Sharing of three dimensional objects

• US 8,587,601 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kinsolving, Arthur, Kahn, Philippe, Wallacker, Andrew Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Richer, Joni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US12/348,906
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/582
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/32 Image data format
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method and apparatus comprising a design tool to enable the design of a three dimensional object including a plurality of faces and a plurality of vertices. The apparatus further comprising a skinner to generate a two dimensional image file including the plurality of faces from the three dimensional object, and a communications tool to send the two dimensional image file and associated structure data to a recipient using a messaging protocol. The apparatus further comprising a builder to utilize a received two dimensional image file and associated structure data to generate a received three dimensional object.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a design tool to enable a user to generate a customized skin for a three dimensional object;

a skinner to reduce the three dimensional object to a two-dimensional object representing a surface of the three dimensional object, and associated structure data defining a structure of the three dimensional object, wherein the associated structure data includes an identification of a shape associated with the three dimensional object;

a communications tool to send the two dimensional object and associated structure data to a recipient using a messaging protocol; and

a builder to utilize the received two dimensional object and the associated structure data to generate a received three dimensional object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two dimensional image file includes a subset of the skin, the subskin including an area that was edited by a user.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the metadata further includes location data for the subskin.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional object is a platonic object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the messaging protocol comprises a photograph sharing tool built into a mobile device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the messaging protocol comprises multimedia messaging system (MMS) messaging.

7. A mobile cellular telephone device comprising:

a photo sharing framework designed to enable users to share photographs over a cellular telephone network;

a customized 3D object design/share tool, an output of the customized 3D object design/share tool designed to be sent via the photo sharing framework, the customized 3D object design/share tool including a skinner to generate a two dimensional image representing a surface of a customized three-dimensional object, and associated structure data defining a structure of the customized three-dimensional object, from the customized 3D object, the associated structure data defines a structure of the 3D object, including identification of a shape associated with the 3D object; and

a communications tool to enable sending of the two dimensional image and the associated structure data using the photo sharing framework.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, further comprising:

a subskin logic to generate a subset of the skin as a reduced size two dimensional image, the subskin including an area that was edited by a user, and the subskin sent by the communications tool.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, further comprising:

a subskin logic to generate a subset of the skin as a reduced size two dimensional image, and further to add to the metadata location data for the subskin.

10. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the three dimensional object is a platonic object.

11. A customized 3D object tool for use on a mobile device to create and share 3-dimensional objects, the tool comprising:

a skinner to reduce the 3D object to an image file of a two-dimensional object representing a surface of the 3D object, the image file including metadata defining structure, the metadata including an identification of a shape associated with the three dimensional object;

a 3D object creator to enable a user to design a 3D object, selecting from a plurality of available shapes;

a sharing tool to send the image file and the metadata to a recipient, the sharing tool utilizing a common photo sharing mechanism on the mobile device, without requiring server infrastructure.

12. The tool of claim 11, further comprising:

a subskin logic to generate a subset of the skin as a reduced size two dimensional image, the subskin including an area that was edited by a user, and the subskin sent by the communications tool.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, further comprising metadata sent with the two dimensional image, the metadata defining a structure of the three dimensional object.

14. A method comprising:

generating a flat two-dimensional image of a 3D object, the flat image including a plurality of faces of the 3D object;

enabling a user to design a customized 3D object utilizing the flat image; and

sending the flat image and associated structure data defining the structure of the 3D object with a common photo sharing mechanism, to enable a user to share the customized 3D object with others;

wherein the associated structure data defines a structure of the 3D object, including identification of a shape associated with the 3D object.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating an updated flat image, the updated flat image including a portion of the flat image that was altered by the user'"'"'s design, the updated flat image sent with the common photo sharing mechanism.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

enclosing structure data with the flat image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the structure data is enclosed as metadata attached to the flat image.