Audio-visual navigation and communication

• US 8,756,531 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AQ Media, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AQ Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Roos, Jan Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US12/239,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 715/763, 715/764, 715/765, 715/850, 715/851, 715/967, 715/968, 715/969, 715/848, 715/849, 715/852, 715/853, 715/854, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• 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: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Communicating information through a user platform by representing, on a user platform visual display, spatial publishing objects as entities static locations within a three-dimensional spatial publishing object space. Each spatial publishing object associated with information, and each presenting a subset of the associated information. Establishing a user presence at a location within the spatial publishing object space. The user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the spatial publishing object space.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information through a user platform, the method comprising:

representing, on a user platform visual display, each of a plurality of spatial publishing objects as an entity at a location within a first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, each of the represented spatial publishing objects associated with information, and each representation presenting a subset of the associated information; and

establishing a user presence at a location within the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space,

wherein each of the plurality of spatial publishing objects has a user-navigable field represented by a spatial axis of the spatial publishing object, and

wherein the user-navigable field is an audio field having a radius that represents an audio volume of the spatial publishing object, the audio volume being higher when the user presence is near a center of the audio field than when the user presence is further from the center of the audio field, and

wherein the user presence in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space is separable from the user point-of-view in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

wherein at least one of the spatial publishing objects is associated with at least one spatial publishing object two-way communication channel adapted for connection with a two-way communication channel of a user spatial publishing object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

presenting a subset of the information based at least in part on the proximity of the user presence to each of the spatial publishing objects in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial publishing objects are arranged in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space at least in part by a distance from an origin of the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space related at least in part to the responsiveness of each spatial publishing object in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space to a query that populated the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the spatial publishing object comprises further spatial publishing objects, and

each further spatial publishing object is represented;

in a second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space apart from the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

as an entity at a location within the second spatial publishing object space, and

each of the represented spatial publishing objects associated with information, and each representation presenting a subset of the associated information;

establishing a user presence at a location within the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial publishing object comprises at least one communications space.

6. A computer program product for communicating information on a user platform, the computer program product comprising:

a physical computer readable medium;

a display module;

residing on the medium, and

operable when executed by a computing device to;

display, on a user platform visual display, a plurality of spatial publishing objects, wherein each spatial publishing object is represented as an entity at a location within a first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, each of the represented spatial publishing objects associated with information, and each representation presenting a subset of the associated information; and

establish a user presence at a location within the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space,

wherein each of the plurality of spatial publishing objects has a user-navigable field represented by a spatial axis of the spatial publishing object, and

wherein the user-navigable field is an audio field having a radius that represents an audio volume of the spatial publishing object, the audio volume being higher when the user presence is near a center of the audio field than when the user presence is further from the center of the audio field, and

wherein the user presence in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space is separable from the user point-of-view in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to;

associate at least one spatial publishing object with at least one spatial publishing object two-way communication channel adapted for connection with a two-way communication channel of a user spatial publishing object.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to:

present a subset of the information based at least in part on the proximity of the user presence to each of the spatial publishing objects in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to:

arrange spatial publishing objects in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space at least in part by a distance from an origin of the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space related at least in part to the responsiveness of each spatial publishing object in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space to a query that populated the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein:

the spatial publishing object comprises further spatial publishing objects, and

each further spatial publishing object is represented;

in a second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space apart from the first spatial publishing object space, and

as an entity at a location within the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

each of the represented spatial publishing objects associated with information, and each representation presenting a subset of the associated information;

establishing a user presence at a location within the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the second spatial publishing object space.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the spatial publishing object comprises at least one communications space.

11. A system for communicating information, the system comprising:

a user platform comprising processing resources and a display,

a computer program product residing on the user platform, and comprising;

a computer readable medium; and

a display module;

residing on the medium, and

operable when executed by a processing resources to;

display, on a display of the user platform, each of a plurality of spatial publishing objects as an entity in a three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, each of the displayed spatial publishing objects associated with information available to be presented; and

establish a user presence in the three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence in conjunction with the user point-of-view, being movable in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the three-dimensional spatial publishing object space,

wherein each of the plurality of spatial publishing objects has a user-navigable field represented by a spatial axis of the spatial publishing object, and

wherein the user-navigable field is an audio field having a radius that represents an audio volume of the spatial publishing object, the audio volume being higher when the user presence is near a center of the audio field than when the user presence is further from the center of the audio field, and

wherein the user presence in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space is separable from the user point-of-view in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to;

associate at least one spatial publishing object with at least one spatial publishing object two-way communication channel adapted for connection with a two-way communication channel of a user spatial publishing object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to:

present a subset of the information based at least in part on the proximity of the user presence to each of the spatial publishing objects in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the display module is further operable when executed by a computing device to:

arrange spatial publishing objects in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space at least in part by a distance from an origin of the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space related at least in part to the responsiveness of each spatial publishing object in the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space to a query that populated the first three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the spatial publishing object comprises further spatial publishing objects, and

each further spatial publishing object is represented;

in a second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space apart from the first spatial publishing object space, and

as an entity at a location within the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, and

each of the represented spatial publishing objects associated with information, and each representation presenting a subset of the associated information;

establishing a user presence at a location within the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space, the user presence, in conjunction with a user point-of-view, being navigable by the user in at least a two-dimensional sub-space of the second three-dimensional spatial publishing object space.