Method and apparatus for accessing a virtual object

• US 9,930,128 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Arrasvuori, Juha Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tryder, Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/251,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 345419, 345156, 345633, 345173, 345676, 345650, 345 6, 715863, 715849, 715757, 715862, 455 70, 455420, 725133
• 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

An approach is introduced for providing, by an apparatus, a virtual object that represents an item. The virtual object is perceivable to a user by at least one of the following ways: audibly, visibly or by haptic feedback. The item may be accessed by another apparatus when the position of the other apparatus corresponds to a perceived position of the virtual object. Once the item has been accessed, it can be copied and edited by the other apparatus.

Claims

1. 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 at least to:

prior to making an item accessible to another apparatus, cause information indicating a position of a virtual object to be provided to a user of the another apparatus via at least one user interface, wherein the virtual object represents the item;

determine a location of the other apparatus; and

when the determined location of the other apparatus is within a threshold distance of the position of the virtual object, make the item accessible to the other apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein determining the location of the other apparatus comprises determining a physical distance between the apparatuses.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

provide one or more further virtual objects, each having a position perceivable to the user and each representing a further item, the one or more further items being accessible to the other apparatus when the said determined proximity corresponds to the respective position perceivable to the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the position of the virtual object indicates the position of the virtual object relative to the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the position of the virtual object representing the item is provided to the user via a user interface of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the position of the virtual object representing the item is provided to the user via a user interface of the other apparatus.

7. 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 at least to

access an item represented by a virtual object provided by another apparatus when a position of the apparatus corresponds to a position of the virtual object, wherein the position of the virtual object is perceivable to a user of the apparatus at least prior to the accessing of the item.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform at least one of the following:

copy the item to the apparatus, read the item, read the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus, edit the item, edit the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

after copying the item, make the item accessible to the said other apparatus when a position of the apparatus corresponds to the said position of the virtual object.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

detect the position of the apparatus relative to the said other apparatus and send information comprising the detected position to the said other apparatus.

11. A method comprising:

prior to making an item stored on an apparatus accessible to a user of another apparatus, causing information indicating a position of a virtual object representing the item stored on the apparatus to be provided to the user via at least one user interface;

determining a location of the another apparatus; and

when the determined location of the another apparatus is within a threshold distance of the position of the virtual object, making the item accessible to the other apparatus.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein determining the location of the another apparatus comprises determining a physical distance between the apparatuses.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying the virtual object using a three dimensional display technique.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

providing one or more further virtual objects, each having a further position perceivable to the user and each representing a further item, making the one or more further items accessible to the other apparatus when the said determined proximity corresponds to the respective further position perceivable to the user.

15. A method comprising:

accessing, by an apparatus, an item provided by another apparatus and represented by a virtual object when a position of the said apparatus corresponds to a position of the virtual object, wherein the position of the virtual object is perceivable to a user of the apparatus at least prior to the accessing of the item.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the method further comprises at least one of the following:

copying the item to the apparatus, reading the item, reading the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus, editing the item, editing the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

code for prior to making an item accessible to another apparatus, causing information indicating a position of a virtual object representing an item to be provided to a user of the another apparatus via at least one user interface;

code for determining a location of the other apparatus; and

,

code for, when the determined location of the other apparatus is within a threshold distance of the position of the virtual object, making the item accessible to the other apparatus.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the code for determining the location of the another apparatus comprises code for determining the physical distance between the apparatuses.

19. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

code for accessing, by an apparatus, an item provided by another apparatus and represented by a virtual object when a position of the said apparatus corresponds to a position of the virtual object, wherein the position of the virtual object is perceivable to a user of the apparatus at least prior to the accessing of the item.

20. A computer program product of claim 19, further comprising at least one of the following:

code for copying the item to the apparatus, code for reading the item, code for reading the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus, code for editing the item, code for editing the item while it is still editable by the said other apparatus.