U.S. patent application number 17/700606 was filed with the patent office on 2022-07-07 for immersion control system for extended reality systems.
This patent application is currently assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. The applicant listed for this patent is AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P., AT&T Mobility II LLC. Invention is credited to Jason DeCuir, Terrel LeCesne, John Oetting, James Pratt, Eric Zavesky.
Application Number | 20220214745 17/700606 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-07-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220214745 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zavesky; Eric ; et
al. |
July 7, 2022 |
IMMERSION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR EXTENDED REALITY SYSTEMS
Abstract
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example,
assembling an extended reality (XR) immersive experience for a
user, determining a user experience level for the user, adjusting
an immersion detail level for the XR immersive experience according
to the user experience level, and communicating data defining the
XR immersive experience to XR equipment of the user. Other
embodiments are disclosed.
Inventors: |
Zavesky; Eric; (Austin,
TX) ; Pratt; James; (Round Rock, TX) ;
Oetting; John; (Zionsville, PA) ; DeCuir; Jason;
(Cedar Park, TX) ; LeCesne; Terrel; (Round Rock,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
AT&T Mobility II LLC |
Atlanta
Atlanta |
GA
GA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
AT&T Intellectual Property I,
L.P.
Atlanta
GA
AT&T Mobility II LLC
Atlanta
GA
|
Appl. No.: |
17/700606 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16916221 |
Jun 30, 2020 |
11307651 |
|
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17700606 |
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International
Class: |
G06F 3/01 20060101
G06F003/01; H04L 67/306 20060101 H04L067/306; H04L 67/75 20060101
H04L067/75; H04L 67/131 20060101 H04L067/131 |
Claims
1. A device, comprising: a processing system including a processor;
and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when
executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of
operations, the operations comprising: initiating an immersive
experience for a user of an extended reality (XR) system, wherein
the immersive experience includes a visual object animated in
accordance with an object modulation policy model; retrieving a
user policy model of the user; modifying the object modulation
policy model according to the user policy model of the user;
assembling the immersive experience according to the object
modulation policy model, forming an assembled immersive experience;
and communicating data defining the assembled immersive experience
to an XR apparatus of the user.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying an XR impact in the immersive experience; identifying a
response of the user to the XR impact in the immersive experience;
and updating the object modulation policy model based on the
response of the user to the XR impact.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying an XR impact in the immersive experience; identifying a
response of the user to the XR impact in the immersive experience;
and updating the user policy model based on the response of the
user to the XR impact.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a negative XR impact of an object, an activity or a
combination of these in the immersive experience, on the user;
based on the negative XR impact, revising the object modulation
policy model to prevent future occurrence of the negative XR impact
on the user; identifying a positive XR impact of an object, an
activity or a combination of these in the immersive experience, on
the user; and based on the positive XR impact, revising the object
modulation policy model to select similar occurrences of the
positive XR impact in the future.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
retrieving an owner policy model of an owner of XR equipment;
retrieving a content policy model of a provider of content, wherein
the assembling the immersive experience comprises assembling the
immersive experience based at least in part on the content;
identifying a negative XR impact of an object, an activity or a
combination of these in the immersive experience, on the user; and
based on the negative XR impact, revising at least one of the owner
policy model and the content policy model to prevent future
occurrence of the negative XR impact on the user or another
user.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
recognizing an XR impact in the assembled immersive experience,
wherein the recognizing is based on identifying an impact that has
been previously assessed; predicting a potential impact on the
user; modifying one or more aspects of the immersive experience,
forming a modified immersive experience; and communicating data
defining the modified immersive experience to the XR apparatus of
the user to prevent the impact on the user.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the modifying the object
modulation policy model according to the user policy model of the
user comprises: determining demographic information about the user;
determining user preferences of the user based on the demographic
information; and updating the object modulation policy model based
on the user preferences.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving biometric information of the user during the
communicating data defining the assembled immersive experience to
the XR apparatus of the user; determining a biometric response of
the user to a feature of the immersive experience, wherein the
determining the biometric response of the user is based on the
biometric information of the user; and responsive to the
determining the biometric response of the user, modifying the
feature of the immersive experience to prevent a future negative
biometric response for the user or to promote a future positive
biometric response for the user.
9. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable
instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a
processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations
comprising: initiating an immersive experience for a user of an
extended reality (XR) system, wherein the immersive experience
includes a visual object animated in accordance with an object
modulation policy model; retrieving a user policy model of the
user; modifying the object modulation policy model according to the
user policy model of the user; assembling the immersive experience
according to the object modulation policy model, forming an
assembled immersive experience; and communicating data defining the
assembled immersive experience to an XR apparatus of the user.
10. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise: detecting a response of the user
to an immersive component of the immersive experience; and
modifying the object modulation policy model based on the response
of the user.
11. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise determining one or more user
preferences for immersive experiences based on the user policy
model.
12. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise: determining user demographics for
the user; and determining one or more user preferences for
immersive experiences based on the user demographics for the
user.
13. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise: receiving content information from
a content source; assembling the XR immersive experience based on
the content information; and adjusting an immersion detail level
for the XR immersive experience according to the content
information.
14. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 13,
wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a content policy
model associated with the content information; and adjusting the
immersion detail level for the XR immersive experience according to
the content policy model.
15. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise: identifying an XR impact in the
immersive experience; identifying a response of the user to the XR
impact in the immersive experience; and updating the object
modulation policy model based on the response of the user to the XR
impact.
16. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations further comprise: generating one or more test
immersive experiences for the user; communicating data defining the
one or more test immersive experiences to the XR apparatus of the
user; determining a response of the user to the one or more test
immersive experiences; and determining a user experience level for
the user based on the response of the user.
17. A method, comprising: initiating, by a processing system
including a processor, an immersive experience for a user of an
extended reality (XR) system, wherein the immersive experience
includes a visual object animated in accordance with an object
modulation policy model; retrieving, by the processing system, a
user policy model of the user; modifying, by the processing system,
the object modulation policy model according to the user policy
model of the user; assembling, by the processing system, the
immersive experience according to the object modulation policy
model, forming an assembled immersive experience; and
communicating, by the processing system, data defining the
assembled immersive experience to an XR apparatus of the user.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: determining an
immersion impact of a visual impact on the user; and responsive to
the immersion impact, updating the object modulation policy
model.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the modifying the object
modulation policy model comprises: determining that the object
modulation policy model violates a policy for the user; and
responsive to the determining that the object modulation policy
model violates the policy for the user, updating the object
modulation policy model.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user comprises a group of
participants in the immersive experience and wherein the
determining that the object modulation policy model violates a
policy for the user comprises: determining, by the processing
system, a group policy for all participants of the group of
participants, wherein the group policy comprises a highest
tolerable level for all participants of the group of participants;
and comparing, by the processing system, an immersion impact of the
object modulation policy model with the group policy.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/916,221 filed on Jun. 30, 2020. The
contents of each of the foregoing is/are hereby incorporated by
reference into this application as if set forth herein in full.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The subject disclosure relates to an immersion control
system extended reality (XR) systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Extended reality (XR) systems create immersive experiences
that may be enjoyed by a wide variety of users. The types of
immersive experiences that such systems create are more and more
created automatically by computer systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,
which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary,
non-limiting embodiment of a communications network in accordance
with various aspects described herein.
[0006] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
multi-player virtual reality experience.
[0007] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a images created by an extended reality
system functioning within the communication network of FIG. 1 in
accordance with various aspects described herein.
[0008] FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0009] FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method in
accordance with various aspects described herein.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication network in
accordance with various aspects described herein.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a computing environment in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a mobile network platform in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a communication device in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The subject disclosure describes, among other things,
illustrative embodiments for modifying aspects of an extended
reality (XR) immersive experience based on personal preferences,
demographics or an existing policy model to improve the enjoyment
of the experience by the user. Other embodiments are described in
the subject disclosure.
[0015] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include
initiating an immersive experience by a user of an extended reality
(XR) system, assembling the immersive experience to form an
assembled immersive experience and communicating data defining the
assembled immersive experience to an XR apparatus of the user. The
subject disclosure may further include determining user preferences
of the user and modifying one or more aspects of the immersive
experience during the assembling the immersive experience according
to one or more user preferences of the user.
