U.S. patent application number 13/598902 was filed with the patent office on 2012-12-27 for method and apparatus for creating virtual graffiti in a mobile virtual and augmented reality system.
This patent application is currently assigned to MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC. Invention is credited to Eric R. Buhrke, Julius S. Gyorfi, Juan M. Lopez, Han Yu.
Application Number | 20120327120 13/598902 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42397309 |
Filed Date | 2012-12-27 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20120327120 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gyorfi; Julius S. ; et
al. |
December 27, 2012 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING VIRTUAL GRAFFITI IN A MOBILE
VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY SYSTEM
Abstract
A method and system is provided for easily creating virtual
graffiti that will be left for a particular device to view. During
operation a device will be placed near a first point that is used
to define a boundary for the virtual graffiti. The device will
locate the first point, and use the point to define the boundary.
The device will receive an image that is to be used as virtual
graffiti, and will fit the image within or upon the boundary of the
virtual graffiti. For example, the device may be consecutively
placed near four points that will define a polygon to be used as
the boundary for the virtual graffiti. An image will then be
received, and the image will be fit within the polygon.
Additionally, a device may create virtual graffiti from an image
and a boundary.
Inventors: |
Gyorfi; Julius S.; (Vernon
Hills, IL) ; Buhrke; Eric R.; (Clarendon Hills,
IL) ; Lopez; Juan M.; (Chicago, IL) ; Yu;
Han; (Carpentersville, IL) |
Assignee: |
MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC
Libertyville
IL
|
Family ID: |
42397309 |
Appl. No.: |
13/598902 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12365266 |
Feb 4, 2009 |
|
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13598902 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/633 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/029 20180201;
H04W 4/02 20130101; H04W 4/185 20130101; H04W 4/022 20130101; H04W
64/00 20130101; H04W 4/021 20130101; H04W 4/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/633 |
International
Class: |
G09G 5/00 20060101
G09G005/00 |
Claims
1. A method for a device to create virtual graffiti, the method
comprising: determining, via the device, a location of a first
point ; using the location of the first point to define a user
created boundary for the virtual graffiti; the first point
thereafter being coupled to additional points for defining the user
created boundary of a 3-dimensional shape for displaying the
virtual graffiti; defining a virtual graffiti message, with the
device, to be used as the virtual graffiti; providing the virtual
graffiti within the user created boundary; and transmitting
information about the user created boundary and virtual graffiti to
a server.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: creating the virtual
graffiti by fitting the virtual graffiti data within or upon the
boundary for the virtual graffiti.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing to multiple
users arranged around the location a different perspective of the
virtual graffiti data defined by the boundary
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the virtual graffiti
message to be selected from a group consisting of: images, video,
text, or documents.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the boundary shapes comprise
geometric shapes or pre-defined shapes.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server provides the virtual
graffiti to any designated user having privileges for viewing the
virtual graffiti when that user is near the location of the virtual
graffiti.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the designated user having
viewing privileges also have privilege to modify the virtual
graffiti data.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the designated user having
viewing privileges also have privilege to view multiple versions of
the virtual graffiti data.
9. A virtual graffiti server, comprising: location circuitry for
monitoring locations of plurality of devices configured to create
virtual graffiti at their locations; transmission circuitry
communicatively coupled to a network for providing information on
available virtual graffiti to the plurality of devices based on
their current locations; and logic circuitry for determining
whether a designated user has privileges for viewing virtual
graffiti when that user is near the location of the virtual
graffiti.
10. The virtual graffiti server claimed in claim 9, further
comprising: receiver circuitry for receiving boundary information
corresponding to the virtual graffiti being placed within or upon
the boundary.
11. The virtual graffiti server claimed in claim 9, wherein the
designated user having viewing privileges also have privilege to
modify the virtual graffiti.
12. The virtual graffiti server claimed in claim 9, wherein the
designated user having viewing privileges also have privilege to
view multiple versions of the virtual graffiti.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation of co-pending U.S.
application Ser. No. 12/365,266 filed on Feb. 04, 2009, the
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety, and from which benefits are claimed under 35 U.S.C.
