Differential trials in augmented reality

• US 9,424,583 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Asia Pte Ltd (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Primary Examiner(s): Xiao, Ke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Imperial, Jed-Justin
• Application Number:
  US12/579,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,504 Days
• Field of Search: 345629-633
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Techniques for displaying virtual objects on devices in differential situations are provided. Augmented reality authoring ensures that users have a consistent experience with virtual objects, including augmented reality images, by delivering the same versions of the virtual objects to devices that are close in terms, for instance, of at least distance and/or time. Devices that are not sufficiently close may receive different versions of the virtual object, thus ensuring that the users of devices that are sufficiently near each other do not experience different versions of the virtual object.

Claims

1. A method to display a virtual object to users, the method comprising:

sending a first version of the virtual object to a first device from a content module coupled to the first device via a server;

causing the first version of the virtual object to be displayed on the first device, wherein the first version of the virtual object includes first computer-generated content;

calculating, at the server, a separation factor for separation in distance between the first device and a second device and an amount of time between a first user'"'"'s interaction with the first device while the first device displays a real world object included in the virtual object and a second user'"'"'s interaction with the second device while the second device displays the real world object, the second device also being coupled to the content module via the server and the separation factor being calculated from first information from the first device and second information from the second device such that the separation factor expresses a difference in distance between the first device and second device and time between the first device'"'"'s and second device'"'"'s display of the real world object;

comparing the calculated separation factor with a separation threshold in distance and time; and

sending a second version of the virtual object from the content module to the second device when the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold, wherein the second version includes different computer-generated content from the first computer-generated content, and sending the first version of the virtual object from the content module to the second device when the separation factor is below the separation threshold; and

causing the first version of the virtual object or the second version of the virtual object which is received from the content module to be displayed on the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the first version of the virtual object to be displayed on the first device comprises delivering a tracking cookie to the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a location of the first device and a location of the second device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the distance between the first device and the second device without revealing either a location of the second device or a location of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual object comprises an augmented reality image, wherein the first computer-generated content is merged into an image of a real world object to generate the first version of the virtual object displayed on the first device, and wherein the different computer-generated content is merged with the image of the real world object to generate the second version of the virtual object displayed on the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to display the first version of the virtual object or the second version of the virtual object on the second device when the separation factor changes from exceeding the separation threshold to being below the separation threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information correspond to average traffic levels at a time of the first user'"'"'s interaction with the first device and a time of the second user'"'"'s interaction with the second device, respectively, wherein the separation factor is based on a difference in average traffic levels at the time of the first user'"'"'s interaction and the time of the second user'"'"'s interaction.

8. A method to deliver computer-generated content that is used to create augmented reality images which are displayed to multiple users at a device, the method comprising:

receiving first information from a first user at the device, wherein the first information identifies a first attribute of a first user interaction by the user with the device and wherein the first device displays an image of an object to the first user;

selecting and delivering first computer-generated content to the device so that the first computer-generated content is displayed to the first user at the device;

receiving second information from a second user at the device, wherein the second information identifies a second attribute of a second user interaction by the second user with the device and wherein the device displays the image of the object to the second user at the device;

comparing the first attribute with the second attribute so as to calculate a separation factor for separation in an amount of time between the first user interaction with the device and the second user interaction with the device such that the separation factor expresses a difference in time between the first user'"'"'s operation of the device and the second user'"'"'s operation of the device;

comparing the calculated separation factor with a separation threshold in time;

selecting the first computer-generated content when the separation factor is below the separation threshold and selecting second computer-generated content when the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold; and

delivering the first computer-generated content to the device when the separation factor is below the separation threshold, and delivering the second computer-generated content to the device when the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold,

wherein the first information and second information correspond to average traffic levels at a time of the first user interaction with the device and a time of the second user interaction with the device, respectively, wherein the separation factor is based on a difference in average traffic levels at the time of the first user interaction and the time of the second user interaction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the separation factor is defined as an amount of time between a last received first user interaction time with the device associated with the first user and a first received second user interaction time associated with the second user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the separation factor is defined by lack of user input at the device for a specific period of time.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring a change in the second user interaction included in the second information;

delivering the first computer-generated content to the device when a comparison of the first information and the second information is below the separation threshold; and

delivering the second computer-generated content to the device when the comparison exceeds the separation threshold, wherein the second computer-generated content includes the image of the object merged with different computer-generated content than the first-computer generated content.