[0016] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include
assembling an extended reality (XR) immersive experience for a
user, determining a user experience level for the user and
adjusting an immersion detail level for the XR immersive experience
according to the user experience level. The subject disclosure may
further include communicating data defining the XR immersive
experience to XR equipment of the user.
[0017] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include
generating, by a processing system including a processor, an
immersive experience for a user, providing data defining the
immersive experience to extended reality (XR) equipment of the user
and evaluating immersion impact by elements of the immersive
experience on the user. The subject disclosure may further include
determining, based on the immersion impact, that a selected element
of the immersive experience includes a policy violation of a policy
for the user and modifying the selected element to avoid a policy
violation, thereby forming a modified element, The modifying occurs
prior to providing data defining the selected element in the
immersive experience to the XR equipment of the user. The subject
disclosure may further include providing, without interruption,
data defining the immersive experience to the XR equipment of the
user during the modifying of the selected element to avoid the
policy violation, and providing data defining the modified element
to the XR equipment of the user.
[0018] Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown
illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a
communications network 100 in accordance with various aspects
described herein. For example, communications network 100 can
facilitate in whole or in part modifying aspects of an extended
reality (XR) immersive experience based on personal preferences,
demographics or an existing policy model to improve the enjoyment
of the experience by the user. Communications including data
defining the immersive experience may be provided over
communications network 100. In particular, a communications network
125 is presented for providing broadband access network 110 to a
plurality of data terminals 114 via access terminal 112, wireless
access network 120 to a plurality of mobile devices 124 and vehicle
126 via base station or access point 122, voice access network 130
to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via switching device 132
and/or media access network 140 to a plurality of audio/video
display devices 144 via media terminal 142. In addition,
communication network 125 is coupled to one or more content sources
175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/or other media. While
broadband access network 110, wireless access network 120, voice
access network 130 and media access network 140 are shown
separately, one or more of these forms of access can be combined to
provide multiple access services to a single client device (e.g.,
mobile devices 124 can receive media content via media terminal
142, data terminal 114 can be provided voice access via switching
device 132, and so on).
[0019] The communications network 125 includes a plurality of
network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the
broadband access network 110, wireless access network 120, voice
access network 130, media access network 140 and/or the
distribution of content from content sources 175. The
communications network 125 can include a circuit switched or packet
switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network,
Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive or
active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless
access network, WIMAX network, UltraWideband network, personal area
network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite
network and/or other communications network.
[0020] In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include
a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem
termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other
access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal
computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other
computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems,
data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or
other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher
generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices.
[0021] In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122
can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access
point that operates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n,
802.11ac or other wireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124
can include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless
modems, and/or other mobile computing devices.
[0022] In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include
a private branch exchange or central office switch, a media
services gateway, VoIP gateway or other gateway device and/or other
switching device. The telephony devices 134 can include traditional
telephones (with or without a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones
and/or other telephony devices.
[0023] In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a
cable head-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway
or other media terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include
televisions with or without a set top box, personal computers
and/or other display devices.
[0024] In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include
broadcast television and radio sources, video on demand platforms
and streaming video and audio services platforms, one or more
content data networks, data servers, web servers and other content
servers, and/or other sources of media.
[0025] In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can
include wired, optical and/or wireless links and the network
elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. can include service switching
points, signal transfer points, service control points, network
gateways, media distribution hubs, servers, firewalls, routers,
edge devices, switches and other network nodes for routing and
controlling communications traffic over wired, optical and wireless
links as part of the Internet and other public networks as well as
one or more private networks, for managing subscriber access, for
billing and network management and for supporting other network
functions.
[0026] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
multi-player virtual reality experience 200. In the illustrated
example, a first user 202 and a second user 204 interact with the
virtual reality experience 200. Each of the first user 202 and the
second user 204 wears equipment such as a headset to allow the user
to see the virtual reality experience 200 using immersive
technology. In this example, user 202 is an adult and may be
considered an expert user based on experience with virtual reality
experiences, online gaming and maturity level. In contrast, user
204 is a child and may be considered a novice user based on
experience with virtual reality experiences, online gaming and
maturity level.
[0027] Immersive technology allows creation of an immersive
experience for a user such as user 202 and user 204. An immersive
experience includes or presents an environment that is, at least in
part, illusory and that seems to partially or completely surround
the user so that the user feels to be inside the immersive
experience and to be a part of the immersive experience. An
immersive environment allows the user to experience some things
that are physically impossible. An immersive experience may have
the effect of augmenting reality or the real world by combining
real world features, or supplementing them or replacing them, with
artificially created features. Providing specific examples, an
immersive experience can vary from a VR game that places the user
in a situation where she or he must escape from a farm where a
clown has gone mad. Depth of the immersion is enhanced with
visuals, audio, and a narrative where one or more virtual
characters demonstrate adversarial views. In another example, one
or more users may be in an immersive experience while touring
certain areas of a national park, like the Grand Canyon. As part of
the AR experience, boulders fall during a simulated earthquake to
demonstrate the chaos of nature. Examples of non-immersive
experiences include a VR game about math that uses simple numbers,
sounds, and a flat display to demonstrate addition or an AR system
that displays only textual enhancements (e.g. floating graphical
signs) to a painting in a museum display. To further differentiate,
if either the VR game or the AR system above were modified to
include demonstrations from historical figures, direct addressing
of the user, or any activity that invokes the philosophical phrase
"suspension of disbelief" or "suspension of judgment concerning the
implausibility of the narrative," each may be considered an
immersive experience.
[0028] Immersive technology includes equipment such as virtual
reality (VR) headsets, augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, audio
speaker systems and computer control to create immersive
experiences. For example, augmented reality (AR) systems use
technology such as an AR headset and the camera and screen on a
smartphone or tablet to add a computer-simulated layer of
information on top of real world features. AR technology is an
enhancement of the world surrounding the user. Virtual reality (VR)
goes a step further and immerses the user in a wholly artificial
world, a digital simulation and creation with which the user can
interact. A VR system will seek to stimulate as many user senses as
possible to immerse the user in the simulated environment,
including sight, hearing and touch. Extended reality (XR) refers to
environments that combine real and virtual environments and permit
human and machine interactions. An XR environment may be generated
by computer equipment and be may implemented by wearable technology
such as a headset or glasses. XR technology may be considered to
incorporate AR, VR and other technologies for immersive
experiences. As used herein, an immersive environment, an immersive
experience, an XR environment, and a scene generally refer to a
combination of real and virtual environments for a user under
automatic machine control.
[0029] In the future, more and more VR and XR experiences will be
computer generated. A computer implementing a gaming system or
other VR or XR engine will create immersive experiences for users
according to user interests. The computer may automatically
generate the XR experience as a free-form experience rather than as
a guided experience for the user. The computer-generated
experience, in particular, may bring new types of problems or risks
or even dangers for users who interact in immersive experiences.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, there may be multiple users
interacting inside a virtual experience. Each person may have an
associated avatar. For example, user 202 has an avatar 206 that
appears as a monster. The experience, as created by a computer, may
create scenarios that are harmful or inappropriate for user 204,
the child who is a novice user. In the future as well, there will
be technological problems with reliably providing data to XR
equipment of the users without any apparent delay or interruption
in the data flow, so that the immersive effect remains unbroken for
the user.
[0030] In the example of FIG. 2A, as noted, the user 202 is a more
mature user who is older and knows how to manipulate a VR game,
including the avatar 206. The user 202 is provided with the full VR
experience. For example, the user 202 may be shown an experience
208 with darker themes, more violence, and more potentially
frightening scenarios. For a novice user, such as user 204, the
same full experience might be too frightening, upsetting or
objectionable. Therefore, it is desirable to mediate the immersive
experience so that the novice user, user 204, and the expert user,
user 202, can enjoy the same immersive experience and have
acceptable experiences, especially in embodiments where the
immersive experience is generated automatically by a computer
system.
