U.S. patent application number 15/804550 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-26 for three-dimensional interaction system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Snap Inc.. Invention is credited to Ebony James Charlton, Pedram Javidpour, Andrew James McPhee, Trevor Stephenson.
Application Number | 20180210628 15/804550 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62906420 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180210628 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McPhee; Andrew James ; et
al. |
July 26, 2018 |
THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTERACTION SYSTEM
Abstract
Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure
improve the functionality of computer imaging software and systems
by facilitating the manipulation of virtual content displayed in
conjunction with images of real-world objects and environments.
Embodiments of the present disclosure allow virtual objects to be
moved relative to a real-world environment and manipulated in other
ways.
Inventors: |
McPhee; Andrew James;
(Culver City, CA) ; Stephenson; Trevor;
(Camarillo, CA) ; Javidpour; Pedram; (Los Angeles,
CA) ; Charlton; Ebony James; (Santa Monica,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Snap Inc. |
Venice |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62906420 |
Appl. No.: |
15/804550 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62449451 |
Jan 23, 2017 |
|
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|
62473933 |
Mar 20, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06T 19/006 20130101;
G06F 3/04815 20130101; G06T 2219/2021 20130101; G06F 3/04883
20130101; G06F 3/04845 20130101; G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 3/0346
20130101; G06F 3/011 20130101; G06T 19/20 20130101; G06F 3/017
20130101; G06T 2219/2024 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0481 20060101
G06F003/0481; G06F 3/0488 20060101 G06F003/0488; G06T 19/00
20060101 G06T019/00; G06T 19/20 20060101 G06T019/20 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: a processor; a camera coupled to the
processor; a user interface coupled to the processor, the user
interface comprising a touch screen; and memory coupled to the
processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the
processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
displaying a two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional
real-world scene captured via the camera on the touch screen;
mapping a virtual object to the three-dimensional real-world scene;
displaying the virtual object within the image; receiving, via the
touch screen, an input from the user; and modifying a visual
characteristic of the virtual object within the image in response
to the input from the user.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes an
inertial measurement sensor and wherein the input from the user
further includes a movement of the system by the user measured by
the inertial measurement sensor.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the movement of the system by the
user includes one or more of: rotation about an axis, and
repositioning the system from a first physical location to a second
physical location.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein displaying the virtual object
within the image includes displaying the virtual object in a fixed
position relative to the real-world scene as the user moves the
system.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein displaying the virtual object
within the image includes modifying a displayed perspective of the
virtual object as the user moves the system.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein mapping the virtual object to the
three-dimensional real-world scene includes generating a matrix
containing image data from the camera and movement data from the
inertial measurement sensor.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the input from the user includes
the user pressing a finger of the user on the touchscreen to select
the virtual object.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein modifying the visual
characteristic of the virtual object includes determining a touch
position of the user's finger on the touchscreen, and determining
an intersection between the touch position and the virtual
object.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the intersection
between the touch position and the virtual object includes
raycasting the touch position to a bounding box surrounding the
virtual object.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the input from the user further
includes the user sliding a finger of the user across the
touchscreen, and wherein modifying the visual characteristic of the
virtual object includes moving the virtual object from a first
position to a second position in response to the sliding of the
user's finger across the touchscreen.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein moving the virtual object from
the first position to the second position includes: identifying a
spatial limit in the three-dimensional real-world scene; and
restricting movement of the virtual object based on the spatial
limit.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein moving the virtual object from
the first position to the second position includes determining a
frustum-relative orientation for the virtual object and maintaining
the frustum-relative orientation for the object between the first
position and the second position.
13. The system of claim 1, further comprising modifying a second
visual characteristic of the virtual object in response to the
input from the user.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein modifying the second visual
characteristic includes modifying a scale of at least a portion of
the virtual object.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein modifying the second visual
characteristic includes rotating the virtual object.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein modifying the second visual
characteristic includes modifying a shape of at least a portion of
the virtual object.
17. The system of claim 13, wherein modifying the second visual
characteristic includes modifying one or more of: a color, a
shading, and a texture.
18. The system of claim 13, wherein modifying the second visual
characteristic includes displaying one or more of: text, video, and
an image.
19. A computer-implemented method comprising: displaying, by a
computer system on a touch screen coupled to the computer system, a
two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional real-world scene
captured via a camera coupled to the computer system; mapping, by
the computer system, a virtual object to the three-dimensional
real-world scene; displaying, by the computer system, the virtual
object within the image; receiving, by the computer system via the
touch screen, an input from the user; and modifying, by the
computer system, a visual characteristic of the virtual object
within the image in response to the input from the user.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions
that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system
to perform operations comprising: displaying, on a touch screen
coupled to the computer system, a two-dimensional image of a
three-dimensional real-world scene captured via a camera coupled to
the computer system; mapping a virtual object to the
three-dimensional real-world scene; displaying the virtual object
within the image; receiving, via the touch screen, an input from
the user; and modifying a visual characteristic of the virtual
object within the image in response to the input from the user.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/449,451, filed on Jan.
23, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
62/473,933, filed on Mar. 20, 2017, which are hereby incorporated
by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Augmented reality (AR) refers to supplementing the view of
real-world objects and environments with computer-generated
graphics content. Embodiments of the present disclosure address,
among other things, the manipulation of virtual 3D objects in an AR
environment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale,
like numerals may describe similar components in different views.
Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent
different instances of similar components. Some embodiments are
illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures
of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0004] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging
system for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content)
over a network.
[0005] FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details
regarding a messaging system, according to exemplary
embodiments.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be
stored in the database of the messaging server system, according to
various exemplary embodiments.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process according
to various aspects of the disclosure.
[0008] FIGS. 5A-5W are screenshots and diagrams illustrating
various aspects of the systems and methods of the present
disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a representative
software architecture, which may be used in conjunction with
various hardware architectures herein described.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
machine, according to some exemplary embodiments, able to read
instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a
machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The description that follows includes systems, methods,
techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program
products that embody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In
the following description, for the purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an
understanding of various embodiments of the inventive subject
matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art,
that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be practiced
without these specific details. In general, well-known instruction
instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are not
necessarily shown in detail.