120.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates virtual and augmented reality
systems, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for creating
virtual graffiti in a mobile virtual and augmented reality
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Messaging systems have been used for years to let users send
and receive messages to each other. Currently, one of the simplest
ways to send a message to another individual is to simply send a
text message to the individual's cellular phone. Recently, it has
been proposed to expand the capabilities of messaging systems so
that subscribers of the network may be given the option of leaving
a specific message at a particular coordinate location. For
example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,107B2, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF
ACCESSING AND RECORDING MESSAGES AT COORDINATE WAY POINTS, the
author proposes that a subscriber can merely push a button at a
specific location causing the Device to save the physical location.
Then he can push a "record message" button which allows him to
speak a message into his device. This message could be directions
to the subscriber's house from the specific location or any other
personal message. The message is then uploaded to the network where
it will become available to other network subscribers. The person
creating the message can designate whether the message is available
to all subscribers, only the persons stored in the memory of the
Subscriber's Device, a subset of the persons stored in memory, or
even a single person.
[0004] In order to enhance the user's experience with the
above-type of context-aware messaging system, the types of
information provided to the users must go beyond simple text,
images, and video. With this in mind, U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/844,538, MOBILE VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY SYSTEM, by
Buhrke et al. proposes a system that leaves virtual graffiti for
individuals. During operation a user can create "virtual graffiti"
that will be left for a particular device to view as part of an
augmented reality scene.
[0005] While the system of Buhrke does enhance a user's experience,
a need exists for a method and apparatus for easily creating the
virtual graffiti that will be left for a particular device to
view.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a context-aware messaging
system.
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an augmented reality scene.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server of FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the user device of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing operation of the server of
FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 6. illustrates the creation of virtual graffiti.
[0012] FIG. 7. illustrates the creation of virtual graffiti.
[0013] FIG. 8. illustrates the creation of virtual graffiti.
[0014] FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing operation of the user device
of FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing operation of the user device
of FIG. 1
[0016] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the
figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or
relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be
exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve
understanding of various embodiments of the present invention.
Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or
necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not
depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these
various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be
appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or
depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in
the art will understand that such specificity with respect to
sequence is not actually required. Those skilled in the art will
further recognize that references to specific implementation
embodiments such as "circuitry" may equally be accomplished via
replacement with software instruction executions either on general
purpose computing apparatus (e.g., CPU) or specialized processing
apparatus (e.g., DSP). It will also be understood that the terms
and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as
is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the
technical field as set forth above except where different specific
meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In order to address the above-mentioned need, a method and
apparatus is provided for easily creating virtual graffiti that
will be left for a particular device to view. During operation a
device will be placed near a first point that is used to define a
boundary for the virtual graffiti. The device will locate the first
point, and use the point to define the boundary. The device will
receive an image that is to be used as virtual graffiti, and will
fit the image within the boundary of the virtual graffiti. For
example, the device may be consecutively placed near four points
that will define a polygon to be used as the boundary for the
virtual graffiti. An image will then be received, and the image
will be fit within the polygon.
[0018] The above-described method for creating virtual graffiti can
be used to easily create virtual graffiti of various sizes and
shapes. For example, a user may wish to place a virtual bull's eye
around a large area so that it can be easily seen from passing
airplanes. With the above technique, the user can simply walk to
the edges of the desired boundary and instruct the device to use
the locations as a boundary of the virtual graffiti.
[0019] In an augmented reality system, computer generated images,
or "virtual images" may be embedded in or merged with the user's
view of the real-world environment to enhance the user's
interactions with, or perception of the environment. In the present
invention, the user's augmented reality system merges any virtual
graffiti messages with the user's view of the real world.
