Displaying dynamic entertainment information on marquees in street-level imagery

• US 8,942,921 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Unnikrishnan, Sreejit
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/454,243
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/397 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of two or more bit-mapped memories to the screen simultaneously, e.g. for mixing or overlay G09G5/02 takes precedence
• 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

An apparatus provides street-level images that include entertainment information. The apparatus may include a memory that stores at least one street-level image that includes a sign for displaying entertainment information. The sign may be located anywhere in the street-level image and the apparatus may be operative to identify a geometric shape associated with the sign. The geometric shape may define where entertainment information is to be displayed. Moreover, the apparatus may be operative to define different regions within the geometric shape such that the different regions display different types of entertainment information. Moreover, the entertainment information may be selectable by a user such that selection of the entertainment information displays a graphic, audiovisual file, or other media to the user regarding the selected entertainment information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing street-level images of entertainment information, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing at least one street-level image of an entertainment venue; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors being configured to;

receive location information for a geographic location corresponding to a geographic location of a sign displayable within the at least one street-level image;

identify a first region within the displayable sign where first entertainment information is displayable, the first entertainment information relating to a performance being performed at the geographic location;

determine whether the first entertainment information is current;

when the first entertainment information is not current, receive second entertainment information for display within the first region, wherein the second entertainment information is more current than the first entertainment information; and

provide the at least one street-level image of the entertainment venue to a client device, wherein the at least one street-level image includes the second entertainment information displayed within the identified first region within the displayable sign.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second entertainment information is derived from user-provided entertainment information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

identify a second region with the displayable sign where third entertainment information is displayable;

receive the third entertainment information for display within the second region; and

provide the at least one street-level image of the entertainment venue to the client device that includes the third entertainment information displayed within the identified second region within the displayable sign, wherein the second entertainment information and the third entertainment information are different.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the memory is further operative to store a geometry that defines the first region; and

the one or more processors are further configured to identify the first region based on the stored geometry.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identify the first region based on at least one image recognition technique.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the second entertainment information is selectable by a user, the selectable portion of the second entertainment information being associated with a displayable webpage.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second entertainment information includes at least one performance date and at least one performance time for a performance being held at the entertainment venue displayable within the street-level image.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second entertainment information is replaceable with third entertainment information, wherein the third entertainment information is different than the second entertainment information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operative to replace the first entertainment information with the second entertainment information at a predetermined time interval.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the second entertainment information is received from a first entertainment information source; and

the one or more processors are further configured to replace the second entertainment information with third entertainment information received from a second entertainment information source, wherein the second entertainment information source provides identification information different than identification information provided by the first entertainment information source.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the displayable sign is a movie marquee; and

the second entertainment information for display is movie information for a movie being shown at a movie theatre associated with the movie marquee.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second entertainment information includes a hyperlink to a webpage for purchasing tickets to a performance associated with the second entertainment information.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operative to replace the first entertainment information with the second entertainment based on a comparison of the first entertainment information with the second entertainment information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first entertainment information is replaced with the second entertainment information when the one or more processors determines that the second entertainment information is different than the first entertainment information based on the comparison.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first entertainment information is replaced when a request to replace the first entertainment information is received.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second entertainment information is derived from a social network.

17. An apparatus for displaying a street-level image that includes current entertainment information, the apparatus comprising:

a memory operative to store a street-level image, the street-level image including a displayable sign having a region for displaying first entertainment information; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors being configured to;

receive the street-level image based on a request from a user to display the street-level image;

receive second entertainment information for display within the first region, wherein the second entertainment information includes more current entertainment information than the first entertainment information; and

display the street-level image with the second entertainment information displayed in the region of the displayable sign, the second entertainment information having replaced the first entertainment information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second entertainment information is derived from a social network.

19. A method for displaying a street-level image that includes current entertainment information, the method comprising:

storing, by one or more processors, in a memory, a street-level image based on a request from a user to display the street-level image, wherein the street-level image includes a displayable sign having a region for displaying first entertainment information;

receiving, by the one or more processors, in communication with the memory, second entertainment information for display within the first region, wherein the second entertainment information includes more current entertainment information than the first entertainment information; and

displaying, by the one or more processors, the street-level image with the second entertainment information displayed in the region of the displayable sign, the second entertainment information having replaced the first entertainment information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second entertainment information is derived from a social network.