[0012] Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure
improve the functionality of computer imaging software and systems
by facilitating the manipulation of virtual content displayed in
conjunction with images of real-world objects and environments.
Embodiments of the present disclosure allow virtual objects to be
moved relative to a real-world environment and manipulated in other
ways.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a messaging
system 100 for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated
content) over a network. The messaging system 100 includes multiple
client devices 102, each of which hosts a number of applications
including a messaging client application 104. Each messaging client
application 104 is communicatively coupled to other instances of
the messaging client application 104 and a messaging server system
108 via a network 106 (e.g., the Internet). As used herein, the
term "client device" may refer to any machine that interfaces to a
communications network (such as network 106) to obtain resources
from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client
device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop
computer, laptop, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones,
tablets, ultra books, netbooks, laptops, multi-processor systems,
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game
consoles, set-top boxes, or any other communication device that a
user may use to access a network.
[0014] In the example shown in FIG. 1, each messaging client
application 104 is able to communicate and exchange data with
another messaging client application 104 and with the messaging
server system 108 via the network 106. The data exchanged between
messaging client applications 104, and between a messaging client
application 104 and the messaging server system 108, includes
functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) as well as payload
data (e.g., text, audio, video or other multimedia data).
[0015] The network 106 may include, or operate in conjunction with,
an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private
network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a
wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area
network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion
of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old
telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a
wireless network, a Wi-Fi.RTM. network, another type of network, or
a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network
or a portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular
network and the coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)
connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this
example, the coupling may implement any of a variety of types of
data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission
Technology (1.times.RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO)
technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology,
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth
generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA),
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term
Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard
setting organizations, other long range protocols, or other data
transfer technology.
[0016] The messaging server system 108 provides server-side
functionality via the network 106 to a particular messaging client
application 104. While certain functions of the messaging system
100 are described herein as being performed by either a messaging
client application 104 or by the messaging server system 108, it
will be appreciated that the location of certain functionality
either within the messaging client application 104 or the messaging
server system 108 is a design choice. For example, it may be
technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology and
functionality within the messaging server system 108, but to later
migrate this technology and functionality to the messaging client
application 104 where a client device 102 has a sufficient
processing capacity.
[0017] The messaging server system 108 supports various services
and operations that are provided to the messaging client
application 104. Such operations include transmitting data to,
receiving data from, and processing data generated by the messaging
client application 104. This data may include, message content,
client device information, geolocation information, media
annotation and overlays, message content persistence conditions,
social network information, and live event information, as
examples. Data exchanges within the messaging system 100 are
invoked and controlled through functions available via user
interfaces (UIs) of the messaging client application 104.
[0018] Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108,
an Application Program Interface (API) server 110 is coupled to,
and provides a programmatic interface to, an application server
112. The application server 112 is communicatively coupled to a
database server 118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in
which is stored data associated with messages processed by the
application server 112.
[0019] Dealing specifically with the Application Program Interface
(API) server 110, this server receives and transmits message data
(e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device 102
and the application server 112. Specifically, the Application
Program Interface (API) server 110 provides a set of interfaces
(e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queried by the
messaging client application 104 in order to invoke functionality
of the application server 112. The Application Program Interface
(API) server 110 exposes various functions supported by the
application server 112, including account registration, login
functionality, the sending of messages, via the application server
112, from a particular messaging client application 104 to another
messaging client application 104, the sending of electronic media
files (e.g., electronic images or video) from a messaging client
application 104 to the messaging server application 114, and for
possible access by another messaging client application 104, the
setting of a collection of media data (e.g., story), the retrieval
of a list of friends of a user of a client device 102, the
retrieval of such collections, the retrieval of messages and
content, the adding and deletion of friends to a social graph, the
location of friends within a social graph, opening and application
event (e.g., relating to the messaging client application 104).
[0020] The application server 112 hosts a number of applications
and subsystems, including a messaging server application 114, an
image processing system 116 and a social network system 122. The
messaging server application 114 implements a number of message
processing technologies and functions, particularly related to the
aggregation and other processing of content (e.g., textual and
multimedia content including images and video clips) included in
messages received from multiple instances of the messaging client
application 104. As will be described in further detail, the text
and media content from multiple sources may be aggregated into
collections of content (e.g., called stories or galleries). These
collections are then made available, by the messaging server
application 114, to the messaging client application 104. Other
processor and memory intensive processing of data may also be
performed server-side by the messaging server application 114, in
view of the hardware requirements for such processing.
[0021] The application server 112 also includes an image processing
system 116 that is dedicated to performing various image processing
operations, typically with respect to electronic images or video
received within the payload of a message at the messaging server
application 114.
[0022] The social network system 122 supports various social
networking functions services, and makes these functions and
services available to the messaging server application 114. To this
end, the social network system 122 maintains and accesses an entity
graph 304 within the database 120. Examples of functions and
services supported by the social network system 122 include the
identification of other users of the messaging system 100 with
which a particular user has relationships or is "following", and
also the identification of other entities and interests of a
particular user.
[0023] The application server 112 is communicatively coupled to a
database server 118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in
which is stored data associated with messages processed by the
messaging server application 114.
[0024] Some embodiments may include one or more wearable devices,
such as a pendant with an integrated camera that is integrated
with, in communication with, or coupled to, a client device 102.
Any desired wearable device may be used in conjunction with the
embodiments of the present disclosure, such as a watch, eyeglasses,
goggles, a headset, a wristband, earbuds, clothing (such as a hat
or jacket with integrated electronics), a clip-on electronic
device, or any other wearable devices.
[0025] FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details
regarding the messaging system 100, according to exemplary
embodiments. Specifically, the messaging system 100 is shown to
comprise the messaging client application 104 and the application
server 112, which in turn embody a number of some subsystems,
namely an ephemeral timer system 202, a collection management
system 204 and an annotation system 206.