[0031] As the number of XR experiences continues to grow, the level
of acceptance and immersion intensity for each user may have wide
variances. First, in experiencing new objects and experience as
common in living or massive open online course (MOOC) systems, the
identification and scoring of new XR impact and potential dangers
may be required. Second, if the user did discover something
objectionable, there is currently no way for the system or the
experience to remember or prevent future instances of this negative
impact from occurring again. Upon identification of a positive XR
impact, the data related to the XR impact should be recorded and
used to select similar occurrences in the future. Finally, while
systems are still user proximal (e.g. in user control where the
user can execute a full exit or turn off the device), the user
seldom has the ability to refine the experience for negatively
impacting content. No system, from XR hardware or XR engine
creators, or extra metadata channel from content providers,
currently possesses these critical user-experience analysis
tools.
[0032] In a conventional system, only a warning may be provided
about the content of the immersive experience. There may be a
warning about age-appropriateness of the subject matter of the
immersive experience or a parental-content warning. The warning may
appear on a package label or in streaming content, such as at the
beginning of the immersive experience. The warning is generally
static and pre-set and prepared ahead of time by a manufacturer or
supplier.
[0033] In contrast, an apparatus and method in accordance with the
subject disclosure can dynamically take into account aspects of
respective users of the immersive experience. For example, the
apparatus and method can respond to factors such as age, experience
level and maturity level of the user. The apparatus and method can
further respond to how the user is currently feeling. A user's
state of mind can change over time, as the user is playing the game
or enjoying the immersive experience. The apparatus and method
include features of detecting the user's comfort level or state of
mind and providing that to the computer system that generates the
experience. That computer system, in turn, dynamically modifies the
experience it generates according to the determined comfort level
or state of mind of the user.
[0034] Some aspects of the apparatus and method in accordance with
the subject disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 2A. The user 202 is
determined to be an expert user and is given access to the full
experience 208 of the immersive environment. User 202 controls
avatar 206 with the appearance of a monster in the full experience
208. For the user 202, the experience 208 appears dark and
potentially frightening in an entertaining way. The experience 208
may include relatively violent scenes or other adult themes. The
user 204, however, is determined to be a novice user or a user with
less experience and more delicate sensibilities. The user 204
experiences a very different immersive experience 210 from the
experience 208 presented to the user 202. In accordance with
aspects of the subject disclosure, the user 204 sees an experience
210 that is lighter and less threatening in appearance. Images are
softened in experience 210 relative to experience 208. Movement is
restrained and happens at a slower speed in experience 210 for user
204 relative to experience 208 for user 202. In experience 210,
violence and adult-oriented themes are softened, reduced or
eliminated. The users, user 202 and user 204, enjoy the same
environment with similar characters and avatars and activities.
However, each respective experience, including experience 208 for
user 202 and experience 210 for user 204, is tailored to the
respective user. Tailoring may be based on any suitable factors
such as experience level, age, emotional maturity or others.
[0035] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of images created by an extended reality
system 212 functioning within the communication network 100 of FIG.
1 in accordance with various aspects described herein. FIG. 2B
illustrates a user 214 experiencing different scenes in an
immersive environment, including a first scene 216 and a second
scene 218. The immersive environment is created under control of an
XR engine 220. The XR engine 220 includes in an exemplary
embodiment a processing system including a processor and a memory
storing instructions and data to control the processing system to
implement the XR environment. The XR engine 220 responds to inputs,
including inputs from the user 214, to control the activity,
including images, sounds and other sensory experiences presented to
the user 214, over time.
[0036] The system 212 provides an enhanced XR experience relative
to a conventional XR experience. In one aspect, the XR engine 220
implements a control system for immersion enabling and filtering.
Users of the system 212 engage the system 212 to initiate and
experience an immersive environment. The XR engine 220 allows each
user including user 214 to have individual control of immersive
components of the immersive environment. Such immersive components
include XR actors, visuals, audio, time perception, and others. The
user 214 may provide inputs or variable values to control such
immersive components. Further, the system may set one or more
inputs or variable values to control such immersive components. The
inputs or variable values may be chosen to enable or disable or
filter any selected aspect of the immersive experience and the
immersive components. For example, some immersive components may be
softened or downgraded in immersive impact, such as by reducing
relative levels of violence seen by the users in the environment or
volumes of sounds heard by the user in the environment. Such inputs
or variable values may be set by parameter and may be either
specific or class-based.
[0037] In a second aspect, the XR engine 220 of system 212 enables
inclusion of various policy models to control the immersive
environment. Such policy models may be set by an individual user
such as user 214 according to the user's personal preferences. Such
policy models may be set by an owner of the system 212 who makes it
available for others to use, including owners of XR hardware
components and owners of systems for distributing XR experiences.
Such policy models may be set based on content, such as a digital
rights management policy maintained by a copyright owner or another
party. The policy model may be set based on activity portrayed in
an XR environment or scene. The policy model may be set based on
personal preferences of the user or of a guardian such as a parent.
The policy model may be set based on content specifications, based
on the particular types of content that is the subject of the
immersive experience. The policy model may be set based on the
environment or context of the immersive experience portrayed. The
policy model may be set based on any other suitable source on
basis.
[0038] In a third aspect, the XR engine 220 of system 212 enables
predicting and prescribing a changing immersion impact for user
such as user 214. For example, the system 212 recognizes impact
that a scene or immersive component has on a user and that has been
assessed externally to the system 212. Based on that awareness, the
system 212 predicts a potential further impact of a scene or
immersive component such that a control can be enacted by the
system. The control may be based on a policy such as a policy model
set by the user or by any other source. In some examples, the
control may originate from an external input or understanding of
recognized real or virtual items. The control may be based on
safety to the user. The control may originate with an external
assessment or from an association by the system of safety or
immersion intensity for objective evaluation and manipulation. In
some examples, information and descriptions may come from external
systems such as the provider of content of the XR experience or
some other certifying authority.
[0039] In the example of FIG. 2B, a user such as user 214 has
established an object modulation policy model. Information of the
object modulation policy model is stored, for example, at a server
computer system which implements the XR engine 220. The object
modulation policy model is used by the XR engine 220 during
presentation of the immersive experience to the user 214.
[0040] In some examples, the XR engine may have a set of default
parameter values for defining the immersive experience. For
example, these default parameter values may correspond to the full
experience shown to the user 202 of the virtual reality experience
200 of FIG. 2A. When the user 214 or another party or machine
establishes or modifies a parameter value of a policy model, the
new parameter value is used in place of the default value. Along
with the default values, some or all parameters may have a range of
allowed values. An attempt to modify a parameter value to a value
outside the range of allowed values will be ineffective and may
generate an error message or other notification.
[0041] The object modulation policy model in the example of FIG. 2B
includes a number of parameters that define aspects of the
immersive experience seen by the user 214. Exemplary parameters for
a rock or boulder that might be seen falling on the user 214 in the
immersion include the size of the rock, the visibility of the rock,
the color of the rock and animation features of the rock. Animation
features may include parameters defining factors such as its
behavior when falling or appearing to fall, the speed of motion of
the rock, the physics of the rock including its response to
gravity, its deformability, its apparent weight, and others as
well. FIG. 2B illustrates a time scale 222 in which events in the
immersive experience are generated by the XR engine 220 according
to one or more policy models or parameters.
[0042] These parameters and others form one or more policy models
that will define the experience for the user 214. These parameters
may be set by the user, by the owner of equipment presenting the
immersive experience, by a parent or guardian of the user 214, by
the owner of the content which forms the immersive experience, by a
service provider which provides access to the immersive experience,
or any combination of these. The XR engine 220 refers to each
respective policy model during presentation of the immersive
experience and adjusts the immersive experience accordingly. The
respective policy models may have assigned relative priorities for
determining which policy model controls the immersion in the event
of a conflict among the policy models. Any suitable conflict
resolution method may be used.
