System and method for creating and manipulating synthetic environments

• US 8,259,178 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Basso, Andrea, Begeja, Lee, Gibbon, David C., Liu, Zhu, Renger, Bernard S., Shahraray, Behzad
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US12/343,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20100157063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 348/169, 348/461, 382/103
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/22 Advertising or display means on roads, walls or similar surfaces, e.g. illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45452 applied to an object-based stream, e.g. MPEG-4 streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable media for synthesizing a virtual window. The method includes receiving an environment feed, selecting video elements of the environment feed, displaying the selected video elements on a virtual window in a window casing, selecting non-video elements of the environment feed, and outputting the selected non-video elements coordinated with the displayed video elements. Environment feeds can include synthetic and natural elements. The method can further toggle the virtual window between displaying the selected elements and being transparent. The method can track user motion and adapt the displayed selected elements on the virtual window based on the tracked user motion. The method can further detect a user in close proximity to the virtual window, receive an interaction from the detected user, and adapt the displayed selected elements on the virtual window based on the received interaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying an environment feed from a plurality of environment feeds, wherein each environment feed represents physical environmental characteristics associated with a different physical location;

toggling a virtual window in a window casing between displaying at least one video element of the environment feed and being transparent; and

outputting at least one non-video element coordinated with the at least one video element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment feed comprises synthetic and natural elements.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking user motion; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the user motion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering at least one element of the environment feed over time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user in close proximity to the virtual window;

receiving an interaction from the user; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the interaction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a user profile; and

selecting video and non-video elements of the environment feed based on the user profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment feed comprises at least one of sound, video, smell, humidity, temperature, and wind elements.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising;

identifying an environment feed from a plurality of environment feeds, wherein each environment feed represents physical environmental characteristics associated with a different physical location;

toggling a virtual window in a window casing between displaying at least one video element of the environment feed and being transparent; and

outputting at least one non-video element coordinated with the video elements.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the environment feed comprises synthetic and natural elements.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when further executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method further comprising:

tracking user motion; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the user motion.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when further executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method further comprising altering at least one element of the environment feed over time.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when further executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method further comprising:

detecting a user in close proximity to the virtual window;

receiving an interaction from the user; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the interaction.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

identifying an environment feed from a plurality of environment feeds, wherein each environment feed represents physical environmental characteristics associated with a different physical location;

toggling a virtual window in a window casing between displaying at least one video element of the environment feed and being transparent; and

outputting the at least one non-video element coordinated with the at least one video element.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the environment feed comprises synthetic and natural elements.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

tracking user motion; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the user motion.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to perform a method comprising altering at least one element of the environment feed over time.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

detecting a user in close proximity to the virtual window;

receiving an interaction from the user; and

adapting the at least one video element on the virtual window based on the interaction.