Mobile device capture and display of multiple-angle imagery of physical objects

• US 8,872,898 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Skyberg, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, NIEN
• Application Number:
  US13/325,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20130155187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 348/46
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/20 Image signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Methods and systems for capturing and displaying multiple-angle imagery of physical objects are presented. With respect to capturing, multiple images of an object are captured from varying angles in response to user input. The images are analyzed to determine whether at least one additional image is desirable to allow generation of a visual presentation of the object. The user is informed to initiate capturing of the at least one more image based on the analysis. The additional image is captured in response to second user input. The presentation is generated based on the multiple images and the additional image. For displaying, a visual presentation of an object is accessed, the presentation having multiple images of the object from varying angles. The presentation is presented to the user of a mobile device according to user movement of the device. The user input determines a presentation speed and order of the images.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing, at a mobile device, a plurality of images of a physical object from varying angles relative to the physical object in response to first user inputs from a user of the mobile device;

analyzing, at the mobile device, the plurality of images to determine whether at least one additional image of the physical object is desirable to allow generation of a visual presentation of the physical object, the visual presentation providing a view of the physical object through a range of angles relative to the physical object;

informing, at the mobile device, the user to initiate capturing of the at least one additional image based on the analyzing of the plurality of images, the informing of the user comprising providing an indication of at least one angle relative to the physical object for the at least one additional image;

capturing, at the mobile device, the at least one additional image in response to at least one second user input; and

generating the visual presentation based on the plurality of images and the at least one additional image, the visual presentation comprising at least some of the plurality of images and the at least one additional image configured to be presented in a presentation order.

2. The method of claim 1, the informing of the user further comprising providing a recommendation to the user regarding a capture setting to be applied to the mobile device to capture the at least one additional image.

3. The method of claim 2, the recommendation comprising an indication of a photographic flash setting.

4. The method of claim 1, each of the plurality of images comprising a single still image captured at the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, the plurality of images comprising a video segment captured at the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising:

determining that at least one of the plurality of images is of unacceptable quality; and

selecting less than all of the plurality of images to incorporate into the visual presentation based on the determining that the at least one of the plurality of images is of unacceptable quality.

7. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising generating interpolated images based on at least one of the plurality of images to incorporate into the visual presentation.

8. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising:

identifying the physical object in each of the plurality of images; and

centering the physical object within at least one of the plurality of images based on the identifying of the physical object.

9. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising:

identifying the physical object in each of the plurality of images; and

resizing the physical object in at least one of the plurality of images based on the identifying of the physical object.

10. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising:

identifying the physical object in each of the plurality of images; and

editing a background area of at least one of the plurality of images, the background area being defined by an area of the at least one of the plurality of images that does not include the physical object.

11. The method of claim 1, the generating of the visual presentation comprising adjusting at least one of brightness, contrast, color, and hue of at least one of the plurality of images.

12. A device comprising:

a user interface;

an image capturing component;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory component to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

capture, via the image capturing component, a plurality of images of a physical object in response to first user inputs received via the user interface from a user of the device, the user causing the plurality of images to be captured from varying angles relative to the physical object;

store the plurality of images in the at least one memory component;

analyze the plurality of images to determine whether at least one additional image of the physical object is desirable to allow generation of a visual presentation of the physical object, the visual presentation to provide a view of the physical object through a range of angles relative to the physical object;

inform the user, via the user interface, to initiate capturing of the at least one additional image based on the analyzing of the plurality of images, the informing of the user comprising an indication of at least one angle relative to the physical object for the at least one additional image;

capture the at least one additional image in response to at least one second user input received via the user interface;

generate the visual presentation based on the plurality of images and the at least one additional image, the visual presentation comprising at least some of the plurality of images and the at least one additional image configured to be presented in a presentation order; and

store the visual presentation in the at least one memory component.

13. The device of claim 12, the instructions causing the at least one processor to inform the user by providing a recommendation to the user regarding a capture setting to be applied to the image capturing component to capture the at least one additional image.

14. The device of claim 12, each of the plurality of images comprising a single still image.

15. The device of claim 12, the plurality of images comprising a video segment.

16. The device of claim 12, the instructions causing the at least one processor to generate the visual presentation by determining that at least one of the plurality of images is of unacceptable quality, and by selecting less than all of the plurality of images to incorporate into the visual presentation based on the determining that the at least one of the plurality of images is of unacceptable quality.

17. The device of claim 12, the instructions causing the at least one processor to generate the visual presentation by generating interpolated images based on at least one of the plurality of images to incorporate into the visual presentation.