[0020] As an example, a first user may wish to leave a message for
a second user to try a particular menu item at a restaurant. The
message may be virtually written on the door of the restaurant, and
left for the second user to view. When the second user visits the
restaurant, he will receive an indication that virtual graffiti is
available for him to view. The message will then appear to the
second user on the door of the restaurant when viewed with the
second user's augmented reality system. In a similar manner, the
user may wish to leave a message for himself.
[0021] The present invention encompasses a method for a device to
create virtual graffiti, the method comprises the steps of being
placing near a first point, determining a location of the first
point, using the location of the first point to define a boundary
for the virtual graffiti, receiving an image to be used as the
virtual graffiti, and providing the image and information on the
boundary to a server. The server then provides the virtual graffiti
to a user when that user is near a location of the virtual
graffiti.
[0022] The present invention additionally encompasses a method for
a device to create virtual graffiti. The method comprises the steps
of being placing near a first point, determining a location of the
first point, being placed near a second point, and determining a
location of the second point. A boundary for the virtual graffiti
is determined by using at least the location of the first point and
the location of the second point as vertices for the boundary for
the virtual graffiti. An image is then received to be used as
virtual graffiti and the virtual graffiti is created by fitting the
image within the boundary of the virtual graffiti.
[0023] The present invention additionally encompasses an apparatus
comprising location circuitry, logic circuitry accessing the
location circuitry to determine a location of a point used to
define a boundary for virtual graffiti, the logic circuitry then
receiving an image to be used as virtual graffiti, and a
transmitter providing the image and information on the boundary to
a server, wherein the server provides the virtual graffiti to a
user when that user is near a location of the virtual graffiti.
[0024] The present invention additionally encompasses an apparatus
comprising location circuitry being placing near a first point and
a second point and determining a location of the first point and a
location of the second point. The apparatus additionally comprising
logic circuitry receiving an image to be used as virtual graffiti
and determining a boundary for the virtual graffiti by using at
least the location of the first point and the location of the
second point as vertices for the boundary for the virtual graffiti,
the logic circuitry creating the virtual graffiti by fitting the
image within the boundary for the virtual graffiti.
[0025] Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate
like components, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of context-aware
messaging system 100. System 100 comprises virtual graffiti server
101, network 103, and user devices 105-109. In one embodiment of
the present invention, network 103 comprises a next-generation
cellular network, capable of high data rates. Such systems include
the enhanced Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) or
the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN)
(also known as EUTRA and EUTRAN) within 3GPP, along with evolutions
of communication systems within other technical specification
generating organizations (such as `Phase 2` within 3GPP2, and
evolutions of IEEE 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, and 802.22). User
devices 105-109 comprise devices capable of real-world imaging and
providing the user with the real-world image augmented with virtual
graffiti.
[0026] During operation, a user (e.g., a user operating user device
105) determines that he wishes to send another user virtual
graffiti as part of an augmented reality scene. User device 105 is
then utilized to create the virtual graffiti and associate the
virtual graffiti with a location. The user also provides device 105
with a list of user(s) (e.g., user 107) that will be allowed to
view the virtual graffiti. Device 105 then utilizes network 103 to
provide this information to virtual graffiti server 101.
[0027] Server 101 periodically monitors the locations of all
devices 105-109 along with their identities, and when a particular
device is near a location where it is to be provided with virtual
graffiti, server 101 utilizes network 103 to provide this
information to the device. When a particular device is near a
location where virtual graffiti is available for viewing, the
device will notify the user, for example, by beeping. The user can
then use the device to view the virtual graffiti as part of an
augmented reality scene. Particularly, the virtual graffiti will be
embedded in or merged with the user's view of the real-world. It
should be noted that in alternate embodiments, no notification is
sent to the user. It would then be up to the user to find any
virtual graffiti in his environment.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an augmented reality scene. In this
example, a user has created virtual graffiti 203 that states, "Joe,
try the porter" and has attached this virtual graffiti to the
location of the door. As is shown in FIG. 2, the real-world door
201 does not have the virtual graffiti existing upon it. However,
if a user has privileges to view the virtual graffiti, then their
augmented reality viewing system will show door 201 having virtual
graffiti 203 upon it. Thus, as is obvious, the virtual graffiti is
not available to all users of system 100. The virtual graffiti is
only available to those designated able to view it (preferably by
the individual who created the virtual graffiti). Thus, each device
105-109 will provide a unique augmented reality scene to their
user. For example, a first user may view a first augmented reality
scene, while a second user may view a totally different augmented
reality scene. This is illustrated in FIG. 2 with virtual graffiti
205 being different than virtual graffiti 203. Thus, a first user,
looking at door 201 may view virtual graffiti 203, while a second
user, looking at the same door 201 may view virtual graffiti
205.