[0026] The ephemeral timer system 202 is responsible for enforcing
the temporary access to content permitted by the messaging client
application 104 and the messaging server application 114. To this
end, the ephemeral timer system 202 incorporates a number of timers
that, based on duration and display parameters associated with a
message, or collection of messages (e.g., a SNAPCHAT.RTM. story),
selectively display and enable access to messages and associated
content via the messaging client application 104.
[0027] The collection management system 204 is responsible for
managing collections of media (e.g., collections of text, image,
video and audio data). In some examples, a collection of content
(e.g., messages, including images, video, text, and audio) may be
organized into an "event gallery" or an "event story." Such a
collection may be made available for a specified time period, such
as the duration of an event to which the content relates. For
example, content relating to a music concert may be made available
as a "story" for the duration of that music concert. The collection
management system 204 may also be responsible for publishing an
icon that provides notification of the existence of a particular
collection to the user interface of the messaging client
application 104.
[0028] The collection management system 204 furthermore includes a
curation interface 208 that allows a collection manager to manage
and curate a particular collection of content. For example, the
curation interface 208 enables an event organizer to curate a
collection of content relating to a specific event (e.g., delete
inappropriate content or redundant messages). Additionally, the
collection management system 204 employs machine vision (or image
recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate a
content collection. In certain embodiments, compensation may be
paid to a user for inclusion of user generated content into a
collection. In such cases, the curation interface 208 operates to
automatically make payments to such users for the use of their
content.
[0029] The annotation system 206 provides various functions that
enable a user to annotate or otherwise modify or edit media content
associated with a message. For example, the annotation system 206
provides functions related to the generation and publishing of
media overlays for messages processed by the messaging system 100.
The annotation system 206 operatively supplies a media overlay
(e.g., a SNAPCHAT.RTM. filter) to the messaging client application
104 based on a geolocation of the client device 102. In another
example, the annotation system 206 operatively supplies a media
overlay to the messaging client application 104 based on other
information, such as, social network information of the user of the
client device 102. A media overlay may include audio and visual
content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content
include pictures, texts, logos, animations, and sound effects. An
example of a visual effect includes color overlaying. The audio and
visual content or the visual effects can be applied to a media
content item (e.g., an image or video) at the client device 102.
For example, the media overlay including text that can be overlaid
on top of a photograph/electronic image generated by the client
device 102. In another example, the media overlay includes an
identification of a location overlay (e.g., Venice beach), a name
of a live event, or a name of a merchant overlay (e.g., Beach
Coffee House). In another example, the annotation system 206 uses
the geolocation of the client device 102 to identify a media
overlay that includes the name of a merchant at the geolocation of
the client device 102. The media overlay may include other indicia
associated with the merchant. The media overlays may be stored in
the database 120 and accessed through the database server 118.
[0030] In some exemplary embodiments, as discussed in more detail
below, embodiments of the present disclosure may generate, display,
distribute, and apply media overlays to media content items. For
example, embodiments may utilize media content items generated by a
client device 102 (e.g., an image or video captured using a digital
camera coupled to the client device 102) to generate media overlays
that can be applied to other media content items.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram 300 illustrating data 300 that
is stored in the database 120 of the messaging server system 108,
according to certain exemplary embodiments. While the content of
the database 120 is shown to comprise a number of tables, the data
could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as an
object-oriented database).
[0032] The database 120 includes message data stored within a
message table 314. The entity table 302 stores entity data,
including an entity graph 304. Entities for which records are
maintained within the entity table 302 may include individuals,
corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events etc.
Regardless of type, any entity regarding which the messaging server
system 108 stores data may be a recognized entity. Each entity is
provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity type
identifier (not shown).
[0033] The entity graph 304 furthermore stores information
regarding relationships and associations between entities. Such
relationships may be social, professional (e.g., work at a common
corporation or organization) interested-based or activity-based,
merely for example.
[0034] The database 120 also stores annotation data, in the example
form of filters, in an annotation table 312. Filters for which data
is stored within the annotation table 312 are associated with and
applied to videos (for which data is stored in a video table 310)
or images (for which data is stored in an image table 308).
Filters, in one example, are overlays that are displayed as
overlaid on an image or video during presentation to a recipient
user. Filters may be of varies types, including a user-selected
filters from a gallery of filters presented to a sending user by
the messaging client application 104 when the sending user is
composing a message.
[0035] Other types of filters include geolocation filters (also
known as Geofilters) which may be presented to a sending user based
on geographic location. For example, geolocation filters specific
to a neighborhood or special location may be presented within a
user interface by the messaging client application 104, based on
geolocation information determined by a GPS unit of the client
device 102. Another type of filter is a data filter, which may be
selectively presented to a sending user by the messaging client
application 104, based on other inputs or information gathered by
the client device 102 during the message creation process. Example
of data filters include current temperature at a specific location,
a current speed at which a sending user is traveling, battery life
for a client device 102 or the current time. Other annotation data
that may be stored within the image table 308 is so-called "Lens"
data. A "Lens" may be a real-time special effect and sound that may
be added to an image or a video.
[0036] As mentioned above, the video table 310 stores video data
which, in one embodiment, is associated with messages for which
records are maintained within the message table 314. Similarly, the
image table 308 stores image data associated with messages for
which message data is stored in the entity table 302. The entity
table 302 may associate various annotations from the annotation
table 312 with various images and videos stored in the image table
308 and the video table 310.
[0037] A story table 306 stores data regarding collections of
messages and associated image, video or audio data, which are
compiled into a collection (e.g., a SNAPCHAT.RTM. story or a
gallery). The creation of a particular collection may be initiated
by a particular user (e.g., each user for which a record is
maintained in the entity table 302). A user may create a "personal
story" in the form of a collection of content that has been created
and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, the user interface of
the messaging client application 104 may include an icon that is
user selectable to enable a sending user to add specific content to
his or her personal story.