[0043] In some examples, the user 214 can give feedback to the
system 212 to set or modify a policy model or a parameter of a
policy model. The user 214 may provide the feedback during the
immersion or subsequently. For example, if the user 214 does not
like the color of an object or other immersion component, the user
214 may interrupt the immersion and modify the parameter that
controls that feature of that immersion component. In another
example, the user may find that the object moves too rapidly in the
immersion, particularly for the user's relative skill level. The
user 214 may interrupt the immersion, adjust playback speed to a
more comfortable level, and resume the immersion. Adjustments to
some features, like playback speed, may be useful for training in
some immersions. These additional adjustments may be made by the
user without interruption of the immersion through gestures, voice
commands, or additional controls (buttons, switches, etc.) that are
native to the XR system 212. Thus, the XR engine 220 may provide
any suitable user interface for the user 214 to adjust parameters
and other features of a policy model.
[0044] The XR engine 220 can use the policy models to predict and
prescribe how the immersion is impacted by the policy models. An
immersion is any XR experience in which a user is brought to a
different type of experience than the user is currently in, or the
user's current experience is augmented in some way. Some aspect of
an immersion are real and some aspects are virtual. In an
immersion, the user feels the experience is all cohesive and is not
focusing on whether objects are real or virtual. In an immersion in
an XR experience, the user has a sense of intimacy when interacting
with objects and things and people that mimics real life.
[0045] The policy models can be used to control the experience or
intimacy. For example, a virtual animal in an immersion can
interact with the user very closely, such as through intense eye
contact, eyes that follow the user's eyes, bodily motions such as
tail wagging and others that closely mimic a real animal or even an
animal imbued with human personality. This creates a connection
with the user. That degree of intimacy may make the user
uncomfortable and thus may be controlled by one or more parameter
values that are part of the user's preferences or policy model.
[0046] Policy models may be applied to content that is provided by
a content owner to an immersive experience. For example, characters
may be licensed for use in an immersive experience, such as
characters developed and owned by The Walt Disney Company.
Licensing arrangements may include details about the permitted
appearance of the licensed characters including attire or
activities in the licensed characters participate. The owner of the
licensed property may establish parameter values that control the
appearance, sound or other aspects of the licensed character when
the licensed character is presented in an immersive experience. The
XR engine 220 consults the parameter values in the owner's policy
model to determine how the licensed character may appear or be used
in an immersion. Similar parameters may be set and used for any
licensed property including videos, audio including music, logos
and brand names and others.
[0047] Content owner policy models may be applied to control or
limit the response of a user such as user 226 to the immersion. For
example, if the immersion includes a virtual experience of an
amusement park ride which is provided as content by an owner of the
amusement park ride, the owner of the content may specify that the
immersive experience of the ride may not cause nausea among users.
That requirement may affect a number of parameters that control the
immersion, such as apparent speed of the ride, elevation gains or
drops, etc. The system 212 may use sensors such as haptic sensors
to detect the condition or response of the user 214 and adjust the
immersion, using one or more parameters, accordingly. In another
example using the falling rock example of FIG. 2B, the owner of the
content may specify that no user such as user 214 may be virtually
crushed by a falling object such as a rock. The XR engine 220 may,
for example, adapt the physics of the falling virtual rock to
prevent a collision with the user 214.
[0048] FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of an immersive system 224 functioning
within the communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with
various aspects described herein. FIG. 2C illustrates a user 226
enjoying an immersive experience presented by immersive system 224.
The user 226 wears immersive equipment including an extended
reality (XR) headset 228 that cooperates with extended reality
engine 220 to present the immersive experience to the user 226.
[0049] The system 224 in this embodiment enables a user 227 to
interact with an extended reality (XR) environment. The system 224
in this embodiment includes an XR headset 228 wearable by the user
226, one or more sensors 230, a user computer 232, and an XR server
234 accessible over a communications network 236.
[0050] The XR headset 228 enables the user 226 to experience,
generally, an XR environment, where XR is a general term intended
to encompass XR, VR and augmented reality (AR) systems, equipment
and environments. The XR headset 228 generally includes a data
processing system including one or more processors, a memory for
storing data and instructions, and a communication interface. The
XR headset 228 provides a visual display to the user 226 and may
include one or more display screens within the XR headset 228 to
control the view seen by the user 226 and the environment
experienced by the user 226. Further, the XR headset 228 may
include a camera for capturing images of the environment of the
user 226. The XR headset 228 may include speakers to provide sound
information to the user 226 and the XR headset 228 may include one
or more microphones to collect sound information about the
environment of the user 226. In other embodiments, the XR headset
228 may be embodied as AR glasses or other wearable devices, or may
be operated in conjunction with a fixed display system such as a
computer monitor, television or series of display screens in the
physical environment with the user 226.
[0051] The sensors 230 may include any sort of condition sensing
and data collection apparatus suitable for the embodiment of the
system 224. The sensors 230 may include one or more cameras that
collect images of the physical environment near the user 226. The
cameras may collect visual images, infra-red images and others. The
sensors 230 may include environmental sensors that collect
information such as temperature, wind speed, orientation or
acceleration, or other physical factors of the environment where
the user 226 is located. If the user 226 is operating a vehicle,
the sensors 230 may detect vehicle speed and steering, acceleration
and braking inputs by the user 226. If the vehicle is a driver
assisted vehicle, the sensors 230 may collect all information
available to the driver assistance system such as images from
cameras, navigation and location data, data from Lidar sensors, and
others. The sensors 230 may further gather information about the
user 226. Such information may include biometric information, such
as pulse rate or respiratory rate, skin conductivity, pupil
dilation, haptic information about one or more touches of the user
226, and so forth. Thus, the sensors 230 may include or be part of
a wearable device such as a watch, belt or harness. Further, such
user data may include information about the position, posture and
movement of the user. Any sort of data that may be useful by the
system 224 for monitoring the user 226 and controlling the XR
environment may be sensed by the sensors 230. In some embodiments,
the sensors 230 merely sense a condition and report information. In
other embodiments, one or more of the sensors 230 may be
controllable, such as by the user computer 232.
[0052] The user computer 232 is in data communication with the XR
headset 228 and the sensors 230. In the illustrated embodiment, the
user computer 232 has wireline connections to the XR headset 228
and the sensors 230. In other embodiments, the wireline connections
may be supplemented or replaced with one or more wireless
connections, such as a WiFi connection according to the IEEE 802.11
family of standards or a Bluetooth connection according to the
Bluetooth standard.
[0053] The user computer 232 cooperates with the XR headset 228 to
provide the XR environment for the user 226. The user computer 232
communicates with the VR headset 228 to provide video information,
audio information and other control information to the XR headset
228. The user computer 232 communicates with the sensors 230 to
collect information about the physical environment and the user
226. The user computer 232 communicates with the XR server 234 to
provide video and other information from the XR headset 228 to the
XR server 234 and to provide information and data from the sensors
230 to the XR server 234. The video and data may be sent in any
suitable format, including encoding to reduce the amount of data
transmitted or encrypted to maintain security of the data. The user
computer 232 communicates to the XR headset 228 virtual reality
information to the XR headset 228. In some embodiments, the
functionality provided by the user computer 232 may be combined
with the XR headset 228. In the embodiment of FIG. 2C, the user
computer 232 is shown as a desktop computer. However, any suitable
processing system, including one or more processors, memory and a
communications interface, may implement the functions of the user
computer 232.
[0054] The XR server 234 controls provision of the XR environment
including immersive experiences to the XR headset 228 for the user
226. The XR server 234 generally includes a processing system
including one or more processors, a memory for storing data and
instructions and a communications interface. The XR server 234 may
be implemented as a single server computer, as multiple server
computers at one or multiple locations or in any suitable manner.
In the system 224, the XR server 234 implements an extended reality
(XR) engine 220.
[0055] The XR server 234 receives over the communications network
236 information about the environment of the user 226, including
location information, information about objects in the environment
and events occurring in the environment. The XR server 234 in some
embodiments may further receive information about the user 226,
including biometric information and information about the
performance of the user 226. The information may come from the
sensors 230, the XR headset 228, or any other source. Under control
of the XR engine 220, the XR server 234 provides control
information over the communications network 236 including video
information, sound information, haptic information and any other
information, including instructions and data, to the other
components of the system 224 including the user computer 232 and
the XR headset 228.