[0029] Although the above example was given with virtual graffiti
203 displayed on a particular object (i.e., door 201), in alternate
embodiments of the present invention, virtual graffiti may be
displayed not attached to any object. For example, virtual graffiti
may be displayed as floating in the air, or simply in front of a
person's field of view. As is evident, for any particular device
105-109 to be able to display virtual graffiti attached to a
particular object, a device must be capable of identifying the
object's location, and then displaying the virtual graffiti at the
object's location.
[0030] Given a virtual scene containing virtual graffiti (at the
specified virtual coordinates) and a viewpoint, a 3-dimensional
rendering system such as the Java Mobile 3D Graphics, or M3G, API
can produce a view of the virtual scene unique to the user. This
virtual scene must be overlaid onto a view of the real world to
produce an augmented reality scene. One method to overlay the
virtual scene onto a view of the real world from the mobile
device's camera is to make use of the M3G background object which
allows any image to be placed behind the virtual scene as its
background. Using the M3G background, continuously updated frames
from the camera can be placed behind the virtual scene, thus making
the scene appear to be overlaid on the camera output.
[0031] Given the above information, when a user views virtual
graffiti, the device's location is determined and sent to the
server. The server determines what messages, if any, are in
proximity to and available for the user. These messages are then
downloaded by the user and processed. The processing involves
transforming the physical locations of the virtual messages into
virtual coordinates. The messages are then placed at those virtual
coordinates. At the same time, the device's position and its
orientation are used to define a viewpoint into the virtual world
also in virtual coordinates. If the downloaded virtual message is
visible from the given viewpoint, it is rendered on a mobile
device's display on top of live video of the scene from the
device's camera.
[0032] Thus, if the user wants to place a virtual message on the
top of an object, the user must identify the location of the point
on top of the object where the message will be left. In the
simplest case, the user can place his device on the object and
capture the location. He then sends this location with the virtual
object and its associated content (i.e., a beer stein with the text
message "try the porter" applied to the southward-facing side of
the stein) to the server. The user further specifies that the
message be available for a particular user. When the particular
user arrives at the bar and is within range of the message, he will
see the message from his location (and, therefore, his viewpoint).
If he is looking toward the eastward-facing side of the message, he
will see the stein, but will just be able to tell that there is
some text message on the southern side. If a user wishes to read
the text message, he will have to move his device (and thus his
viewpoint) so that it is facing the southern side of the stein.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server of FIG. 1. As is
evident, server 101 comprises a global object manager 301, database
303, and personal object manager 305. During operation, global
object manager 301 will receive virtual graffiti from any device
105-109 wishing to store virtual graffiti on server 101. This
information is preferably received wirelessly through receiver 307.
Global object manager 301 is responsible for storing all virtual
graffiti existing within system 100. Along with the virtual
graffiti, global object manager 301 will also receive a location
for the virtual graffiti along with a list of devices that are
allowed to display the virtual graffiti. Again, this information is
preferably received wirelessly through receiver 307. If the virtual
graffiti is to be attached to a particular item, then the
information needed for attaching the virtual graffiti to the object
will be received as well. This information preferably comprises a
location of a boundary for the virtual graffiti and the image that
is to be displayed within the boundary. All of the above
information is stored in database 303.