[0038] A collection may also constitute a "live story," which is a
collection of content from multiple users that is created manually,
automatically or using a combination of manual and automatic
techniques. For example, a "live story" may constitute a curated
stream of user-submitted content from varies locations and events.
Users, whose client devices have location services enabled and are
at a common location event at a particular time may, for example,
be presented with an option, via a user interface of the messaging
client application 104, to contribute content to a particular live
story. The live story may be identified to the user by the
messaging client application 104, based on his or her location. The
end result is a "live story" told from a community perspective.
[0039] A further type of content collection is known as a "location
story," which enables a user whose client device 102 is located
within a specific geographic location (e.g., on a college or
university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In
some embodiments, a contribution to a location story may require a
second degree of authentication to verify that the end user belongs
to a specific organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on
the university campus).
[0040] Embodiments of the present disclosure may generate and
present customized images for use within electronic
messages/communications such as short message service (SMS) or
multimedia message service (MMS) texts and emails. The customized
images may also be utilized in conjunction with the SNAPCHAT
stories, SNAPCHAT filters, and ephemeral messaging functionality
discussed herein.
[0041] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary process according to various
aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, method 400
includes displaying an image of a real-world scene (e.g., captured
via the camera of a mobile computing device) on the display of the
computing device (405), mapping and displaying a virtual object in
the real-world scene (410), receiving input from a user (415), and
modifying a characteristic of the virtual object (420). The steps
of method 400 may be performed in whole or in part, may be
performed in conjunction each other as well as with some or all of
the steps in other methods, and may be performed by any number of
different systems, such as the systems described in FIGS. 1 and
7.
[0042] In method 400, the system displays (405) a two-dimensional
(2D) image of a three-dimensional (3D) real-world scene on the
display screen of a computing device. In some embodiments, the
image may be a still image or previously-recorded video (e.g.,
previously captured by the camera of the computing device). In
other embodiments, the image may be part of a live video or stream
captured through the camera and displayed on the display screen. In
this context, an image of a "real-world scene" refers to an image
of tangible, physical objects, while a "virtual object" refers to a
computer-generated object. In FIGS. 5A-5C, for example, the image
captured via the camera of the user's mobile device displays
various physical objects of a real-world scene, such as the floor,
chairs, and other furniture, while FIGS. 5B and 5C further include
a virtual object 505 (a smiling rainbow) that is mapped to the
real-world scene and displayed in conjunction with the real-world
objects (as described in more detail below).
[0043] The system may map a virtual object to a three-dimensional
real-world scene and display (410) the virtual object within the
two-dimensional image displayed on the display screen of the
computing device. Any number and type of different virtual objects
may be mapped and displayed within the image, including text,
animations, avatars of users, and other objects. In the screenshots
shown in FIGS. 5B-5E, for instance, the image includes a virtual
object 505 comprising a 3D smiling rainbow mapped to the real-world
scenes captured by the camera of the mobile computing device. In
FIG. 5F, the virtual object 510 is a cat.
[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure allow a user to place
virtual objects in any selected position within the image, as well
as to interact with the objects. In FIG. 5A, for example, the user
selects a virtual object from a gallery of objects displayed at the
bottom of the screen, pressing selection 508 for a rainbow virtual
object and then tapping the screen with the user's thumb. In FIG.
5B, in response to the user's input, the system maps the virtual
object 505 to the real-world scene, identifying the floor of the
real-world scene as the position corresponding to the user's
selection, and thus mapping the virtual object 505 to the selected
position on the floor.
[0045] The system may receive input from a user (415) and modify a
characteristic of the virtual object in response to the input (420)
and/or in response to other conditions and events. Characteristics
of the virtual object that may be modified include, for example,
the position of the virtual object in the real-world scene. Virtual
objects and other content in an image can be manipulated in a
variety of different ways, including adding new virtual objects to
an image, removing virtual objects from an image, repositioning
virtual content, and modifying the virtual content (e.g., changing
its size, scale, direction/orientation/rotation, color, shape,
etc.). A variety of virtual content may be displayed, including
text, video, and images. Additionally, the system may modify
non-visual characteristics of the virtual object, such as an
internal state value of the virtual object. The visual
characteristics of different portions of the virtual object may be
modified differently from each other. In FIGS. 5H-5I, for example,
the shape of a virtual object may be transformed between a sphere
514 and a cube 516 in response to various inputs or events. As
shown in FIGs. 5I and 5J, the scale of a virtual object may be
varied independently of its position within the real-world scene.
Between FIG. 5I and FIG. 5J, the position of the virtual object
remains constant, though the scale of virtual object 518 is
increased from the scale of virtual object 516.
[0046] In FIGS. 5C-5E, the user selects the virtual object 505 by
pressing the user's thumb on the touchscreen on the virtual object
505 (FIG. 5C). The user may hold his/her thumb on the touchscreen
and drag the virtual object 505 to reposition it. For example, in
FIG. 5D the user is swiping the user's thumb to the left, and the
system moves the object with the user's swipe laterally to the
left. In FIG. 5E, the user is swiping the user's thumb up, and the
system repositions the virtual object 505 deeper within the
real-world scene as a result. In other examples, the user may
select the virtual object 505 by tapping on it, then moving the
virtual object by tapping on another location on the
touchscreen.
[0047] The system may identify the selection of a virtual object by
a user by determining an intersection between a selection position
on the user's display and the mapped position of the virtual object
in real-world space. FIG. 5U illustrates an example where a user
touches an area on the screen of the user's computing device where
the virtual object is located. In response, the system raycasts
(i.e., projects) the 2D touch position on the computing device
screen to the virtual object's position in the 3D real world scene
captured by the computing device's camera to determine whether they
intersect. In this specific example, the system computes the offset
from the object's origin on the display screen to the intersection
point on the axis-aligned bounding-box (aabb). Additionally, the
system computes the object orientation about the up-axis (y)
relative to the camera.