12. A method to deliver computer-generated content to devices that interact with an object, the method comprising:

delivering a first version of computer-generated content from a content module to a first device via a server, wherein the first version is mixed with an image of the object to display a first version of a virtual object on the first device;

detecting a second device;

calculating, at the server, a separation factor for separation in distance between the first device and the second device and time between a first user'"'"'s interaction with the first device while the object is displayed on the first device and a second user'"'"'s interaction with the second device while the object is displayed on the second device from first information from the first device and second information from the second device such that the separation factor expresses a difference in distance between the first device and the second device and time between the first user'"'"'s and second user'"'"'s respective interactions with the first device and second device;

comparing the calculated separation factor with a separation threshold in distance and/or time;

determining that the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold; and

delivering, from the content module, a second version of the computer-generated content to the second device after the determination that the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold, the second version of the computer-generating content including different computer-generated content from the first version of the computer-generated content, and wherein the second device mixes the image of the object with the second version of the computer-generated content to display a second version of the virtual object on the second device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the separation factor is less than the separation threshold; and

delivering the first version of the computer-generated content to the second device after the determination that the separation factor is less than the separation threshold.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a plurality of users;

receiving information from the users; and

delivering either the first version or the second version of the computer-generated content based on a testing balance between the first version and the second version, the testing balance being determined by grouping the information from the plurality of users into groups of information, determining a plurality of separation factors between the groups of information, and identifying a most relevant separation factor between the groups of information.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the separation factor has changed and is less than the separation threshold; and

delivering the first version of the computer-generated content to the second device after the determination that the separation factor has changed and is below the separation threshold.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising delivering the first version of the computer-generated content to subsequent devices associated with separation factors, relative to the first device, that are below the separation threshold.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the separation factor is based on a difference in average traffic levels at a time of the first'"'"'s user'"'"'s interaction with the first device and a time of the second user'"'"'s interaction with the second device.

18. An apparatus to generate computer-generated content for inclusion in a virtual object, the apparatus comprising:

a server configured to communicate with a device over a network, wherein the server receives information from the device; and

a content module stored on a storage device accessible to the server, wherein the content module includes computer executable instructions that cause the server to;

identify first information from a first user at the device;

obtain, from the content module, a first version of a virtual object comprising first computer-generated content merged with an image of a real world object;

transmit the first version of the virtual object to the device for display to the first user;

identify second information from a second user at the device;

calculate a separation factor for separation in time between the first information from the first user at the device and the second information from the second user at the device;

compare the calculated separation factor with a separation threshold in time; and

transmit the first version of the virtual object to the device for display to the second user when the separation factor is below the separation threshold; and

obtain, from the content module, a second version of the virtual object comprising second computer-generated content merged with the image of a real world object and transmit the second version of the virtual object to the device for display to the second user when the separation factor exceeds the separation threshold,

wherein the first information from the first user identifies a first user interaction time that indicates when the first user interacted with the device and the second information from the second user identifies a second user interaction time that indicates when the second user interacted with the device, and wherein the separation factor calculates a difference between a first user interaction time and the second user interaction time, and

wherein the first information and second information correspond to average traffic levels at the first user interaction time and second user interaction time, respectively, wherein the separation factor is based on a difference in average traffic levels at the first user interaction time and second user interaction time.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the separation factor is defined as a period of time between a last received user interaction from the first user and a first received user interaction from the second user.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the separation factor is defined by lack of input at the device for a specific period of time.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the separation factor is based on a period of time that the first version of the virtual object is to be transmitted to the device, such that when the second user interaction time is determined to be received after the first version of the virtual object is no longer being transmitted, the second version of the virtual object is transmitted.