[0056] The XR engine 220 develops the XR environment as a
combination of the actual environment in which the user 226 is
located and a simulated or virtual environment. The XR engine 220
retrieves data and other information defining an immersive
experience. The information defining the immersive experience may
be stored at a memory of the XR server 234 or at another location
accessible by the XR server 234. In other examples, the information
defining the immersive experience may be received from another
location or source as streaming data. The XR engine 220 develops
the immersive experience for the user 226 based on the received
information defining the immersive experience.
[0057] Moreover, the XR engine 220 receives policy information
defining one or more policy models for controlling the XR
experience generated by the XR engine 220. The policy information
may be any sort of data or other information related to the XR
experience. The policy information, for example, may include a set
of parameter values to be used by the XR engine 220 to define and
control the immersive experience. The policy information may
include policy information established by the user 226 and policy
information established by others. For example, an owner of content
received by the XR engine 220 to generate the immersive experience
may establish limitations or requirements on the use and reuse of
the content. The limitations and requirements may form policy
information for use by the XR engine 220. The policy information
may initially be established as one or more default values that are
modified or overwritten by the user 226 or another. Further, the
policy information may be set as an acceptable or unacceptable
range of values such as parameter values.
[0058] Also, the policy information may be modified or updated
after initial receipt and use by the XR engine 220. For example,
the user 226 may choose to modify the policy information after
viewing a portion of an immersive experience prepared by the XR
engine 220. The user 226 may engage a user interface for this
purpose. The user interface may be presented by the user computer
232 or by the XR headset 228. The user 226 may modify the policy
information in any suitable manner.
[0059] Based on the received policy information, the XR server 234
may generate and modify the XR environment of the user 226. The XR
engine 220 creates the XR environment. As the XR engine 220 creates
the immersive experience, the XR engine retrieves policy
information established by the user and others. Based on the policy
information, the XR engine 220 modifies the XR environment and
presents the modified immersive experience to the user 226.
[0060] The system 224 may be supplemented with other equipment as
desired or required for a particular purpose. For example, the
system 224 may be supplemented with other wearable devices to
provide additional feedback, such as haptic feedback to the user
226, to enhance the immersive experience of the user 226. Further,
the sensors 230 may provide feedback about the experience of the
user 226 in the immersion. In an example, the sensors 230 may
detect the heart rate or blood pressure or other biometric
information of the user 226. Based on this information, the XR
engine 220 may gauge the feelings or satisfaction of the user 226.
For example, if the biometric information of the user 226 indicates
anxiety on the part of the user 226, the XR engine 220 may treat
the biometric information as policy information and adjust the
immersive experience accordingly. This serves as a type of
automatic, real time feedback, allowing the XR engine 220 to
monitor the state of the user 226 and adjust the immersion
according to the state of the user 226. If the XR engine 220
determines the user is frightened, the XR engine 220 may make the
immersion less frightening. If the XR engine 220 determines the
user is bored, the XR engine 220 may make the immersion more
exciting in some fashion. Still further, positive XR impacts should
be noted by the XR engine and relevant data recorded. For example,
if the user is soothed or stimulated or otherwise responds
favorably, this may be detected by sensors, for example. The XR
engine may note the positive XR impact and store appropriate data
about the positive impact. This positive data may be used in the
future to select similar occurrences or enhancements to an
immersive experience for this user 226 or for other users. The
effect on of the change in the immersion may then be monitored by
the XR engine.
[0061] The communications network 236 may include any combination
of wireline and wireless communication networks, including but not
limited to broadband access network 110, wireless access network
120, voice access network 130 and media access network 140 (FIG.
1). The communications network 236 may include the internet and may
provide access to other devices and services as well.
[0062] FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 240
in accordance with various aspects described herein. The method 240
in general creates and controls an extended reality (XR)
environment or immersive experience for the user 226. The user 226
experiences an immersive scene which includes some portions of the
physical environment where the user 226 is located, along with some
virtual objects or elements that are created, selected, modified
and controlled by the XR engine 220 operating on the XR server 234.
The combination of the physical objects and the virtual objects by
the XR engine 220 creates the immersive scene, immersive experience
or immersion.
[0063] The method 240 may be implemented by any suitable
combination of components. In one embodiment, the method 240 may be
implemented by components of system 224 in FIG. 2C, including XR
headset 228 and sensors 230 in the environment of user 226 and XR
server 234. In FIG. 2D, the user 226 interacts with XR gear or
equipment. This represents the rendering endpoint for XR
experiences or immersions. In the example, this XR gear includes
the XR headset 228 and sensors 230 but could include any other
combination of devices for collecting information about the user
and the user's environment and providing an immersive experience to
the user 226.
[0064] Further, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2D includes a
server computer such as the XR server 234 (FIG. 2C) which responds
to data and instructions and implements an XR engine 220 including
a number of functional stages or modules. These include in the
embodiment of FIG. 2D an experience element assembly (EAM) module
242, a classifier module 244, a prediction engine 246 and a content
modulator module 248. The modules implemented by XR server in the
XR engine 220 are exemplary only and may be substituted or replaced
by any suitable modules or combination of functional elements
necessary to perform the required operations.
[0065] Further in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2D, the steps of
method 240 involve storage and retrieval of data by the processing
elements. The embodiment of FIG. 2D includes a user profile
database 250, an experience database 252 and a policy model
database 253. Accordingly, a user profile is maintained in the user
profile database 250. The user profile stores user preference
information for the user 226 in the user profile database 250. The
experience database 252 stores data defining one or more immersive
experiences. The EAM module 242 accesses the experience database
252 to locate objects to use when compositing the experience.
Moreover, the EAM module obtains data for modifying the objects or
aspects of the experience according to user preferences or one or
more policy models. The policy model database 253 stores one or
more policy models that may be used by the XR engine 220 for
developing an immersive experience for the user 226.
[0066] Any of the data processing elements or functional elements
of FIG. 2D could be located on the XR gear with the user 226, such
as the XR headset 228. However, in some embodiments, the EAM module
242, the classifier module 244, the prediction engine 246 and the
content modulator module 248 are located remotely from the user and
communicate with the user 226 and the XR headset 228 using one or
more communications networks such as communication network 236
shown in FIG. 2C.
[0067] The EAM 242 operates to assemble or composite different
parts of the immersive experience, including applying physics to
movement and interactions of virtual elements of the immersive
experience with real, physical elements. The EAM module 242 focuses
on immersion impact scoring, not on content component objects
themselves. Further, the EAM 242 provides the data defining the XR
experience to the XR gear of the user 226, including the XR
headset. The classifier 244 operates to determine a classification
for an object and its immersion impact. The prediction engine 246
determines, based on a policy model and current participants,
objects and actions in the immersive experience, what happens next
in the immersive experience. The content modulator module 248
operates to take into account the outputs of the classifier and the
determination of what happen next to adjust the content of the
immersive experience.
[0068] The method 240 begins at step 256 when the user 226 enables
the XR gear, such as XR headset 228. The XR headset 228
communicates over communications network 236 with the XR server
234. For example, the user 226 may select an immersive experience
to enjoy or a game to play. Data processing equipment of the XR
headset 228 accesses the XR server 234 to obtain data defining the
immersive experience. The XR headset 228 may access the user
profile database 250 to locate information of the user 226 such as
account information and user preferences. User preferences may
include individual impact preferences for policies with feedback
between the user 226 and the EAM module 242. The user preferences
may further include individual impact preferences between the
prediction engine, i.e., for future actions and historical
propensity, and also for interactive approval by the user. The XR
headset may access one or more sensors 230 to locate information
about the environment of the user 226, such as a location, weather,
and presence of other objects in the environment.
[0069] At step 256, the immersive experience starts. The EAM module
242 begins assembling or compositing the immersive experience and
communicating data defining the experience to the XR headset 228.
For example, the EAM module 242 may rely on a preexisting script or
data flow for the experience, defining the objects, actions and
characters in the experience over time. The EAM module 242
assembles data elements defining the immersive experience and
communicates a stream of data to the XR gear. At step 258, the EAM
module 242 retrieves data from the experience database 252 for
compositing the experience. The retrieved data define objects and
activities in the experience as the experience plays out over time.
