Federated Virtual Graffiti

• US 20080122871A1
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guday, Shai
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

Technologies for creating and viewing virtual graffiti using federated devices. The technologies allow users to associate virtual graffiti with geographic locations and restrict access to the graffiti to particular users, groups, federations, or the like. Users with appropriate access rights may be able to discover and view graffiti associated with a particular geographic location via a federated device when they are present at the location. Users may also access such graffiti from lists via federated devices.

Claims

1. A federated virtual graffiti system comprising:

a virtual graffiti board operable to create or render virtual graffiti;

a graffiti collection element associated with the virtual graffiti board wherein the graffiti collection element defines the virtual graffiti; and

a location element associated with the virtual graffiti board wherein the location element indicates a geographic location associated with the virtual graffiti.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the federated virtual graffiti system is operable, at least in part, on a federated device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual graffiti board is one of a set of virtual graffiti boards.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the graffiti collection element includes:

a background element defining a background for the virtual graffiti; and

a graffiti overlay element defining at least a portion of the virtual graffiti.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the graffiti overlay element is one of a set of graffiti overlay elements.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the graffiti overlay element includes:

a source identifier operable to identify the creator of the graffiti overlay element;

a sequence element operable to identify a position over the graffiti overlay element in a set of graffiti overlay elements; and

a position element operable to indicate the position of the graffiti overlay element on a background.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the background is an image.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the graffiti overlay element includes a graffiti data element operable to define at least a portion of the virtual graffiti.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the graffiti data element includes text data.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the graffiti data element includes audio data.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the graffiti data element includes video data.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the graffiti data element includes a program or a link to a program.

13. A virtual graffiti system comprising:

a virtual graffiti board including virtual graffiti; and

a location element operable to store information indicating a geographic location related to the virtual graffiti wherein the virtual graffiti board renders the virtual graffiti via a device when the device is at the geographic location.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the location element includes information indicating a geographic location for any instance of a class of locations.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the location element includes information indicating a geographic location for any instance of a class of entities.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein one or more entities of the class of entities are mobile entities.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the location information includes a hit range.

18. A virtual graffiti system comprising:

a set of virtual graffiti boards;

a graffiti collection element defining virtual graffiti associated with one of the set of graffiti boards; and

a location element associated with one of the virtual graffiti boards, wherein the one of the set of virtual graffiti boards renders the virtual graffiti via a device when the device is at a geographic location indicated by the location element.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a name element associated with one of the virtual graffiti boards wherein a user of the system access the virtual graffiti via the device based on the name element.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising an access control list associated with one of the virtual graffiti boards wherein access to the virtual graffiti by a user of the system is controlled based, at least in part, on the access control list.