GPS-based location and messaging system and method

• US 8,842,003 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spatial Reality LLC
• Original Assignee: Charles D. Huston
• Inventors: Huston, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Htun, San
• Assistant Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US13/423,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 34042616-42623, 3405391-53921, 4554041-4042, 4554561-457, 701400-541
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for viewing a target in a background from a user'"'"'s perspective. In one form, the views are selectable by the user on, for example, a GPS equipped cell phone, to include a view from the participant'"'"'s position, zoom, pan, and tilt views, or views from another geographic location, giving increased situational awareness and identification of the target. Other information can be conveyed, such as messages or advertisements, on a billboard, which may be a geo-referenced area on or near the target. Preferably, an orientation mechanism shows when the device is correctly pointed to a target.

Claims

1. A method for observing a target in a background environment comprising:

equipping a user with a device having a display operable to show a target and augmented reality information overlaying the target, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining the position of the user'"'"'s device;

communicating the target position to the user'"'"'s device;

viewing on the display of the user'"'"'s device a perspective view of the target in the background environment; and

viewing on said perspective view, with an orientation of the user'"'"'s device in an approximate direction from the user'"'"'s device to the target position, geo-referenced information appended to said target based on said target position, and displayed on the display to convey information to the user, wherein the geo-referenced information is an augmented reality overlay appended to the target that remains in a same location appended to the target from different user-perspective views.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes a digital compass for determining the orientation of the user'"'"'s device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-referenced information appended to the target comprises a geo-referenced billboard on the target and displays appended information relevant to the target on the display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user position is transmitted to a server, wherein the user'"'"'s device communicates with said server, and wherein the server communicates the appended information as geo-referenced billboard information to the user'"'"'s device.

5. The method of claim 1, including determining the orientation of the user'"'"'s device.

6. In a system for displaying information to a user in an environment having a server for transmitting object information to the user, comprising:

a portable device adapted to accompany a user, the portable device including a radio for receiving said object information from said server;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining the position of the portable device; and

a transparent display comprising glasses worn by the user operable to show the object and augmented reality information overlaying the object where one view is a depiction of the environment background in a perspective view from said user'"'"'s position with said object information comprising an artificial reality overlay displayed in a billboard area fixed in geo-reference to said object in said environment background, and a second perspective view displays said object information in said billboard area.

7. The system of claim 6, including a direction indicator for indicating when the portable device is oriented approximately to the bearing from the position of the portable device to the position of the billboard.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said portable device comprises a cell phone tethered to said glasses which include the GPS receiver for determining position and publishes said position and identity to the cellular network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said glasses worn by the user have a transparent lens operable to view the object and overlaying object information simultaneously.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the direction indicator includes an orientation mechanism.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the orientation mechanism is a compass.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein said object is a target and said object information in said billboard area includes a message relevant to said target.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein said object information in said billboard area is an advertisement.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein said object information in said billboard area includes a message relevant to the user.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein when the user'"'"'s position changes to create said second perspective view, the billboard information remains fixed in geo-reference to said object in said environment background in said second perspective.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein said environment is a video image and said object information in said billboard area comprises an augmented reality.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein said object information in said billboard area comprises an augmented reality overlay displayed on said glasses.

18. A method of viewing information appended to an object comprising a billboard on the object in an environment background by a mobile user comprising:

equipping said mobile user with a device having a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a display operable to show a target and augmented reality information overlaying the target;

determining a source viewpoint position of the mobile user using said device accompanying the user;

defining a billboard area geo-referenced on the object for displaying said appended information;

receiving appended information on the device;

displaying on the device a perspective view of said billboard in the environment background, wherein the perspective view is generally from said source viewpoint position to the billboard area; and

displaying in the billboard area at least some of the appended information as an augmented reality overlay, wherein upon changing the perspective view to another perspective view, the billboard area stays in the same location on the object, and said appended information is displayed in each perspective view in the billboard area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said device includes a digital compass for determining an orientation of the device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the object is a target and the geo-referenced billboard area displays appended information relevant to the target on the display.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the geo-referenced billboard area displays appended information relevant to the user on the display.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the geo-referenced billboard area displays an advertisement on the display.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the device comprises glasses worn by the user having a transparent lens operable to view the object and overlaying appended information simultaneously.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the object is a building and the billboard area does not interfere with other building features.