System and method for constructing and displaying active virtual reality cyber malls, show rooms, galleries, stores, museums, and objects within

• US 8,903,738 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Catherine G. Lin-Hendel
• Original Assignee: Catherine G. Lin-Hendel
• Inventors: Lin-Hendel, Catherine G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Rob
• Application Number:
  US13/853,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)

Abstract

A system and method for virtually displaying on-line a gallery, a showroom, a store, a mall or any other room or space and the objects contained in said room or space, wherein the data displayed is comprised of a virtual reality data packet. The system displays still photographs of virtual reality shots and textual materials, and plays virtual reality video clips and audio stories about the room and/or the objects contained therein. Links are associated with each object and are stored external to the virtual reality data packet can be retrieved on demand from an external database for presentation to the viewer. The system also provides on-line controls that enable the viewer to move around the space, and a feature that enables a viewer to view an object from 360° around the object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented, method, comprising:

displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene including a plurality of first objects, wherein the virtual reality scene is built from a plurality of images representing different views of the physical scene;

enabling a user to navigate within the virtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or more perspectives;

receiving from a user a selection of a selectable object within the virtual reality scene, one of the plurality of first objects corresponding to the selectable object;

in response to receiving from the user the selection of the selectable object, activating a link to an actionable commerce application comprising a submission mechanism that allows the user to place an order for the selectable object.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the physical scene corresponds to one of:

a show-room, a gallery, a store, a mall, and an auction site.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each image of the plurality of images has a unique image address.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selectable object has a unique identification.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one image of the plurality of images is a video frame.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selectable object is indexed by an area that the selectable object occupies in an image-containing the selectable object.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user selects the selectable object by indicating the area that the selectable object occupies, using a computer input device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user selects the selectable object by clicking a computer input device within the area that the selectable object occupies.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene including a plurality of first objects, wherein the virtual reality scene is built from a plurality of images representing different views of the physical scene;

enabling a user to navigate within the virtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or more perspectives of the different views;

displaying a selectable object within the virtual reality scene, the selectable object corresponding to one object of the first objects;

upon receiving a selection of the selectable object, enabling the user to do at least one of (1) place an order for the selectable object, and (2) obtain additional information regarding the selectable object.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

enabling the user to observe a view of the selectable object and scroll left, scroll right, scroll up, scroll down, zoom-in, and zoom-out within the view of the selectable object.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the physical scene corresponds to one of:

a show-room, a gallery, a store, a mall, and an auction site.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein each image has a unique image address.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the selectable object has a unique identification.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the selectable object is indexed by an area that the selectable object occupies in an image containing the selectable object.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the user selects the selectable object by using a computer pointing device to indicate the area that the selectable object occupies.