CREATION AND USE OF VIRTUAL PLACES

• US 20110301760A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Brian Mark Shuster, Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen, Shuster, Brian Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/10 Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system facilitate efficient creation of virtual places and provide tools for using the virtual places. The virtual places include a virtual real estate listing, newsworthy place and a virtual box seat. Tools are provided including an automatic declutter tool and a staging tool.

Claims

1. A method for providing a virtual 3-D model of a defined physical place, the method comprising:

in response to a triggering event related to a defined physical place, obtaining images of the physical place;

determining a surface geometry of the defined place and supplying texture maps to the surface geometry, using the images;

creating a 3-D model of the defined place in a computer memory using the surface geometry and texture maps; and

providing a user interface for remote access to the 3-D model.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring queries provided to a search engine to detect the triggering event comprising a rate of queries including an identifier for the defined physical place exceeding a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a current popularity of online news stories to detect the triggering event comprising a relative popularity of online articles that include an identifier for the defined physical place exceeding a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a real estate listing to detect the triggering event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a news feed to detect the triggering event comprising a newsworthy event taking place at the defined physical place.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein obtaining the images comprises obtaining video or photographic images from news reports of the newsworthy event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user interface comprises enabling use of the 3-D model in an online virtual world environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the images comprises querying an image database.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing selected ones of the images to remove objects smaller than a specified size from the selected images, in response to a user declutter request.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user to select ones of the independently modeled objects for removal from the 3-D model, using the virtual world interactive interface, and creating a record of remaining ones of the modeled objects in response to user removal of one or more of the modeled objects.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising enabling the user to select additional modeled objects from a catalog for adding to the 3-D model, and creating a record of selected ones of the additional modeled objects in response to user selection of one or more of the additional modeled objects.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising enabling the user to determine placement of the remaining ones of the modeled objects and the selected ones of the additional modeled objects in the 3-D model, and creating a placement record.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating an order for staging the physical place, using the record of remaining ones of the modeled objects, the record of selected ones of the additional modeled objects, and the placement record.

10. A method for configuring a physical space, the method comprising:

creating a 3-D model of a physical place in a computer memory using the surface geometry and texture maps taken at least in part from digital images of the physical place;

serving the 3-D model in a remotely accessible virtual world interactive interface, including independently modeled digital objects appearing in the digital images; and

linking the virtual world interactive interface for access via an online real estate listing for property including the physical place.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving input specifying a minimum object size;

and

decluttering the 3-D model by removing objects smaller than the minimum object size.

16. A telepresence method, comprising:

linking a robotic device placed in a physical place to an interactive interface including a virtual 3-D model of the place;

tracking virtual motion of an avatar in the interactive environment relative to the virtual 3-D model; and

controlling movement of the robotic device in the physical place to indicate virtual motion of the avatar in the virtual 3-D model.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising emitting a beam of light from the robotic device to indicate a direction of gaze of the avatar.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising operating an audio link between the robotic device and a user controlling the avatar in the interactive environment.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising projecting an image from the robotic device to indicate a position of the avatar in the virtual 3-D model.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the image projected from the robotic device comprises an image of a user controlling the avatar in the interactive environment.