METHOD OF CAPTURE, DISPLAY AND SHARING OF ORIENTATION-BASED IMAGE SETS

• US 20130250048A1
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Spot Metrix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spot Metrix, Inc.
• Inventors: Aller, Joshua Victor
• Application Number:
  US13/739,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130250048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Captured images are associated with orientation. An imaginary rotational control can be used to play back the captured images associated with orientation.

Claims

1. A method of capturing images that are each associated with orientation, and playing back the images under the control of a user who is turning an imaginary rotational control.

2. A method comprising:

capturing first imagery from a subject using a camera-equipped phone, when the phone is oriented at a first angle, providing an image of the subject taken from a first direction, and adding said first imagery to a spin data structure;

by reference to a position sensor in the phone, sensing movement of the phone orientation to a second angle at least N degrees from the first angle, and adding second imagery captured of the subject at said second angle to said spin data structure, providing an image of the subject taken from a second direction;

by reference to a position sensor in the phone, sensing movement of the phone orientation to a third angle at least N degrees from the second angle, and adding third imagery captured of the subject at said third angle to said spin data structure, providing an image of the subject taken from a third direction;

by reference to a position sensor in the phone, sensing movement of the phone orientation to a fourth angle at least N degrees from the third angle, and adding fourth imagery captured of the subject at said fourth angle to said spin data structure, providing an image of the subject taken from a fourth direction;

wherein a sequence of images is collected at different phone orientation angles, which images can be rendered in a temporal sequence to create an illusion of spinning around the subject to show views thereof from multiple directions.

3. A method comprising:

capturing first imagery from a subject using a camera-equipped phone, when the phone is oriented at a first angle, yielding an image of the subject taken from a first direction, and adding said image to a spin data structure

capturing a timed sequence of further imagery using the camera-equipped phone, yielding a sequence of plural candidate images; and

processing the sequence of plural candidate images, and adding only selected ones thereof to the spin data structure;

wherein the method includes selecting images for addition to the spin data structure by judging a bearing of a candidate image against a bearing of an image earlier added to the spin data structure, and adding said candidate image to the spin data structure only if its bearing exceeds that of the image earlier added to the spin data structure by at least a predefined threshold amount.

4. The method of claim 3 that further includes adding, to the spin data structure, bearing data corresponding to each of the candidate images added to the data structure.

5. A method comprising:

presenting a first image on a touchscreen of a portable device;

in response to a user swipe gesture on the touchscreen, replacing the first image with a second image, without any transitioning effect, and similarly replacing the second image with a third image, again without any transitioning effect;

the first, second and third images having been earlier captured by a single camera that was moved to point successively in first, second and third viewing directions;

wherein a stop action sequence of images is presented, through which the user can navigate to a desired viewing direction by swiping the touchscreen.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first, second and third images depict a subject that was in motion when said images were earlier captured by the camera, and wherein the camera itself was moving during capture of said images.

7. The method of claim 5 in which the first, second and third images were earlier captured by a single camera that moved in a curved arc, pointing to a subject inside the curve of the arc.