Compositing the immersive experience is an aspect of assembling the
XR experience including selecting physical elements from the
environment of the user 226, selecting virtual objects and
characters to populate the XR environment and preparing visual,
sonic, and haptic and other aspects of the immersive experience.
The data forming the components of the XR environment or the XR
experience are prepared in a format for transmission to the XR gear
of the user 226. The data format may be standard or may be custom.
As the EAM module 242 continues to push data to the XR gear, the
EAM module 242 continues to evaluate objects and actions with the
prediction engine 246 for impact analysis.
[0070] At step 260, the classifier module 244 categorizes the
immersion impact. The classifier 244 operates to make a scene-level
determination that some action needs to be taken to adjust the
immersion experience for the user. For example, if the emotional
intensity level of the scene is getting to high, to the point that
the intensity level approaches or exceeds a threshold set by the
user 226, the classifier 244 determines that the immersion impact
is too high for the current user or one or more current policy
models. In some embodiments, the classifier 244 may categorize
activities or objects or scenes in one or more categories of stress
level or anxiety level and store suitable information in the
database 252, step 260. The category determined may be used to
determine if action should be taken.
[0071] At step 262, as the EAM module 242 is compositing the
experience, the prediction engine 246 continuously monitors
elements within the experience. For example, the prediction engine
246 compares aspects of objects selected or actions taken by the
EAM module 242 and compares the aspects with one or more policy
models stored in the policy model database 253. The prediction
engine 246 determines if an aspect of an object or action
represents a violation of a policy model or requires an adjustment,
modification or deletion under a policy model of the policy model
database 253. In one embodiment, the prediction engine 246
comprises a model whose inputs are simply objects defined using a
standard ontology that codify relationships (is-a, has-a,
contains-a) and properties (color, shape, size, frequency, etc.).
For example, in the English language, computational ontologies have
been defined like WordNet, ImageNet, and Knowledge Graph using
human- and automated-input collection routines. In this embodiment,
the relationships of objects from classification 244 can be learned
from explicit interactions and feedback from users in the EAM 242.
In another embodiment, these interactions are derived from
historical data in the experience model 252 and the policy model
253, which may be collected from one user or aggregated across many
users of the system 234. Alternatively, additional resources like
SentiWordNet or SentiBank may be utilized to computationally
express positive and negative responses between objects. In another
embodiment, the prediction engine 246 may be constructed from
user-specific inputs such a social media communications (e.g.
textual messages, SMS messages, like indicators, rating systems)
and user generated content (e.g. photos of the user with other
people, objects, etc.) to establish positive or negative affinity
towards other objects. In all of these embodiments, a machine
learning model is created from a set of training examples to
produce a model for evaluation in the prediction engine 246 when
new, unseen--and unlabeled--examples are presented to the
system.
[0072] At optional step 264, if a violation of a policy model has
been detected, the EAM module 242 provides a notification to the
user 226. The user 226 may accept the violation of the policy model
or reject the violation. Similarly, at optional step 266, if a
violation of a policy model is detected by the prediction engine
246, the prediction engine 246 delivers a notification to the user
226. The user 226 may accept or reject the violation of the policy
model. In either step 264 or step 266, if the user accepts the
violation of the policy model, the method continues and at step
268, the violation is accepted in the experience. If the user
rejects the violation, the EAM module 242 modifies the immersive
experience to account for the policy model.
[0073] Beginning at step 270, the XR engine 220 enters a condition
in which modulation of the immersive experience is required due to
a policy violation. At step 270, the prediction engine 246
continues assessing elements of the immersion as the experience is
played out over time by the EAM module 242. The prediction engine
246 detects a violation of one or more policy models when a content
object or some other aspect of the experience is determined to be
in violation of one or more specified policies. Responsive to
detecting the violation, the prediction engine at step 272 requests
mitigation of the policy violation with the content modulator
module 248.
[0074] At step 274, the prediction engine 246 and the content
modulator module 248 iterate together to re-evaluate the impact of
the modulated object or activity. The iterative process in some
embodiments is fully automated. For example the content modulator
module 248 generates a modified or new scenario and tests the
generated scenario by passing information about the generated
scenario to the prediction engine 246. The prediction engine 246
evaluates the generated scenario and provides a score or other
indication of whether the generated scenario violates one or more
policy models. Based on the score or other evaluation result, the
content modulator module 248 modifies the generated scenario. In
this manner, the XR engine 220 acting through the prediction engine
246 and the content modulator can generate millions of new
scenarios and evaluate those scenarios against a large populace of
policies in a short amount of time.
[0075] At step 276, the prediction engine 246 optionally sends a
notification to the EAM module 242. The notification advises the
EAM module 242 of the violation of the policy, also referred to as
an anomaly. The notification in some examples indicates to the EAM
242 what object or what action has caused the anomaly so that the
EAM 242 can suspend modifying the object or the action as called
for by the policy model yet at the same time can continue playing
the experience for the user 226. Without the notification provided
at step 276, the EAM module 242 in some embodiments would continue
compositing the experience despite the policy violation, which
might represent an error condition. Also, without the notification,
if resolution of the policy violation at steps 272 and step 274
took more than a few fractions of a second, the EAM module 242
might interrupt operation until resolution is reached. Such an
interruption might degrade the immersive experience for the user
226. For example, if the EAM module 242 entered a wait state before
continuing compositing the immersion, the user 226 might experience
a delay in playback or playback jitter, as the EAM 242 plays and
pauses and plays and pauses, waiting for resolution of the policy
violation.
[0076] Instead, responsive to receiving the notification of the
anomaly, the EAM module 242 can continue compositing the experience
for the user 226 but can take steps to avoid processing the policy
violation. For example, the EAM module 242 can cause the action of
the experience to appear to slow down, or the EAM module 242 can
avoid use of the object that is the subject of the policy
violation, or avoid presenting the action that is the subject of
the policy violation. In this manner, the XR engine 220 operates to
maintain a smooth-flowing immersive experience for the user 226
while the policy violation is resolved. Since policy violation
resolution may, in some examples, take an amount of time that might
be detectable by the user, the EAM module 242 receives the
notification from the prediction engine 246 and responds by
avoiding compositing the experience in a way that would violate the
policy, yet without causing a delay or interruption in presentation
of the experience that would be detectable to the user 226. This
solves a substantial technological problem in that the EAM module
242 must continue processing data, compositing the experience and
providing data defining the experience to the XR gear,
substantially in real time. However, identifying a policy
violation, and resolving the policy violation, may take a
substantial amount of time. This may be especially true when the
prediction engine 246 is evaluating a number of policy models,
including a policy model of the user 226, a policy model of the
owner of the XR headset 228 or other XR gear, a policy model of the
communications network. A policy model of the service provider that
provides access to gaming or other immersive experiences, and a
policy model of the owner of content on which the experience is
based. The process of providing a notification to the EAM module
242 about the anomaly allows the EAM module 242 to resolve the
asynchronous nature of resolution of the violation and playback of
the experience for the user.
[0077] At step 278, the content modulator determines how to update
the environment to avoid the policy violation. Once the policy
violation has been resolved, the content modulator provides to the
EAM module 242 data defining an update of the modulated
environment. At step 280, the EAM module 242 updates the experience
that the user 226 sees through the XR headset 228 or other XR gear,
step 282. In some examples, the user's profile in the user profile
database 250 is updated with the information, step 284. Further, at
step 286, the content modulator module 248 updates the classifier
244 with information about the policy violation as well as the
solution that was obtained by the content modulator. For example,
the classifier 244 can be updated with additional samples of what
the content modulator module 248 and the prediction engine 246
determined to be valid at step 284. Moreover, general policies can
be updated for new, accepted violation thresholds.
[0078] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the illustrated system and
method provide constant feedback and updating of the user profile
in the user profile database 250, in the database 252 and in the
policy model database 253. The user profile is updated and the
policy model is updated. The feedback enables the illustrated
system and method to be a learning system, based on the constant
feedback as to what is acceptable or unacceptable in the policy
profile and in the immersive experience.
