Platform for enabling remote services

• US 9,674,290 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: uZoom, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uZoom, Inc.
• Inventors: Rincon, Martin, Harrison, Gregory, Graziano, Dean, Leung, Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US15/365,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20170155725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 188 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A platform receives service requests from a principal. The service request includes a service location that is remote from the principal. A communication session between the principal and an agent that is near the service location is provided. The agent is available to perform the service, which may include remote videography services, tutorial services, or personal shopping services, over the communication session. The principal generates gesture data to direct the agent when performing the service. A visual representation of the gesture data is provided to the agent so that the agent may follow the principal'"'"'s direction. The gesture data may be blended and/or overlaid image data captured by an image sensor employed by the agent. The principal may provide financial resources to the agent to enable the agent to perform the service and/or compensate the agent for their performance. The principal is enabled to provide metrics for the agent'"'"'s performance.

Claims

1. A method for providing a real time image capture service between two users over a network, wherein a computing device for each user and a network platform includes one or more processors that execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:

employing an engine instantiated for the network platform to perform actions, including;

receiving a request from a principal user to perform the real time image capture service at a physical location;

wherein the network platform forwards the request to a selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request; and

establishing a real time communication session between the principal user and the selected agent user, wherein the communication session includes a streaming service that provides a primary channel for communicating one or more of images or video and a chat sub-channel for communicating text messages between the principal user and the selected agent user; and

employing a principal engine for the principal user to perform actions, comprising;

displaying image data in real time that is provided by the selected agent user over the primary channel; and

transforming physical gestures of the principal user associated with a display of the real time image data into cues that direct one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein these cues are coded into gesture data that is based on a gesture protocol, and wherein the gesture data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to the agent user; and

employing an agent engine for the agent user to perform actions, comprising;

receiving the gesture data over the chat message sub-channel, wherein the gesture data is non-displayed to the agent user; and

employing the gesture protocol to transform the received gesture data into one or more visual representations of each cue or text, wherein the one or more visual representations are composited on the image data currently being captured and displayed to the agent user, wherein the one or more visual representations indicate actions requested by the principal user to be performed by the agent user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions comprising coding session control commands into session control data that is based on a session control protocol, wherein the session control data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to one or both of the agent user or the principal user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the principal engine performs further actions, comprising enabling the principal user to select one of a plurality of agent users that are currently available based on one or more of a first available agent user, a history of providing the image capture service by one or more of the plurality of agent users, one or more credentials of the plurality of agent users, one or more profiles of the plurality of agent users, one or more rankings of the plurality of agent users, a cost of one or more of the plurality of agent users to provide the image capture service, or one or more reviews of the plurality of agent users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising receiving another request from the principal user for the image capture service at the same physical location, wherein the network platform forwards the other request to another selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising when the communication session is disconnected before completion of the request, automatically buffering gesture data, session control data and image data provided by the principal user and the agent user until the communication session is re-connected, wherein the buffered data is played back over the reconnected communication session to the principal user and agent user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising selecting, for the image capture service, one of more of a minimum resolution, a preferred resolution, or a maximum resolution.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising enabling the principal user to provide one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation to the selected agent user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising bi-directionally communicating audio communication between the principal user and the agent user over the communication session.

9. A system for providing a real time image capture service between two users over a network, wherein a computing device for each user and a network platform includes one or more processors that execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:

a network platform computer that including;

instructions; and

one or more processors that execute the instructions to instantiate an engine that performs actions, including;

receiving a request from a principal user to perform the real time image capture service at a physical location;

wherein the network platform forwards the request to a selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request; and

establishing a real time communication session between the principal user and the selected agent user, wherein the communication session includes a streaming service that provides a primary channel for communicating one or more of images or video and a chat sub-channel for communicating text messages between the principal user and the selected agent user; and

a computing device for the principal user, comprising;

instructions; and

one or more processors that execute the instructions to instantiate a principal engine that performs actions, including;

displaying image data in real time that is provided by the selected agent user over the primary channel; and

transforming physical gestures of the principal user associated with a display of the real time image data into cues that direct one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein these cues are coded into gesture data that is based on a gesture protocol, and wherein the gesture data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to the agent user; and

