Systems, methods, and computer program products for navigating through a virtual/augmented reality

• US 9,395,875 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Geraci, Chad Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Nabi, Reza
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/534,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 715/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an exemplary system, method, and computer program product. The exemplary method includes communicating with a provider of digital content to request data regarding a specific item of interest using a mobile device associated with a user. The method further includes receiving the requested data regarding the specific item of interest from the provider of digital content on the mobile device. The method further includes rendering the received data regarding the specific item of interest on a display of the mobile device, the rendering including superimposing the received data on a street view. The method further includes navigating through the street view according to navigation functions of the mobile device to locate a physical commercial location that carries the specific item of interest.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display interface operable to receive an input from a user and communicate an output to the user;

a transceiver operable to electronically communicate with a content provider;

a computer processor operable to execute instructions; and

a memory storage operable to store the instructions, the memory storage further comprising a physical location module operable to discern a physical location of the user and a program module that is operable when executed by the processor to;

submit a search request regarding a specific item of personal property at the content provider;

receive search data regarding the specific item of personal property from the content provider;

display a first person perspective street view on the display interface, the street view having the search data regarding the specific item of personal property overlaid thereon with the search data being sized on the display interface in proportion to a proximity to the physical location of the user, the search data identifying a physical commercial location, a size of the specific item of personal property, and a number representative of inventory of the specific item of personal property at the physical commercial location;

provide a virtual reality static mode navigation display configured to update the first person perspective street view in response to navigation functions entered by the user, thereby simulating the user walking along a street; and

switch to an augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display based on a detection of a change of physical location of the user by the physical location module, the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display at least periodically updating the street view with the overlaid search data based on the discerned physical location of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program module is operable to:

limit the search request regarding the specific item of personal property based on the discerned physical location of the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the program module is operable to receive virtual reality street view data from the content provider, and

the virtual reality street view data is utilized to display the street view on the display interface for the virtual reality static mode navigation display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the submitted search request regarding the specific item of personal property is based in part on data received from the user interacting with the display interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the program module is further operable to:

recognize a tilting operation to indicate longitudinal movement through the street view in the virtual reality static mode navigation display; and

recognize a rotation operation to indicate angular movement through the street view in the virtual reality static mode navigation display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the tilting operation includes utilizing a gyroscope of the system, and

the rotation operation includes utilizing a compass of the system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the program module is further operable to:

recognize that a first gesture has been performed on the display interface in the virtual reality static mode navigation display to indicate longitudinal movement through the street view; and

recognize that a second gesture has been performed on the display interface in the virtual reality static mode navigation display to indicate angular movement through the street view.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the first gesture includes a vertical sliding motion across the display interface, and

the second gesture includes a longitudinal sliding motion across the display interface.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the first gesture includes activating buttons positioned toward top and bottom edges of the display interface, and

the second gesture includes activating buttons positioned toward left and right edges of the display interface.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the program module is further operable to:

revert from the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display to the virtual reality static mode navigation display in response to entry of a gesture input by the user during the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the program module is further operable to:

revert from the virtual reality static mode navigation display to the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display in response to expiration of a timeout period triggered by the gesture input.

12. A method comprising:

communicating with a provider of digital content to request data regarding a specific item of personal property using a mobile device associated with a user;

receiving the requested data regarding the specific item of personal property from the provider of digital content on the mobile device;

rendering the received data regarding the specific item of personal property on a display of the mobile device, the rendering including superimposing the received data on a first person perspective street view, the received data identifying a physical commercial location viewable from the street view that carries the specific item of personal property and a number representative of inventory of the specific item of personal property at the physical commercial location;

navigating, by the mobile device, through the first person perspective street view in a virtual reality static mode navigation display in response to one or more navigation functions entered by the user, thereby simulating the user walking along a street;

switching, by the mobile device, from the virtual reality static mode navigation display to an augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display based on a detection of a change of the physical location of the user; and

navigating, by the mobile device, through the first person perspective street view in the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display as the user walks along a street,

wherein the navigating includes continually or periodically updating, by the mobile device, the street view including the superimposed received data regarding the specific item of personal property as the user walks along the street, the superimposed received data being added by the mobile device in response to at least a portion of the corresponding physical commercial location becoming viewable within the street view or removed by the mobile device in response to substantially all of the corresponding physical commercial location becoming no longer viewable within the street view.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving the requested data regarding the specific item of personal property includes at least one of:

downloading the requested data to the mobile device; and

streaming the requested data to the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein superimposing the received data on the first person perspective street view includes providing on the display a user selectable button for viewing additional information related to the specific item of personal property at the physical commercial location, the additional information including a size of the specific item of personal property.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the additional information further includes a product name of the specific item of personal property.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the rendering includes superimposing on a top portion of the street view user instructions.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

reverting from the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display to the virtual reality static mode navigation display in response to entry of a gesture input by the user during the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display; and

reverting from the virtual reality static mode navigation display to the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display in response to expiration of a timeout period triggered by the gesture input.

18. A mobile device comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions executable to cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

submitting a search request at a content provider to determine a physical commercial location that carries a specific item of personal property;

receiving search data regarding the specific item of personal property from the content provider, the received search data regarding the specific item of personal property including data regarding a physical commercial location that carries the specific item of personal property;

overlaying the search data regarding the specific item of personal property on a street view providing a first person perspective on the display of the mobile device, the search data overlaid on the street view including a number and a size in inventory of the specific item of personal property at the physical commercial location;

navigating through the street view from the first person perspective in a virtual reality static mode navigation display in response to one or more navigation functions entered by a user of the mobile device, thereby simulating the user walking along a street;

switching from the virtual reality static mode navigation display to an augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display based on a detection of a change of physical location of the user; and

navigating through the street view from the first person perspective in the augmented reality dynamic mode navigation display as the user moves with the mobile device, including continually or periodically updating the street view based on the physical location of the user and adding the overlaid search data in response to at least a portion of the physical commercial location becoming viewable within the street view or removing the overlaid search in response to substantially all of the physical commercial location becoming no longer viewable within the street view.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, and a smartphone.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein:

the virtual reality static mode navigation functions include user initiated navigation functions,

the user initiated navigation functions include a tilting navigation function and a rotating navigation function,

the tilting navigation function determines longitudinal movement through the street view, and

the rotating navigation function determines angular movement through the street view.