[0048] In some embodiments, movement of the virtual object from a
first position to a second position includes determining a
frustum-relative orientation for the virtual object and maintaining
the frustum-relative orientation for the virtual object between the
first position and the second position. FIG. 5V illustrates an
example of a frustum intersection with a ground plane producing a
trapezoidal two-dimensional plane having a left frustum plane and a
right frustum plane. In FIG. 5W, frustum surface radials are
defined as radial lines running along the trapezoid, where "L" and
"R" are the intersections between the left and right frustum planes
with the surface, respectively. The inner radials are
interpolated.
[0049] Movement of a user's computing device may be interpreted in
conjunction with selection of a virtual object to modify a
characteristic of the virtual object (such as the virtual object's
position in real-world space). FIG. 5K illustrates an example of a
user selecting a virtual object 524 on the screen of the user's
mobile computing device. In this example, the position of the
virtual object 524 is depicted at the position in real-world space
to which it is mapped. In FIG. 5L, the user selects the virtual
object on the screen and moves the user's computing device from a
first position 526 to a second position 528, causing the virtual
object to be re-mapped in three-dimensional real-world space from
position 530 to position 532. The user physically walking around
with the virtual object selected may also translate the virtual
object from one position to another. Similarly, in FIG. 5M, the
user slides his finger from a first position on the screen 534
downwards to a second position on the screen 536, adjusting the
depth of the virtual object in the image from a first position 538
at radius R1 to a second position 540 at radius R2. In some
embodiments, the system may identify a spatial limit in the
three-dimensional real-world scene, such as the ground or a
physical object (e.g., a table or wall) and restrict movement of
the virtual object based on the spatial limit. In a particular
example, the system may prevent a virtual object being moved below
the ground plane or through a wall or other physical object.
[0050] The system may operate in conjunction with any of a variety
of different user gestures and inputs. Additionally, while inputs
from the user are described herein with reference to a user
interacting with a touchscreen, embodiments of the present
disclosure may receive inputs in a variety of other input formats,
such as input received from a keyboard, mouse, voice instructions
via a microphone, etc.
[0051] FIG. 5N is a diagram of an exemplary software architecture
that may be used in conjunction with some embodiments for handling
input from a user. In this example, touch data and tracking data is
received by a touch processing handler. Manipulation logic units
are applied in layers (e.g., translation, scaling, rotating, etc.).
The manipulation layer outputs are accumulated and applied as
object transformations (e.g., Object 1 and Object 2). In this
example, each manipulation unit consumes a particular type of
touch/gesture as input and produces an augment as output. Units can
be combined to produce a unique control scheme. Examples of
manipulation units include units for scale, rotation, swiveling,
translation, height adjustment, and depth adjustment.
[0052] FIG. 5O is an example of a software process diagram that may
be employed by embodiments of the present disclosure. In this
example, touch data is interpreted by gesture recognizer in the
input thread, and sent to a gesture event queue. The manipulation
manager executes in the core thread, consuming the event buffer and
translating the gesture data into three-dimensional transformations
applied to real-world objects. In conjunction with the manipulation
units illustrated in FIG. 5N, the system may interpret a variety of
touchscreen gestures made by a user. For example, the system may
implement a two-dimensional screen coordinate system with left and
right movement along an "x" axis and up and down movement along a
"y" axis. The system may likewise implement a three-dimensional
coordinate system for the real-world scene, with, for example, the
ground plane defined in an "xz" plane (width and depth) and height
along a "y" axis. In this example, translation actions on a virtual
object may include identifying the "x" and "y" components of a
one-finger scroll gesture by the user and applying the gesture to a
translation of the object in the "xz" plane of the real-world
scene. In a particular example of virtual object translation,
referring again to FIGS. 5C-5E, the user presses a single finger
(the user's thumb) on the touch screen to select the virtual object
505 (FIG. 5C) and slides the user's thumb to the left to move the
virtual object 505 to the left (FIG. 5D) and up to adjust the
position of the virtual object 505 deeper in the image (FIG. 5E).
In alternate embodiments, the system may interpret a single-finger
movement on the touch screen to adjust the position of the virtual
object in only the x and y planes (leaving depth unchanged) while
interpreting a two-finger selection and movement of the virtual
object by the user to adjust the depth of the virtual object (e.g.,
deeper or shallower in the real-world scene). The system may
operate in conjunction with a variety of different inputs to
manipulate the position of the virtual object within the real-world
scene.
[0053] A virtual object may be mapped to a three-dimensional
real-world scene in a variety of ways. In one example, the system
generates a matrix containing image data from the camera of the
user's mobile computing device and movement data received from the
device's inertial measurement sensor. The movement of a computing
device (such as a smartphone) may be tracked by the system to add,
remove, and/or modify virtual content to the real-world scene. For
example, the system may implement a virtual paintbrush utility
whereby a user moves the user's mobile device in three-dimensional
space, leaving a trail of virtual lines on the screen and allowing
the user to generate a virtual painting displayed in conjunction
with a real-world scene. The system may track the movement of the
device in three-dimensions, (e.g., tracking forward and backward
movements of the computing device to add depth to the painting), to
give the virtual painting a three-dimensional appearance.
[0054] FIGS. 5P and 5Q illustrate one example of a matrix generated
in response to a user pressing on the touchscreen at a first
position (reflected in the matrix as "touchStartEvent") and sliding
the user's finger diagonally across the screen (reflected in the
matrix as the "touchMoveEvents") to a second position (reflected in
the matrix as the "touchEndEvent"). FIGS. 5S and 5T illustrate
another example where the user performs a two-fingered rotation
gesture on the screen to rotate a virtual object. In this example,
the user presses on the screen at a first position
("rotateStartEvent"), and rotates the user's fingers clockwise
("rotateUpdateEvents") to a second position ("rotateEndEvent").
[0055] In conjunction with repositioning the virtual object 505
deeper or shallower within a real-world scene, the system may
adjust the size of the virtual object to appropriately scale the
object. In FIG. 5E, for example, the size of the virtual object is
reduced as it is moved to the background of the scene, relative to
its larger size in the foreground of the scene in FIG. 5C.