[0079] The system and method according to the captioned disclosure
provide substantial benefits for future immersion systems. For
example, the disclosed system and method provide an increased
variety of experience models. Content sources may expand to include
fictional characters from books or movies or television programs,
theme park characters, etc. As the number of content sources
expands, the richness or possible dangers or discomforts for some
audience members may increase, as well. For example, a content
source such as a Harry Potter character or scenario may develop
frightening aspects, or aspects that inappropriate for the original
Harry Potter audience. The method of FIG. 2D including the
operation of the classifier 244 forms a user-focused scoring system
that can provide a score that reflects the appropriateness for the
particular user 2226. Previously, it was known for a manufacturer
to give a rating to a game or other experience, but the ratings
were relatively coarse and not focused on an individual's
preferences and personality. Because the illustrated system learns
from the operation of the system over time, based on the reaction
and response of the specific user, the disclosed system and method
may give a score which is better focused for the particular user's
needs.
[0080] A further benefit is provided in that a single system
provides uniform policy application to any XR input. The user needs
to only provide one policy. The parameters and rules of that single
policy can be made to apply to any XR experience viewed by that
user. For example, if the user does not like clowns, that can be
specified in the user's policy model. Based on that expressed
preference, the disclosed system and method will operate to omit or
filter any clowns from any experience seen by the user. That is
true whether the experience is a scary video game in which monsters
are shown, but no clowns, or if the experience is a travelogue to a
circus museum, in which case high-wire acts may be shown, but no
clowns. The same is true for, for example, parental policies.
Parents may specify limitations or preferences for what their
children experience, and the policy will be applied across all XR
experiences the children see.
[0081] Further, the disclosed system and method give content
providers a chance to define policy and self-police to make sure
recipients have understanding but can reach a wider audience with
the same set of content. The system and method will ensure that
only appropriate parts of an experience are shown to a particular
user, based on controls set in the policy established by the
content provider.
[0082] Still further, using a policy as a known constant, the
policy can be sent to XR experience developers to quickly vet and
approve concepts that they are adding to experiences. For example,
the XR developers can determine if, in a planned design, is a
particular motion too fast for some audience members based on their
policy, or is this scene too scary for children based on a
collection of children's policies. The design can be tested against
one or a collection of policies to gauge the appropriateness of the
XR experience or portions of the XR experience.
[0083] The system and method according to the disclosed embodiments
makes use of a user policy associated with entertainment, including
immersive experiences presented by XR and other virtual reality
systems. The system and method can modify the XR mechanics based on
personal preferences, demographics or other facts. In this case XR
mechanics includes any feature of an XR immersive experience,
including appearance, motion, rate of change, characters and their
actions and reactions, etc. In one example, based on a policy
model, the influence of gravity on an object can be made to appear
slower because the user is older and cannot react as quickly.
[0084] Another substantial benefit of the disclosed system and
method is the ability to use large-scale learning across multiple
users, and to do A/B testing from XR experiences. The system can
collect user responses to a variety of XR experiences and portions
of experiences across a wide variety of experiences. A/B testing
involves showing one version of an experience to one group of users
and another version to another group of users, and evaluating the
two versions based on responses of the two groups of users. By
testing user responses and collecting information in this manner,
the system can predict and prescribe the appropriate immersion
impact for each persona and context. Example immersion impacts
include danger to a user or the user's avatar, interaction speed
such as the apparent speed of gravity, etc. Persons in the audience
can be defined by their demographics or their personality or by
their relative experience level with XR immersion. The context can
be defined by a location, previous activity by a user with a
particular type of immersion, etc.
[0085] Still another substantial benefit of the disclosed system
and method is the proactive capability for the system to detect and
notify content creators or XR participants of a systemic or
repeatable issue within XR content. An example is blinking by the
user followed by a sudden change in color over a short time span.
Identifying such a problem does not require initial content or user
annotation but can be detected by negative reaction across a wide
population of users.
[0086] The disclosed system and method provide a unique component
for an XR system that measures the impact of an object or an
activity in an XR immersion, and its interaction with the user for
direct modification of the XR experience. Such a system enhances
resource need estimation instead of just bandwidth, visual
complexity, etc. For example, developing an XR system requires
substantial computing power and network bandwidth. As the XR
experience changes and evolves based on user feedback, there may be
different resource needs based on how the XR experience is changed.
Developing the changes may take substantial processing power and
network bandwidth, and estimating required resources may benefit
from having knowledge of the resources required to develop the
changes.
[0087] The disclosed system and method further provide a unique
component for XR systems to propose experience modulation. For
example, instead of deleting or hiding an object or activity for
resource needs, a policy in the system could require the object
animation path redirection to avoid the user, for example, to slow
apparent speed through the physics that is applied to the an object
or through animation, or through coloration, for example.
[0088] In some embodiments, the disclosed system and method allow
for introduction of personal policies for the system that effect
up-stream XR interactions as well as user perceptions. For example,
outgoing interaction data, such as data defining what a user was
looking at or what the user says in speech, is filtered or reduced
in some way. In some examples, a personal profile is generated or
updated based on utterances or other reactions of the user 226. For
example, if the user 226 is shown a clown in the immersion and has
such a strong negative reaction that the user screams or curses,
the XR engine 220 may automatically note the reaction and update
the profile of the user and the policy model of the user 226.
[0089] Some embodiments provide for institutional or multi-party
joining or sharing of XR experiences. In such embodiments, the
system and method in accordance with the disclosure can compute a
group policy for a least restrictive environment. For example, in
such an environment, the common-denominator for a group policy is
set to a highest tolerable level for all participants. The
immersion impact for any element of the immersive experience, such
as an object or activity within the experience, may be compared
with the group policy to identify a policy violation. For example,
a speed at which objects move in the immersive experience or
possible excitability of activity in the experience may be set to a
level that all participants find acceptable, even if not preferred
or ideal. In this manner, multiple users with different enablements
or preferences can easily join and leave the experience.
[0090] In some embodiments, the XR engine 220 may correlate to
biometric data of the user to further determine impact of an object
or activity on a user. Thus, in the example of FIG. 2C, data may be
collected from sensors 230 about biometric information of the user
226 such as heart rate, respiration rate, etc. This information may
be collected and communicated to the XR engine 220 running on the
XR server 234. It may be stored and processed by, for example, the
classifier 244 or prediction engine 246. This collected biometric
information may be utilized both as near-real-time system feedback
and for tuning of a policy of the user. The biometric information
may form a biometric response of the user and may be collected
automatically and processed automatically to determine the state of
the user 226 and thereby adjust the experience. For example, if the
XR engine 220 determines from an elevated heartrate of the user
that the user is feeling heightened anxiety, the XR engine 220 may
identify this as a negative biometric response and can adjust the
experience to reduce the anxiety level of the user. Similarly, if
the XR engine 220 determines the user's heartrate or respiration
rate falls, indicate relaxation by the user, the XR engine may
identify this as a positive biometric response. Any type of change
in the user may be considered a biometric response. In some
applications, the user accesses a policy profile and adjusts the
policy based on the experience. There can be a delay between the
time the user determines the experience provokes anxiety and
adjusts the user's policy profile. In contrast, if the adjustment
to the policy profile is made automatically based on biometric
information, the update to the policy profile can be made more
quickly. Moreover, small adjustments can be made to the policy
automatically by the XR engine 220 without active participation by
the user 226.
[0091] In some embodiments, the XR engine 220 can provide a quick
capability to establish a baseline of a user's preferences. For
example, the XR engine 220 can implement a short probing round of
experiences in a safe, interactive environment including the user.
For example, the XR engine 220 can propose a test situation or
place a test object in an immersion with the user, then query the
user for a reaction to the test situation or test object. Based on
a response from the user, the XR engine 220 can update one or more
policies for the user and the situation. One example involves jump
scares in video content. A jump scare is a technique intended to
scare an audience by surprising them with an abrupt change in image
or event, perhaps accompanied by a sudden sound. The XR engine 220
may provide one or more examples of jump scares to the user 226 in
order to classify the user's response to jump scares, Subsequently,
the XR engine 220 can use this baseline information to determine
how to present such jump scares or other events in future
experiences. This can provide more efficient use of processing
resources of the XR engine 220 and permit determination of aspects
of the user policy before the user experiences the test object or
the test situation in XR for first time.