[0034] Although only one personal object manager 305 is shown in
FIG. 3, it is envisioned that each subscriber will have its own
personal object manager 305. Personal object manager 305 is
intended to serve as an intermediary between its corresponding
subscriber and global object manager 301. Personal object manager
305 will periodically receive a location for its corresponding
subscriber's device. Once personal object manager 305 has
determined the location of the device, personal object manager 305
will access global object manager 301 to determine if any virtual
graffiti exists for the particular device at, or near the device's
location. Personal object manager 305 filters all available virtual
graffiti in order to determine only the virtual graffiti relevant
to the particular device and the device's location. Personal object
manager 305 then provides the device with the relevant information
needed to display the virtual graffiti based on the location of the
device, wherein the relevant virtual graffiti changes based on the
identity and location of the device. This information preferably
comprises a location of a boundary for the virtual graffiti and the
image that is to be displayed within the boundary. This information
will be provided to the device by instructing transmitter 309 to
transmit the information wirelessly to the device.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a user device of FIG. 1. As
shown, the user device comprises augmented reality system 415,
location circuitry 409, database 407, logic circuitry 405,
transmitter 411, receiver 413, and user interface 417. During
operation, a user of the device creates virtual graffiti via user
interface 417. In one embodiment of the present invention, user
interface 417 comprises an electronic tablet capable of receiving
and creating handwritten messages and/or pictures. In another
embodiment, pre-defined images are stored within database 407 and
can be used in the creation of virtual graffiti. The process for
creating virtual graffiti will be described in detail below.
[0036] Once logic circuitry 405 receives the virtual graffiti from
user interface 417, logic circuitry 405 accesses location circuitry
409 and determines a location where the virtual graffiti was
created. Logic circuitry 405 also receives a list of users with
privileges to view the virtual graffiti. This list is also provided
to logic circuitry 405 through user interface 417.
[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention the virtual
graffiti is also associated with a physical object. When this is
the case, logic circuitry 405 will also receive information
required to attach the virtual graffiti to an object. In another
embodiment logic circuitry 405 receives a location of a boundary
for the virtual graffiti and the image that is to be displayed
within the boundary. Finally, the virtual graffiti is provided to
virtual graffiti server 101 by logic circuitry 405 instructing
transmitter 411 to transmit the virtual graffiti, the location, the
list of users able to view the virtual graffiti, and if relevant,
the information needed to attach the virtual graffiti to an
object.
[0038] As discussed above, server 101 periodically monitors the
locations of all devices 105-109 along with their identities, and
when a particular device is near a location where it is to be
provided with virtual graffiti, server 101 utilizes network 103 to
provide this information to the device.
[0039] When a particular device is near a location where virtual
graffiti is available for viewing, the device will notify the user,
for example, by instructing user interface 417 to beep. The user
can then use the device to view the virtual graffiti as part of an
augmented reality scene. Thus, when the device of FIG. 4 is near a
location where virtual graffiti is available for it, receiver 413
will receive the virtual graffiti and the location of the virtual
graffiti from server 101. If relevant, receiver 413 will also
receive information needed to attach the virtual graffiti to a
physical object. This information will be passed to logic circuitry
405 and stored in database 407.
[0040] Logic circuitry 405 periodically accesses location circuitry
409 to get updates to its location and provides these updates to
server 101. When logic circuitry 405 determines that the virtual
graffiti should be displayed, it will notify the user of the fact.
The user can then use augmented reality system 415 to display the
virtual graffiti. More particularly, imager 403 will image the
current background and provide this to display 401. Display 401
will also receive the virtual graffiti from database 407 and
provide an image of the current background with the virtual
graffiti appropriately displayed. Thus, the virtual graffiti will
be embedded in or merged with the user's view of the
real-world.