Additionally, the system may display animations or other effects
during and/or after input by a user. In FIGS. 5D and SE, for
example, trails of animated stars are displayed as the virtual
object 505 is moved.
[0056] As noted above, the system may modify characteristics of
virtual objects (420) in response to various events, including
changes in the image, date, time, geolocation information, the
context of events occurring within the image, and others. In some
embodiments input to the system may be received from one or more
sensors, and the system may modify characteristics of the virtual
object in response. In one embodiment, a mobile computing device
implementing the functionality of method 400 includes an inertial
measurement sensor (such as an accelerometer) that detects movement
of mobile computing device. In FIG. 5F, for example, a virtual
object 510 (a cat) is displayed sitting on the floor of a
real-world scene captured by the camera of the user's smartphone.
In FIG. 5G, the user moves toward the virtual object's mapped
position in the real-world scene. As the mobile device (carried by
the user) gets closer to the virtual object 510, the system
increases the size of object 510, just as a physical object would
appear larger to a user as the user approached it. In response to
the mobile device approaching within a predetermined distance of
the virtual object's mapped position in the real-world scene, the
system triggers a reaction in the virtual object 510, namely the
cat waving it's paw to the user and displaying "O Hai" text above
the cat's head. The system may detect other types of events as
well, such as a collision or contact between a virtual object in an
image and a physical element (such as the user's hand or other body
part) and invoke behavior for the virtual object in response.
[0057] Embodiments of the present disclosure may measure a variety
of different types of movement of the system, such as a change in
elevation, rotation of the system about an axis,
movement/repositioning of the system from one position to another,
the speed of movement of the system, the change in speed of the
system (e.g., acceleration or deceleration), etc. Embodiments of
the present disclosure may also update the presentation of the
virtual object within the image as the system moves relative to the
virtual object's mapped position within the real-world. For
example, a virtual object may be mapped to a fixed position on the
ground in front of a user holding a mobile computing device, such
as the rainbow 505 depicted in FIG. 5B. The user may move in a
circle around the virtual object 505 (with the camera of the mobile
device fixed on the virtual object 505), and the system updates the
displayed perspective of the object to reflect the changing
position of the user's mobile device relative to the virtual
object. For example, the system displays the smiling face of the
rainbow 505 as the user stands in front of the rainbow, but
modifies the view of the rainbow to show its sides and rear as the
user moves around the object 505.
[0058] The display of virtual objects may be performed for a
limited, predetermined time period or based on event criteria. For
example, in the case of the examples shown in FIGS. 5F-5G, the cat
may be displayed within the image for a predetermined period of
time unless the user interacts with the cat in some manner (e.g.,
within an hour), otherwise the cat may be depicted as walking away
(e.g. leaving the image).
[0059] The system may display images containing virtual objects as
part of, or in conjunction with, a variety of media content items.
In this context, a "media content item" may include any type of
electronic media in any format. For example, a media content item
may include an image in JPG format, an image in PNG format, a video
in FLV format, a video in AVI format, etc. In some exemplary
embodiments, a media content item may include content that is
captured using an image capture device or component (such as a
digital camera) coupled to, or in communication with, a system
performing the functionality of method 400. In the exemplary system
700 depicted in FIG. 7 may include a digital camera as one of input
components 728. Additionally or alternatively, the media content
item may be received from another system or device. In FIG. 1, for
example, a client device 102 performing the functionality of method
400 may receive a media content item from another client device 102
or other system via network 106.
[0060] In some embodiments, the media content item generated or
used by the system may be included in a media overlay such as a
"sticker" (i.e., an image that can be overlaid onto other images),
filter (discussed above), or another media overlay. Such overlays
may include static (i.e., non-moving) features as well as dynamic
(i.e., moving) features. Generation of media content items by
embodiments of the present disclosure may include the generation of
one or more data structure fields containing information regarding
the content item. For example, the system may generate a name field
in a data structure for the media overlay that includes a name for
the media content item received from the content provider. Media
content items may be shared in real-time or near-real time with
other computing devices and systems.
[0061] Embodiments of the present disclosure may transmit and
receive electronic communications containing media content items,
media overlays, or other content any form of electronic
communication, such as SMS texts. MMS texts, emails, and other
communications. Media content items included in such communications
may be provided as attachments, displayed inline in the message,
within media overlays, or conveyed in any other suitable
manner.
Software Architecture
[0062] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary software
architecture 606, which may be used in conjunction with various
hardware architectures herein described. FIG. 6 is a non-limiting
example of a software architecture and it will be appreciated that
many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the
functionality described herein. The software architecture 606 may
execute on hardware such as machine 700 of FIG. 7 that includes,
among other things, processors 704, memory 714, and I/O components
718. A representative hardware layer 652 is illustrated and can
represent, for example, the machine 700 of FIG. 7. The
representative hardware layer 652 includes a processing unit 654
having associated executable instructions 604. Executable
instructions 604 represent the executable instructions of the
software architecture 606, including implementation of the methods,
components and so forth described herein. The hardware layer 652
also includes memory or storage modules memory/storage 656, which
also have executable instructions 604. The hardware layer 652 may
also comprise other hardware 658.
[0063] As used herein, the term "component" may refer to a device,
physical entity or logic having boundaries defined by function or
subroutine calls, branch points, application program interfaces
(APIs), or other technologies that provide for the partitioning or
modularization of particular processing or control functions.
Components may be combined via their interfaces with other
components to carry out a machine process. A component may be a
packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other
components and a part of a program that usually performs a
particular function of related functions.
[0064] Components may constitute either software components (e.g.,
code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components.
A "hardware component" is a tangible unit capable of performing
certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain
physical manner. In various exemplary embodiments, one or more
computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client
computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more
hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a
group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an
application or application portion) as a hardware component that
operates to perform certain operations as described herein. A
hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,
electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a
hardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is
permanently configured to perform certain operations.
