Methods, apparatuses and computer program products for automatically generating suggested information layers in augmented reality

• US 9,910,866 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sandberg, Jesper
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, JIN CHENG
• Application Number:
  US12/827,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20120001939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,806 Days
• Field of Search: 345629, 701200, 701201, 701213, 348 1402, 348116, 34833302
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically suggesting information layers in augmented reality may include a processor and memory storing executable computer program code that cause the apparatus to at least perform operations including providing layers of information relating to virtual information corresponding to information indicating a current location of the apparatus. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to determine that a layer(s) of information is enabled to provide virtual information for display. The virtual information corresponds to locations of real world objects in or proximate to the current location. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to determine other information layers associates with content for the current location based on the number of items virtual information for the enabled layer being below a threshold and automatically suggest one or more other layers of information for selection. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating provision of a plurality of executable layers of information, the layers of information provide one or more items of virtual information, comprising one or more images or videos, corresponding to information indicative of a current location of a communication device;

determining that at least one of the layers of information is enabled in response to detection of a selection, via a user interface of a display device of a communication device, of the layer of information, among the plurality of layers of information, to provide one or more items of virtual information currently being displayed via the display device, the items of virtual information correspond to locations of real world objects in or proximate to the current location being displayed via the display device;

determining, via a processor of the communication device, whether one or more other executable information layers of the layers are associated with content for the current location based on a determination that the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device, for the enabled executable layer of information is below a predetermined threshold;

determining whether information associated with the enabled executable layer of information is in a same category as a category of information associated with the one or more other executable information layers; and

automatically presenting visible indicia, to the user interface, suggesting one or more of the other executable information layers for selection via the user interface in response to determining that (i) the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device is below the predetermined threshold and (ii) that the suggested executable information layers are in the same category as the enabled executable information layer; and

activating a suggested executable information layer and presenting, to the user interface of the display device, visible content of corresponding items of augmented reality comprising geotagged information, comprising geo-coordinates of respective real world objects, the items of augmented reality are overlaid on respective structures depicting the real world objects in the topography of the location of the communication device currently being displayed, in response to detecting an indication of a selection, via the user interface, of the visible indicia of the suggested executable information layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more items of virtual information comprises one or more virtual objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geotagged information comprises one or more geotagged images or videos.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receipt of the information indicative of the current location further comprises receiving information indicative of one or more coordinates of the real world objects that are currently being displayed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the information of each of the plurality of layers is provided by different content providers.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

overlaying the virtual information on the corresponding real world objects in response to determining that location data of the virtual information corresponds to location information of at least one of the corresponding real world objects.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically presenting further comprises presenting the visible indicia, to the user interface, of the suggested other executable information layers in a semi-transparent manner prior to selection; and

providing visible data of the suggested executable information layer to the display device in a non-transparent manner to denote that the suggested executable information layer is active in response to the detection of the selection of the suggested executable information layer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the virtual information comprises one or more items of information in augmented reality that are usable to augment real world objects currently being displayed in an instance in which the items of information are overlaid on the real world objects, and

wherein items of augmented reality further comprises enabling provision of the items of augmented reality for selection, via the user interface, to obtain additional information corresponding, in part, to geographical coordinates of at least one selected item of augmented reality.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

facilitate provision of a plurality of executable layers of information, the layers of information provide one or more items of virtual information, comprising one or more images or videos, corresponding to information indicative of a current location of the apparatus;

determine that at least one of the layers of information is enabled in response to detection of a selection, via a user interface of a display device of the apparatus, of the layer of information, among the plurality of layers of information, to provide one or more items of virtual information currently being displayed via the display device, the items of virtual information correspond to locations of real world objects in or proximate to the current location being displayed via the display device;

determine whether one or more other executable information layers of the layers are associated with content for the current location based on a determination that the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device, for the enabled executable layer of information is below a predetermined threshold;

determine whether information associated with the enabled executable layer of information is in a same category as a category of information associated with the one or more other executable information layers;

automatically present visible indicia, to the user interface, suggesting one or more of the other executable information layers for selection via the user interface in response to determining that (i) the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device is below the predetermined threshold and (ii) that the suggested executable information layers are in the same category as the enabled executable information layer; and

activate a suggested executable information layer and present, to the user interface of the display device, visible content of corresponding items of augmented reality comprising geotagged information, comprising geo-coordinates of respective real world objects, the items of augmented reality are overlaid on respective structures depicting the real world objects in the topography of the location of the apparatus currently being displayed, in response to detection of an indication of a selection, via the user interface, of the visible indicia of the suggested executable information layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the one or more items of virtual information comprises one or more virtual objects.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the geotagged information comprises one or more geotagged images or videos.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to facilitate the receipt of the information indicative of the current location by receiving information indicative of one or more coordinates of the real world objects that are currently being displayed.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine that the information of each of the plurality of layers is provided by different content providers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

overlay the virtual information on the corresponding real world objects in response to determining that location data of the virtual information corresponds to location information of at least one of the corresponding real world objects.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

automatically present by presenting the visible indicia, to the user interface, of the suggested other executable information layers in a semi-transparent manner prior to selection; and

provide visible data of the suggested executable information layer to the display device in a non-transparent manner to denote that the suggested executable information layer is active in response the detection of the selection of the suggested executable information layer.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine that the virtual information comprises one or more items of information in augmented reality that are usable to augment real world objects currently being displayed in an instance in which the items of information are overlaid on the real world objects; and

present the items of augmented reality by enabling provision of the items of augmented reality for selection, via the user interface, to obtain additional information corresponding, in part, to geographical coordinates of at least one selected item of augmented reality.

17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

program code instructions configured to facilitate provision of a plurality of executable layers of information, the layers of information provide one or more items of virtual information, comprising one or more images or videos, corresponding to information indicative of a current location of an apparatus;

program code instructions configured to determine that at least one of the layers of information is enabled in response to detection of a selection, via a user interface of a display device of a communication device, of the layer of information, among the plurality of layers of information, to provide one or more items of virtual information currently being displayed via the display device, the items of virtual information correspond to locations of real world objects in or proximate to the current location being displayed via the display device;

program code instructions configured to determine whether one or more other executable information layers of the layers are associated with content for the current location based on a determination that the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device, for the enabled executable layer of information is below a predetermined threshold;

program code instructions configured to determine whether information associated with the enabled executable layer of information is in a same category as a category of information associated with the one or more other executable information layers;

and program code instructions configured to automatically present visible indicia, to the user interface, suggesting one or more of the other executable information layers for selection via the user interface in response to determining that (i) the number of items of virtual information, currently being displayed via the display device is below the predetermined threshold and (ii) that the suggested executable information layers are in the same category as the enabled executable information layer; and

program code instructions configured to activate a suggested executable information layer and present, to the user interface of the display device, visible content of corresponding items of augmented reality comprising geotagged information, comprising geo-coordinates of respective real world objects, the items of augmented reality are overlaid on respective structures depicting the real world objects in the topography of the location of the apparatus currently being displayed, in response to detection of an indication of a selection, via the user interface, of the visible indicia of the suggested executable information layer.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein:

the one or more items of virtual information comprises one or more virtual objects.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the geotagged information comprises one or more geotagged images or videos.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code instructions configured to automatically present by presenting the visible indicia, to the user interface, of the suggested other executable information layers in a semi- transparent manner prior to selection; and

program code instructions configured to provide visible data of the suggested executable information layer to the display device in a non-transparent manner to denote that the suggested executable information layer is active in response to the detection of the selection of the suggested executable information layer.