[0041] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing operation of the server of
FIG. 1. The logic flow begins at step 501 where global object
manager 301 receives from a first device, information representing
virtual graffiti, a location of the virtual graffiti, and a list of
users able to view the virtual graffiti. This information is then
stored in database 303 (step 503). As discussed above, personal
object manager 305 will periodically receive locations for devices
(step 505) and determine if the location of a device is near any
stored virtual graffiti (step 507). If, at step 507, personal
object manager 305 determines that its corresponding device is near
any virtual graffiti that it is able to view, then the logic flow
continues to step 509 where the virtual graffiti and the necessary
information for viewing the virtual graffiti is wirelessly
transmitted to the device. However, if at step 507, it is
determined that the device is not near any virtual graffiti, then
the logic flow returns to step 501. As discussed above, the virtual
graffiti is restricted as to what device can display the virtual
graffiti.
[0042] As discussed above, a need exists for a method and apparatus
for easily creating the virtual graffiti that will be left for a
particular device to view. With this in mind, during the creation
of virtual graffiti, device 105 will be placed near a first point
that is used to define a boundary for the virtual graffiti. The
device will locate the first point, and use the point to define the
boundary. The device will receive an image that is to be used as
virtual graffiti, and will fit the image within the boundary of the
virtual graffiti. For example, the device may be consecutively
placed near multiple points that will define a polygon to be used
as the boundary for the virtual graffiti. An image will then be
received, and the image will be fit within the polygon. This
process is illustrated in FIG. 6 through FIG. 8. In another
example, the device may be placed near a single point that defines
a center of a circle of a particular radius. The image will then be
received and the image will be fit within the circle.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 6, device 105 is placed near vertex 601 of
a geometrical shape. Device 105 is instructed by the user (via user
interface 417) to use the particular location of device 105 as
vertex 601. Logic circuitry 405 receives the instruction to capture
vertex 601 and accesses location circuitry 409 to determine the
location of the vertex. This process repeats until a boundary 701
is created from vertices 601.
[0044] Logic circuitry 405 additionally receives image 702 that
will be used to create the virtual graffiti. Image 702 may be a
hand-drawn image received from user interface 417, or alternatively
may comprise a stored image from memory 407. Finally, as shown in
FIG. 8, logic circuitry creates the virtual graffiti by
appropriately fitting image 702 within boundary 701.
[0045] In an alternate embodiment, server 101 may create the
virtual graffiti instead of device 105. In this scenario, boundary
701 and image 702 will be provided to server 101. Server 101 will
create virtual graffiti 801, or may simply provide image 702 and
boundary 701 to devices that are capable of viewing virtual
graffiti 801. These devices will then create virtual graffiti 801
for viewing.
[0046] It should be noted that the above example was given with
regards to device 105 creating vertices for defining a boundary for
virtual graffiti. However, such a technique for creating virtual
graffiti may not need device 105 to be placed over a vertex in
order to identify boundary 701. For example, a predefined polygonal
boundary of arbitrary size can be centered on the device's current
location and oriented horizontally (parallel to the ground) or
vertically (perpendicular to the group) as well as rotated by a
specified amount (e.g., 10 degrees from due north). Another
possibility is to define a subset of vertices by direct capture of
coordinates from the device and to then enter a relative offset for
the remaining coordinates. For example, the user could select a
rectangular region of a wall of a building by capturing the lower
two vertices of the rectangle with the device and then specifying
an offset of 100 feet in the vertical direction above each
coordinate.
[0047] FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing operation of the user device
of FIG. 1. In particular, the logic flow of FIG. 9 shows the steps
necessary to create virtual graffiti and store the virtual graffiti
on server 101 for others to view. The logic flow begins at step 901
where device 105 device is placed near a first point and a location
of the first point is determined by logic circuitry 405 accessing
location circuitry 409 (step 903). (It should be noted that steps
901 and 903 may repeat until a sufficient amount of locations are
determined for points (i.e., at least a second point) defining the
boundary for the virtual graffiti). At step 905 logic circuitry 409
uses at least the location of the first point (and possibly the
location of other points) to determine the boundary of the virtual
graffiti. As discussed above, the points may define vertices of the
boundary, or alternatively, a single point may define an edge for a
predetermined shape.