[0065] A hardware component may be a special-purpose processor,
such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application
Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may also
include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily
configured by software to perform certain operations. For example,
a hardware component may include software executed by a
general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once
configured by such software, hardware components become specific
machines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored to
perform the configured functions and are no longer general-purpose
processors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a
hardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently
configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,
configured by software) may be driven by cost and time
considerations.
[0066] A processor may be, or in include, any circuit or virtual
circuit (a physical circuit emulated by logic executing on an
actual processor) that manipulates data values according to control
signals (e.g., "commands", "op codes". "machine code", etc.) and
which produces corresponding output signals that are applied to
operate a machine. A processor may, for example, be a Central
Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)
processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP),
an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a
Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) or any combination
thereof. A processor may further be a multi-core processor having
two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as
"cores") that may execute instructions contemporaneously.
[0067] Accordingly, the phrase "hardware component" (or
"hardware-implemented component") should be understood to encompass
a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically
constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or
temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain
manner or to perform certain operations described herein.
Considering embodiments in which hardware components are
temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware
components need not be configured or instantiated at any one
instance in time. For example, where a hardware component comprises
a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a
special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be
configured as respectively different special-purpose processors
(e.g., comprising different hardware components) at different
times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or
processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware
component at one instance of time and to constitute a different
hardware component at a different instance of time. Hardware
components can provide information to, and receive information
from, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described
hardware components may be regarded as being communicatively
coupled. Where multiple hardware components exist
contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal
transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or
among two or more of the hardware components. In embodiments in
which multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated
at different times, communications between such hardware components
may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of
information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware
components have access.
[0068] For example, one hardware component may perform an operation
and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which
it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware component may
then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and
process the stored output. Hardware components may also initiate
communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a
resource (e.g., a collection of information). The various
operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at
least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily
configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform
the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently
configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented
components that operate to perform one or more operations or
functions described herein. As used herein, "processor-implemented
component" refers to a hardware component implemented using one or
more processors. Similarly, the methods described herein may be at
least partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor
or processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least
some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more
processors or processor-implemented components.
[0069] Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to
support performance of the relevant operations in a "cloud
computing" environment or as a "software as a service" (SaaS). For
example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a
group of computers (as examples of machines including processors),
with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the
Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an
Application Program Interface (API)). The performance of certain of
the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only
residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of
machines. In some exemplary embodiments, the processors or
processor-implemented components may be located in a single
geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office
environment, or a server farm). In other exemplary embodiments, the
processors or processor-implemented components may be distributed
across a number of geographic locations.
[0070] In the exemplary architecture of FIG. 6, the software
architecture 606 may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where
each layer provides particular functionality. For example, the
software architecture 606 may include layers such as an operating
system 602, libraries 620, applications 616 and a presentation
layer 614. Operationally, the applications 616 or other components
within the layers may invoke application programming interface
(API) API calls 608 through the software stack and receive messages
612 in response to the API calls 608. The layers illustrated are
representative in nature and not all software architectures have
all layers. For example, some mobile or special purpose operating
systems may not provide a frameworks/middleware 618, while others
may provide such a layer. Other software architectures may include
additional or different layers.
[0071] The operating system 602 may manage hardware resources and
provide common services. The operating system 602 may include, for
example, a kernel 622, services 624 and drivers 626. The kernel 622
may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other
software layers. For example, the kernel 622 may be responsible for
memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling),
component management, networking, security settings, and so on. The
services 624 may provide other common services for the other
software layers. The drivers 626 are responsible for controlling or
interfacing with the underlying hardware. For instance, the drivers
626 include display drivers, camera drivers, Bluetooth.RTM.
drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g.,
Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers). Wi-Fi.RTM. drivers, audio
drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on the
hardware configuration.
[0072] The libraries 620 provide a common infrastructure that is
used by the applications 616 or other components or layers. The
libraries 620 provide functionality that allows other software
components to perform tasks in an easier fashion than to interface
directly with the underlying operating system 602 functionality
(e.g., kernel 622, services 624 or drivers 626). The libraries 620
may include system libraries 644 (e.g., C standard library) that
may provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string
manipulation functions, mathematical functions, and the like. In
addition, the libraries 620 may include API libraries 646 such as
media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and
manipulation of various media format such as MPREG4. H.264, MP3,
AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGLx framework
that may be used to render 2D and 3D in a graphic content on a
display), database libraries (e.g., SQLitc that may provide various
relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit that
may provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The
libraries 620 may also include a wide variety of other libraries
648 to provide many other APIs to the applications 616 and other
software components/modules.
[0073] The frameworks/middleware 618 (also sometimes referred to as
middleware) provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may
be used by the applications 616 or other software
components/modules. For example, the frameworks/middleware 618 may
provide various graphic user interface (GUI) functions, high-level
resource management, high-level location services, and so forth.
The frameworks/middleware 618 may provide a broad spectrum of other
APIs that may be utilized by the applications 616 or other software
components/modules, some of which may be specific to a particular
operating system 602 or platform.
[0074] The applications 616 include built-in applications 638 or
third-party applications 640. Examples of representative built-in
applications 638 may include, but are not limited to, a contacts
application, a browser application, a book reader application, a
location application, a media application, a messaging application,
or a game application. Third-party applications 640 may include an
application developed using the ANDROID.TM. or IOS.TM. software
development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the
particular platform, and may be mobile software running on a mobile
operating system such as IOS.TM., ANDROID.TM., WINDOWS.RTM. Phone,
or other mobile operating systems. The third-party applications 640
may invoke the API calls 608 provided by the mobile operating
system (such as operating system 602) to facilitate functionality
described herein.
[0075] The applications 616 may use built in operating system
functions (e.g., kernel 622, services 624 or drivers 626),
libraries 620, and frameworks/middleware 618 to create user
interfaces to interact with users of the system. Alternatively, or
additionally, in some systems interactions with a user may occur
through a presentation layer, such as presentation layer 614. In
these systems, the application/component "logic" can be separated
from the aspects of the application/component that interact with a
user.
