoramic images,
wherein the panorama viewer changes the three-dimensional overlay'"'"'s orientation in three-dimensional space as it is rendered with the first panoramic image so as to match a change in orientation of the first panoramic image with the viewport, wherein the panorama viewer, in response to a user selecting the navigating icon, receives a second panoramic image in the viewport, and wherein the second panoramic image is located at a direction relative to a location of the first panoramic image, the direction corresponding to a position of the navigation icon in the three-dimensional overlay, wherein the panorama viewer, in response to user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon and prior to display of the second panoramic image, zooms into the first panoramic image create a sense of movement and fades between the first and second panoramic images, wherein the zooming and fading presents a smooth transition between the first and second panoramic images to the user. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- a panorama viewer that receives at least a portion of a first panoramic image, and presents a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the first panoramic image, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigational icon used to navigate between panoramic images,
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13. A system for serving panoramic images and metadata, comprising:
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a server that sends data to a client, the data including at least a portion of a first panoramic image, a metadata associated with the panoramic image, and a file, wherein the file instructs the client to present a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the panoramic image according to the metadata, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigation icon used to navigate between panoramic images, wherein the file instructs the client to change the three-dimensional overlay'"'"'s orientation in three-dimensional space as it is rendered with the panoramic image so as to match a change in orientation of the panoramic image within the viewport, wherein the server receives a request from the client indicating that a user of the client has selected the navigational icon, retrieves, in response to the request, a second panoramic image at a direction relative to the first panoramic image corresponding to the position of a navigational icon in the three-dimensional overlay, and sends the second panoramic image to the client for display, and wherein the file instructs the client, in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the navigation icon and prior to display of the second panoramic image, to zoom into the first panoramic image to create a sense of movement and to fade between the first and second panoramic images, wherein the zooming and fading presents a smooth transition between the first and second panoramic images to the user. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification