Method and apparatus for telepresence sharing

• US 8,860,787 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Neven, Hartmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US13/105,623
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/28, 701/213, 348/14.12, 348/46, 348/51, 348/E13.074, 348/E13.075, 700/259
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A method and apparatus for telepresence sharing is described. The method may include providing an indication of a plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing to a user. The method may also include receiving a selection from the user to engage a remote vehicle from the plurality of remote vehicles in a telepresence sharing session. Furthermore, the method may also include providing a live video feed captured by the remote vehicle to a mobile device associated with the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing, from a server computer system, an indication of a plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing to a user, wherein the indication is provided in a commerce interface that enables the user to rent remote control vehicles for telepresence sharing tours along pre-configured travel routes at different real-world locations;

providing, in the commerce interface, one or more financial terms and one or more terms of usage associated with a telepresence sharing tour of a real world location provided by a remote vehicle that travels along a pre-configured travel route of a real world location, wherein the one or more financial terms include a price associated with the telepresence sharing session for the remote vehicle, and wherein a first price is charged for the telepresence sharing session when the remote vehicle returns to a rental location, and a second price is charged when the remote vehicle does not return to the rental location;

receiving a selection from the user to engage the remote vehicle from the plurality of remote vehicles in the telepresence sharing session, wherein the selection by the user rents the remote vehicle from the commerce interface for the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location that causes the remote vehicle to automatically travel along the pre-configured travel route to provide the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location;

providing a live video feed captured by the remote vehicle to a mobile device associated with the user;

receiving a user command from the mobile device to control a direction of a camera of the remote vehicle while the remote vehicle travels along the pre-configured travel route, wherein the user command corresponds to a real world movement of the mobile device by a user; and

transmitting the user command to the remote vehicle to cause the remote vehicle to execute the user command to control the direction of the camera.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the commercial interface is a map image with visual indicia displayed on locations of the map that correspond to real world locations where the plurality of remote control vehicle that are available for telepresence sharing are located.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the commercial interface is a street view of a real world location displayed in a map application, the street view includes one or more visual indicia displayed over the street view to indicate that one or more of the plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing are located near the real world location in the street view.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user command is a command associated with a user movement of the mobile device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the mobile device is a user-wearable computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the user-wearable computing device is in the form of eyeglasses and worn by the user to render the live video feed to the user, wherein a first user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking up causes the remote vehicle to ascend, a second user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking down causes the remote vehicle to descend, a third user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking right causes the remote vehicle to turn right, and a fourth user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking left causes the remote vehicle to turn left.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the remote vehicle executes the user command in near real time.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

providing an indication of a plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing to a user, wherein the indication is provided in a commerce interface that enables the user to rent remote control vehicles for telepresence sharing tours along pre-configured travel routes at different real-world locations;

providing, in the commerce interface, one or more financial terms and one or more terms of usage associated with a telepresence sharing tour of a real world location provided by a remote vehicle that travels along a pre-configured travel route of a real world location, wherein the one or more financial terms include a price associated with the telepresence sharing session for the remote vehicle, and wherein a first price is charged for the telepresence sharing session when the remote vehicle returns to a rental location, and a second price is charged when the remote vehicle does not return to the rental location;

receiving a selection from the user to engage the remote vehicle from the plurality of remote vehicles in the telepresence sharing session, wherein the selection by the user rents the remote vehicle from the commerce interface for the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location that causes the remote vehicle to automatically travel along the pre-configured travel route to provide the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location;

providing a live video feed captured by the remote vehicle to a mobile device associated with the user;

receiving a user command from the mobile device to control a direction of a camera of the remote vehicle while the remote vehicle travels along the pre-configured travel route, wherein the user command corresponds to a real world movement of the mobile device by a user;

and transmitting the user command to the remote vehicle to cause the remote vehicle to execute the user command to control the direction of the camera.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the commercial interface is a map image with visual indicia displayed on locations of the map that correspond to real world locations where the plurality of remote control vehicle that are available for telepresence sharing are located.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the commercial interface is a street view of a real world location displayed in a map application, the street view includes one or more visual indicia displayed over the street view to indicate that one or more of the plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing are located near the real world location in the street view.

11. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled with the memory to

provide an indication of a plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing to a user, wherein the indication is provided in a commerce interface that enables the user to rent remote control vehicles for telepresence sharing tours along pre-configured travel routes at different real-world locations,

provide, in the commerce interface, one or more financial terms and one or more terms of usage associated with a telepresence sharing tour of a real world location provided by a remote vehicle that travels along a pre-configured travel route of a real world location, wherein the one or more financial terms include a price associated with the telepresence sharing session for the remote vehicle, and wherein a first price is charged for the telepresence sharing session when the remote vehicle returns to a rental location, and a second price is charged when the remote vehicle does not return to the rental location;

receive a selection from the user to engage the remote vehicle from the plurality of remote vehicles in the telepresence sharing session, wherein the selection by the user rents the remote vehicle from the commerce interface for the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location that causes the remote vehicle to automatically travel along the pre-configured travel route to provide the telepresence sharing tour of the real-world location,

provide a live video feed captured by the remote vehicle to a mobile device associated with the user,

receive a user command from the mobile device to control a direction of a camera of the remote vehicle while the remote vehicle travels along the pre-configured travel route, wherein the user command corresponds to a real world movement of the mobile device by a user; and

transmit the user command to the remote vehicle to cause the remote vehicle to execute the user command to control the direction of the camera.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the commercial interface is a map image with visual indicia displayed on locations of the map that correspond to real world locations where the plurality of remote control vehicle that are available for telepresence sharing are located.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the commercial interface is a street view of a real world location displayed in a map application, the street view includes one or more visual indicia displayed over the street view to indicate that one or more of the plurality of remote vehicles that are available for telepresence sharing are located near the real world location in the street view.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the user command is a command associated with a user movement of the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device is a user-wearable computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user-wearable computing device is in the form of eyeglasses and worn by the user to render the live video feed to the user, wherein a first user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking up causes the remote vehicle to ascend, a second user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking down causes the remote vehicle to descend, a third user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking right causes the remote vehicle to turn right, and a fourth user command generated from the user wearing the user-wearable computing device looking left causes the remote vehicle to turn left.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote vehicle executes the user command in near real time.