[0076] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components (also
referred to herein as "modules") of a machine 700, according to
some exemplary embodiments, able to read instructions from a
machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium)
and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
Specifically, FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic representation of the
machine 700 in the example form of a computer system, within which
instructions 710 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an
applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine
700 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed
herein may be executed. As such, the instructions 710 may be used
to implement modules or components described herein. The
instructions 710 transform the general, non-programmed machine 700
into a particular machine 700 programmed to carry out the described
and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative
embodiments, the machine 700 operates as a standalone device or may
be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked
deployment, the machine 700 may operate in the capacity of a server
machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment,
or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network
environment. The machine 700 may comprise, but not be limited to, a
server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a
tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB),
a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system,
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable
device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart
appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router,
a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of
executing the instructions 710, sequentially or otherwise, that
specify actions to be taken by machine 700. Further, while only a
single machine 700 is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be
taken to include a collection of machines that individually or
jointly execute the instructions 710 to perform any one or more of
the methodologies discussed herein.
[0077] The machine 700 may include processors 704, memory
memory/storage 706, and I/O components 718, which may be configured
to communicate with each other such as via a bus 702. The
memory/storage 706 may include a memory 714, such as a main memory,
or other memory storage, and a storage unit 716, both accessible to
the processors 704 such as via the bus 702. The storage unit 716
and memory 714 store the instructions 710 embodying any one or more
of the methodologies or functions described herein. The
instructions 710 may also reside, completely or partially, within
the memory 714, within the storage unit 716, within at least one of
the processors 704 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or
any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the
machine 700. Accordingly, the memory 714, the storage unit 716, and
the memory of processors 704 are examples of machine-readable
media.
[0078] As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium,"
"computer-readable medium," or the like may refer to any component,
device or other tangible media able to store instructions and data
temporarily or permanently. Examples of such media may include, but
is not limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory
(ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media,
cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable
Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) or any suitable combination thereof. The
term "machine-readable medium" should be taken to include a single
medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed
database, or associated caches and servers) able to store
instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" may also be taken
to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is
capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by a
machine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or more
processors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or
more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a
"machine-readable medium" may refer to a single storage apparatus
or device, as well as "cloud-based" storage systems or storage
networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The
term "machine-readable medium" excludes signals per se.
[0079] The I/O components 718 may include a wide variety of
components to provide a user interface for receiving input,
providing output, producing output, transmitting information,
exchanging information, capturing measurements, and so on. The
specific I/O components 718 that are included in the user interface
of a particular machine 700 will depend on the type of machine. For
example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely
include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while
a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch
input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components 718
may include many other components that are not shown in FIG. 7. The
I/O components 718 are grouped according to functionality merely
for simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no
way limiting. In various exemplary embodiments, the I/O components
718 may include output components 726 and input components 728. The
output components 726 may include visual components (e.g., a
display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting
diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector,
or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers),
haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms),
other signal generators, and so forth. The input components 728 may
include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch
screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical
keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point based
input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a
joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), tactile
input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that
provides location or force of touches or touch gestures, or other
tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a
microphone), and the like. The input components 728 may also
include one or more image-capturing devices, such as a digital
camera for generating digital images or video.
[0080] In further exemplary embodiments, the I/O components 718 may
include biometric components 730, motion components 734,
environmental environment components 736, or position components
738, as well as a wide array of other components. One or more of
such components (or portions thereof) may collectively be referred
to herein as a "sensor component" or "sensor" for collecting
various data related to the machine 700, the environment of the
machine 700, a user of the machine 700, or a combinations
thereof.
[0081] For example, the biometric components 730 may include
components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial
expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking),
measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body
temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person
(e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial
identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram
based identification), and the like. The motion components 734 may
include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer),
gravitation sensor components, velocity sensor components (e.g.,
speedometer), rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so
forth. The environment components 736 may include, for example,
illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature
sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometer that detect
ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor
components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one
or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor
components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas
sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors to detection concentrations of
hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the
atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications,
measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical
environment. The position components 738 may include location
sensor components (e.g., a Global Position system (GPS) receiver
component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or
barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be
derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and
the like. For example, the location sensor component may provide
location information associated with the system 700, such as the
system's 700 GPS coordinates or information regarding a location
the system 700 is at currently (e.g., the name of a restaurant or
other business).
[0082] Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of
technologies. The I/O components 718 may include communication
components 740 operable to couple the machine 700 to a network 732
or devices 720 via coupling 722 and coupling 724 respectively. For
example, the communication components 740 may include a network
interface component or other suitable device to interface with the
network 732. In further examples, communication components 740 may
include wired communication components, wireless communication
components, cellular communication components, Near Field
Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth.RTM. components (e.g.,
Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy), Wi-Fi.RTM. components, and other
communication components to provide communication via other
modalities. The devices 720 may be another machine or any of a wide
variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled
via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)).
[0083] Moreover, the communication components 740 may detect
identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers.
For example, the communication components 740 may include Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart
tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an
optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as
Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes
such as Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec code, Data Matrix,
Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417. Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and
other optical codes), or acoustic detection components (e.g.,
microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a
variety of information may be derived via the communication
components 740, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP)
geo-location, location via Wi-Fi.RTM. signal triangulation,
location via detecting a NFC beacon signal that may indicate a
particular location, and so forth.
[0084] Where a phrase similar to "at least one of A, B. or C." "at
least one of A, B. and C," "one or more A, B. or C." or "one or
more of A, B. and C" is used, it is intended that the phrase be
interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B
alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an
embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may
be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C. B
and C. or A and B and C.
[0085] As used herein, the term "or" may be construed in either an
inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be
provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein
as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various
resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are
somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a
context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations
of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of
various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general,
structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the
example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure
or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a
single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and
other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall
within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as
represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings
are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a
restrictive sense.
[0086] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice
applies to the software and data as described below and in the
drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2016. SNAP,
INC. 2016, All Rights Reserved.
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