a computing device for the agent user, comprising;

instructions; and

one or more processors that execute the instructions to instantiate an agent engine that performs actions, including;

receiving the gesture data over the chat message sub-channel, wherein the gesture data is non-displayed to the agent user; and

employing the gesture protocol to transform the received gesture data into one or more visual representations of each cue or text, wherein the one or more visual representations are composited on the image data currently being captured and displayed to the agent user, wherein the one or more visual representations indicate actions requested by the principal user to be performed by the agent user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions comprising coding session control commands into session control data that is based on a session control protocol, wherein the session control data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to one or both of the agent user or the principal user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising enabling the principal user to select one of a plurality of agent users that are currently available based on one or more of a first available agent user, a history of providing the image capture service by one or more of the plurality of agent users, one or more credentials of the plurality of agent users, one or more profiles of the plurality of agent users, one or more rankings of the plurality of agent users, a cost of one or more of the plurality of agent users to provide the image capture service, or one or more reviews of the plurality of agent users.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising receiving another request from the principal user for the image capture service at the same physical location, wherein the network platform forwards the other request to another selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising when the communication session is disconnected before completion of the request, automatically buffering gesture data, session control data and image data provided by the principal user and the agent user until the communication session is re-connected, wherein the buffered data is played back over the reconnected communication session to the principal user and agent user.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising selecting, for the image capture service, one of more of a minimum resolution, a preferred resolution, or a maximum resolution.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising enabling the principal user to provide one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation to the selected agent user.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising bi-directionally communicating audio communication between the principal user and the agent user over the communication session.

17. A non-transitory computer readable media that includes instructions for providing a real time image capture service between two users over a network, wherein a computing device for each user and a network platform includes one or more processors that execute the instructions to perform actions, comprising:

employing an engine instantiated for the network platform to perform actions, including;

receiving a request from a principal user to perform the real time image capture service at a physical location;

wherein the network platform forwards the request to a selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request; and

establishing a real time communication session between the principal user and the selected agent user, wherein the communication session includes a streaming service that provides a primary channel for communicating one or more of images or video and a chat sub-channel for communicating text messages between the principal user and the selected agent user; and

employing a principal engine for the principal user to perform actions, comprising;

displaying image data in real time that is provided by the selected agent user over the primary channel; and

transforming physical gestures of the principal user associated with a display of the real time image data into cues that direct one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein these cues are coded into gesture data that is based on a gesture protocol, and wherein the gesture data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to the agent user; and

employing an agent engine for the agent user to perform actions, comprising;

receiving the gesture data over the chat message sub-channel, wherein the gesture data is non-displayed to the agent user; and

employing the gesture protocol to transform the received gesture data into one or more visual representations of each cue or text, wherein the one or more visual representations are composited on the image data currently being captured and displayed to the agent user, wherein the one or more visual representations indicate actions requested by the principal user to be performed by the agent user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions comprising coding session control commands into session control data that is based on a session control protocol, wherein the session control data is communicated over the chat message sub-channel to one or both of the agent user or the principal user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the principal engine performs further actions, comprising enabling the principal user to select one of a plurality of agent users that are currently available based on one or more of a first available agent user, a history of providing the image capture service by one or more of the plurality of agent users, one or more credentials of the plurality of agent users, one or more profiles of the plurality of agent users, one or more rankings of the plurality of agent users, a cost of one or more of the plurality of agent users to provide the image capture service, or one or more reviews of the plurality of agent users.

20. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising receiving another request from the principal user for the image capture service at the same physical location, wherein the network platform forwards the other request to another selected agent user that is currently available to perform the request.

21. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising when the communication session is disconnected before completion of the request, automatically buffering gesture data, session control data and image data provided by the principal user and the agent user until the communication session is re-connected, wherein the buffered data is played back over the reconnected communication session to the principal user and agent user.

22. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising selecting, for the image capture service, one of more of a minimum resolution, a preferred resolution, or a maximum resolution.

23. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the principal engine performs further actions comprising enabling the principal user to provide one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation to the selected agent user.

24. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the network platform engine performs further actions, comprising bi-directionally communicating audio communication between the principal user and the agent user over the communication session.