Computing device interaction with visual media

• US 8,565,791 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schilit, William Noah, Want, Roy, Li, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/611,983
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/414.1, 455/558, 455/556.1, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In general, techniques and systems for retrieving supplemental information associated with visual media are described. In one example, a method includes obtaining, by a computing device, position information from a position device using near-field communication (NFC), wherein the position information identifies a position of the position device in relation to a portion of visual media associated with the position device. The method may also include receiving, by the computing device, supplemental information that is provided by a networked device based at least in part on the position information, wherein the supplemental information comprises additional information related to the portion of the visual media. In some examples, the position device is included within an array of position devices mounted behind the visual media.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a near-field communication device of a computing device, position information from a position device using near-field communication, wherein the position information identifies a position of the position device in relation to a first portion of visual media associated with the position device;

detecting, with a sensor of the computing device, movement of the computing device with respect to the position device, wherein the sensor is different than the near-field communication device;

transmitting, to a networked device, the position information and information associated with the detected movement, wherein the information associated with the detected movement is different than the position information; and

receiving, by the computing device, supplemental information that is provided by the networked device based at least in part on the position information and the information associated with the detected movement, wherein the supplemental information comprises additional information related to at least one of the first portion and a second portion of the visual media.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the position information and the information associated with the detected movement to the networked device over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position device is one of an array of position devices associated with the visual media.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the array comprises a plurality of position devices arranged in a two-dimensional grid pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information comprises coordinates that identify the position of the position device within a mounting surface associated with the visual media.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information is obtained when the computing device is placed proximate to the position device and the portion of the visual media.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual media comprises one of a printed media or an electronic display, and wherein the visual media is mounted on a mounting surface that includes the position device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the position device is a first position device and the portion of the visual media is a first portion of the visual media, the method further comprising:

obtaining, with the computing device, position information from a second position device using near-field communication that identifies a position of the second position device in relation to a third portion of the visual media associated with the second position device; and

retrieving supplemental information associated with the third portion of the visual media based on the position information from the second position device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting movement of the computing device comprises:

measuring one or more accelerations of the computing device after obtaining the position information; and

calculating a distance and direction the computing device was moved with respect to the position device based on the measured accelerations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting movement of the computing device comprises:

capturing a plurality of images with the sensor of the computing device, wherein each of the plurality of images includes at least part of the visual media;

analyzing the plurality of images for at least one common feature of the visual media; and

calculating a distance and direction the computing device was moved with respect to the position device based on a distance and a direction the at least one common feature of the visual media moved between the captured plurality of images.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the position device is a first position device, the method further comprising:

obtaining, with the computing device, position information from a second position device using near-field communication that identifies a position of the second position device in relation to a third portion of the visual media associated with the second position device; and

correcting the detected movement to a distance between the position of the first position device and the position of the second position device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises a uniform resource locator configured to direct a browser of the computing device to web-based content associated with the portion of the visual media at least partially identified by the position information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information comprises a uniform resource locator configured to direct a browser of the computing device to the networked device, and wherein the networked device is controlled by a service that has mapped the portion of the visual media to the position device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the retrieved supplemental information is a subset of supplemental information related to different portions of the visual media and stored by the service.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the supplemental information on the computing device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the position device includes passive near-field communication hardware.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

18. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that cause one or more processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtain, by a near-field communication device of the computing device, position information from a position device using near-field communication, wherein the position information identifies a position of the position device in relation to a first portion of visual media associated with the position device;

detect, with a sensor of the computing device, movement of the computing device with respect to the position device, wherein the sensor is different than the near-field communication device;

transmit, to a networked device, the position information and information associated with the detected movement, wherein the information associated with the detected movement is different than the position information; and

receive, by the computing device, supplemental information that is provided by the networked device based at least in part on the position information and the information associated with the detected movement, wherein the supplemental information comprises additional information related to at least one of the first portion and a second portion of the visual media.

19. A computing device comprising:

a near-field communication module configured to obtain position information from a position device using near-field communication, wherein the position information identifies a position of the position device in relation to a first portion of visual media associated with the position device;

a sensor configured to detect movement of the computing device with respect to the position device, wherein the sensor is different than the near-field communication module; and

at least one processor configured to;

transmit, to a networked device, the position information and information associated with the detected movement, wherein the information associated with the detected movement is different than the position information; and

receive supplemental information that is provided by the networked device based at least in part on the position information and the information associated with the detected movement, wherein the supplemental information comprises additional information related to at least one of the first portion and a second portion of the visual media.