Platform for constructing and consuming realm and object featured clouds

• US 10,681,183 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexander Hertel, Philipp Hertel
• Original Assignee: Alexander Hertel, Philipp Hertel
• Inventors: Hertel, Alexander, Hertel, Philipp
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassa, Elizabeth
• Application Number:
  US15/661,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of providing a server-based feature cloud model of a realm includes receiving by a server a series of digital contributions that collectively originate from a plurality of remote computing devices, characterizing portions of the realm. The method also includes processing by the server the received digital contributions to associate them with a global coordinate system and storing the processed contributions in a realm model database as components of the feature cloud model of the realm. Finally, the method includes, in response to a query message over the Internet from a computing device of an end-user, serving, over the Internet by the server to the computing device, digital data defining a selected portion of the feature cloud model for integration and display by the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing a server-based feature cloud model of a realm, the method comprising:

receiving by a server a series of digital contributions that collectively originate from a plurality of remote computing devices, each digital contribution characterizing a defined and distinct three-dimensional volume of the realm, wherein each distinct three-dimensional volume includes a portion that does not overlap any other three-dimensional volume;

processing by the server of each one of the received digital contributions to associate such contribution with a global coordinate system;

storing and integrating each of the processed contributions in a realm model database so as to provide the feature cloud model of the realm stored on the server; and

in response to a query message over the Internet from a computing device of an end-user, serving, over the Internet by the server to the computing device, digital data derived from the feature cloud model for use by the computing device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the contributions are in the form of feature clouds.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the contributions are in a form other than feature clouds, and processing by the server includes converting the contributions to feature clouds.

4. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of brand-based digital contributions of brand-based content for integration into the feature cloud model; and

processing the received brand-based contributions to associate such brand-based contributions with the global coordinate system and storing and integrating each of the processed brand-based contributions in the realm model database so as to provide the feature cloud model of the realm stored on the server, so that one of the brand-based contributions can be experienced by the end-user, if the end-user is affiliated with the brand and if the brand-based contribution is located in the selected portion of the model.

5. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein an object database is coupled to the server, the method further comprising:

storing, by the server, an association between a subset of feature cloud data in the feature cloud model of the realm and a selected one of the objects in the object database.

6. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, further comprising:

causing, by the server, the subset to be presented as part of a displayed view of a part of the feature cloud model of the realm, wherein the subset is identified using the association.

7. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, further comprising:

before storing the association, processing by the server of the subset of feature cloud data to determine the association.

8. A computer-implemented method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving by the server a digital data set, wherein the digital data set contains object data, from a selected remote computing device;

processing by the server the digital data set into a processed digital data set that is in a format compatible with the feature cloud model of the realm so as to facilitate a matching process;

matching by the server, in the matching process, the processed digital data set with feature cloud data already stored in the feature cloud model of the realm to recognize an object encoded by the object data as corresponding to the selected one of the objects in the object database;

retrieving the association between the selected one of the objects in the object database and a subset of the realm model corresponding to the object encoded by the processed digital data set; and

transmitting to the selected remote computing device an identification of the association.

9. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, wherein receiving by the server the series of digital contributions includes receiving a digital contribution from a given one of the remote computing devices in which the subset of feature cloud data is a part and is identified by the given computing device as a candidate for object processing and the method further comprises, before storing the association, processing by the server of the subset of feature cloud data to determine the association.

10. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, wherein the realm is a domain.

11. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the realm is a domain.