[0048] Continuing, at step 907 an image to be used in the creation
of virtual graffiti is received by logic circuitry 409. As
discussed above, the image may be received from database 407, or
may be received from user input (interface) 417. The logic flow
then continues to optional step 909. (Step 909 is executed whenever
the virtual graffiti is to be created within device 105). At
optional step 909 logic circuitry 409 creates the virtual graffiti
by fitting the image within the boundary of the virtual
graffiti.
[0049] Continuing, at step 911 logic circuitry 405 accesses
location circuitry 409 to determine a location of the virtual
graffiti and then receives a list of devices that may view the
virtual graffiti (step 913). From this point in the logic flow, one
of two paths may be taken. When the virtual graffiti is created by
device 105, the logic flow continues to step 915 where the virtual
graffiti, its location, and the list are provided to server 101,
where the server provides the virtual graffiti to a user on the
list when that user is near the location. This is accomplished by
logic circuitry 405 utilizing transmitter 411 to wirelessly
transmit the information.
[0050] When server 101 is creating the virtual graffiti, the logic
flow continues to step 917 where the image, the information on the
boundary, the location of the virtual graffiti, and the list are
provided to a server 101, where the server creates the virtual
graffiti and provides the virtual graffiti to a user when that user
is near a location of the virtual graffiti.
[0051] It should be noted that while the above description was
given with regards to using a two-dimensional image in creating
virtual graffiti, in alternate embodiments, a 3 dimensional virtual
object may be utilized in the creation of the virtual graffiti.
[0052] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing operation of the user device
of FIG. 1. In particular, the logic flow of FIG. 10 shows those
steps necessary to display virtual graffiti. The logic flow begins
at step 1001 where logic circuitry 405 periodically accesses
location circuitry 409 and provides a location to transmitter 411
to be transmitted to server 101. At step 1003, receiver 413
receives information necessary to view the virtual graffiti. As
discussed above, this information may simply contain a gross
location of the virtual graffiti along with a representation of the
virtual graffiti. In other embodiments, this information may
contain the location of a border for the virtual graffiti along
with the image to be displayed within the border. In yet another
embodiment, the information may contain the necessary information
to attach the virtual graffiti to an object. Such information may
include a digital representation of the physical object, or a
precise location of the virtual graffiti. At step 1005, logic
circuitry 405 accesses augmented reality system 415 and provides
system 415 with the information necessary to display the virtual
graffiti. For the 3D case, this would include the device's
orientation to specify a viewpoint. Finally, at step 1007, display
401 displays the virtual graffiti as part of an augmented reality
scene.
[0053] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention. For example, it is envisioned that a
user who receives virtual graffiti may be able to modify the
virtual graffiti and then store the modified virtual graffiti on
server 101. Multiple users may store multiple versions of the
modified virtual graffiti on server 101. Users are allowed to
modify any version of the virtual graffiti, no matter whether it is
the original version, any intermediate versions, or the latest
version. Therefore, a hierarchical relationship among all versions
of the virtual graffiti can be established, which can be
represented as a tree, with each node representing one version of
the virtual graffiti and all its children representing the versions
that are directly extended from the current version. Each version
of the virtual graffiti is given a unique version number, may
contain different attributes (such as locations), and may be
available to different lists of users. Users can view multiple
versions of the virtual graffiti at the same time and have the
freedom to choose any versions for further modification. Once the
modification is performed by the user, a new version of the virtual
graffiti is created and sent to the server along with its location
and a list of users having the privilege to view the virtual
graffiti. The new version is then stored on the server and is
available to other users of the system.
[0054] With the above in mind, a first user can create virtual
graffiti to be stored on server 101. Server 101 may, at a later
time receive the virtual graffiti from a second device along with a
location of the modified virtual graffiti, wherein the modified
virtual graffiti is an updated version of the virtual graffiti.
Similarly, a first user may receive virtual graffiti as described
above and then modify the virtual graffiti, sending the modified
virtual graffiti back to server 101.
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