[0092] In some embodiments, the XR engine 220 can provide a
recovery system for users that have been exposed to an overly
negative impact. Some users may prefer a very intense immersive
experience. In this example, the XR engine 220 determines that a
user has been exposed to such an intense experience and could
slowly reintroduce the user to an experience but at tolerable and
safe levels. Alternatively, instead of or in addition to ramping
down the intensity level after a particularly intense immersion,
the XR engine 220 could ramp up the intensity level in stages to
help acclimate the user to a more intense immersive experience.
Information about the user's state can be determined from available
inputs such as sensors or camera input.
[0093] In some embodiments, the XR engine 220 can propose a
qualification system for XR experience developers to quickly vet
and approve concepts that they are adding to experiences. For
example, based on past users' experiences, the XR engine 220 may
provide an indication that a proposed motion in a game that is
being designed is too fast, or that a proposed scene too scary for
children. For example, in a game intended for children under age
13, the system may determine that a proposed add-on feature is only
appropriate for viewers age 14 to 18, as vetted by the automatic
system.
[0094] The system and method in accordance with the subject
disclosure may be illustrated by a number of use cases. In a first
use case, an XR system enables engagement with new technology by
different populations. The XR system may use a policy model for
respective users to determine a respective user's experience level
and comfort level with different aspects of immersive experiences,
and other factors relevant to immersion. Based on such factors, the
XR system may then tailor an immersive experience to the user. For
example, if the user indicates that the user is a novice user, or
has anxiety or affinity toward particular features, the XR system
can modify an experience as it is being presented to the user to
accommodate and avoid the anxiety item and invoke the affinity
item.
[0095] In another use case, the XR system can overlay aspects of XR
and AR systems for safety. For example, in an immersion in which
the user experience is around nature exploration in a canyon. As
the experience plays out, the user may be exposed to a virtual
boulder falling toward the user, creating impending danger.
Previously, the boulder was not classified as dangerous, but based
on the user's reaction, the system may automatically trigger a
removal of the detected impact by the boulder from the experience.
Further based on the user's response, the system may automatically
update one or more policies to approve or disapprove falling object
in a user experience. The system may further respond to additional
information when updating policies such as demographics of the
user, characteristics of the user such as whether the user is an
adventure-seeking adult or a child new to immersive
experiences.
[0096] In yet another use case, the XR system may be used to
provide therapy and relaxation for the user. In one example, the
system can detect anxiety or another condition on the part of the
user. For example, this may be done automatically based on
information from one or more sensors, or the user may manually
provide information about the user's state. In response, based on
the user's state, the XR system may automatically select content or
scenery or objects or activities to alter the user's state, such as
to reduce anxiety. The selection may be based on experience of the
XR system with the particular user, experience with users in the
demographic group of the user or on any other basis. In one
example, if the XR system knows the user is a dog lover, the XR
system may provide an immersive experience of a puppy approaching
the user and licking the user's face, with the expectation that
this will be calming and relaxing to the user.
[0097] In another example, the XR system may have a hierarchy of
policies in which some policy provisions are ranked higher or more
important and supersede provisions of policies that are ranked
lower or less important. One example is a parental controls policy
for children's immersive experiences. If the parental policy
specifies that the children's immersions should exclude violence,
that policy may be set to control all immersions for the affected
children and limit the experiences available to the children.
Independent of what the children may seek to view in an immersion,
the parental control policy overrides the children's selection.
[0098] While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the
respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks
in FIG. 2D, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed
subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some
blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other
blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not
all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods
described herein.
[0099] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is shown
illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized
communication network 300 in accordance with various aspects
described herein. In particular a virtualized communication network
is presented that can be used to implement some or all of the
subsystems and functions of communication network 100, the
subsystems and functions of system 212, system 224, and method 240
presented in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 3. For example,
virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in
part modifying aspects of an extended reality (XR) immersive
experience based on personal preferences, demographics or an
existing policy model to improve the enjoyment of the experience by
the user. Communications including data defining the immersive
experience may be provided over virtualized communication network
300.
[0100] In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that
leverages cloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and
scalability via a transport layer 350, a virtualized network
function cloud 325 and/or one or more cloud computing environments
375. In various embodiments, this cloud networking architecture is
an open architecture that leverages application programming
interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity from services and operations;
supports more nimble business models; and rapidly and seamlessly
scales to meet evolving customer requirements including traffic
growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity of performance
and reliability expectations.
[0101] In contrast to traditional network elements--which are
typically integrated to perform a single function, the virtualized
communication network employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330,
332, 334, etc. that perform some or all of the functions of network
elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. For example, the network
architecture can provide a substrate of networking capability,
often called Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI)
or simply infrastructure that is capable of being directed with
software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocols to perform
a broad variety of network functions and services. This
infrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most
typical type of substrate being servers that support Network
Function Virtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding
capabilities based on generic computing resources, with specialized
network technologies brought to bear when general purpose
processors or general purpose integrated circuit devices offered by
merchants (referred to herein as merchant silicon) are not
appropriate. In this case, communication services can be
implemented as cloud-centric workloads.
[0102] As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in
FIG. 1), such as an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330
composed of NFV software modules, merchant silicon, and associated
controllers. The software can be written so that increasing
workload consumes incremental resources from a common resource
pool, and moreover so that it's elastic: so the resources are only
consumed when needed. In a similar fashion, other network elements
such as other routers, switches, edge caches, and middle-boxes are
instantiated from the common resource pool. Such sharing of
infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planning and
growing infrastructure easier to manage.
[0103] In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber,
cable, wired and/or wireless transport elements, network elements
and interfaces to provide broadband access network 110, wireless
access network 120, voice access 130 network, media access network
140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distribution of
content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, in
some cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific
place, and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure.
Other times, the network elements have specific physical layer
adapters that cannot be abstracted or virtualized, and might
require special DSP code and analog front-ends (AFEs) that do not
lend themselves to implementation as VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These
network elements can be included in transport layer 350.
[0104] The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with
the transport layer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to
provide specific NFVs. In particular, the virtualized network
function cloud 325 leverages cloud operations, applications, and
architectures to support networking workloads. The virtualized
network elements 330, 332 and 334 can employ network function
software that provides either a one-for-one mapping of traditional
network element function or alternately some combination of network
functions designed for cloud computing. For example, VNEs 330, 332
and 334 can include route reflectors, domain name system (DNS)
servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers,
system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility management
entity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers
for IP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers,
distributers and other network elements. Because these elements
don't typically need to forward large amounts of traffic, their
workload can be distributed across a number of servers--each of
which adds a portion of the capability, and overall which creates
an elastic function with higher availability than its former
monolithic version. These virtual network elements 330, 332, 334,
etc. can be instantiated and managed using an orchestration
approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.
[0105] The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the
virtualized network function cloud 325 via APIs that expose
functional capabilities of the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide
the flexible and expanded capabilities to the virtualized network
function cloud 325. In particular, network workloads may have
applications distributed across the virtualized network function
cloud 325 and cloud computing environment 375 and in the commercial
cloud, or might simply orchestrate workloads supported entirely in
NFV infrastructure from these third party locations.
[0106] Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a block diagram
of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects
described herein. In order to provide additional context for
various embodiments of the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and
the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general
description of a suitable computing environment 400 in which the
various embodiments of the subject disclosure can be implemented.
In particular, computing environment 400 can be used in the
implementation of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, access
terminal 112, base station or access point 122, switching device
132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. Each of
these devices can be implemented via computer-executable
instructions that can run on one or more computers, and/or in
combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of
hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 can
facilitate in whole or in part modifying aspects of an extended
reality (XR) immersive experience based on personal preferences,
demographics or an existing policy model to improve the enjoyment
of the experience by the user. Data processing, including
processing data defining the immersive experience may be provided
by the computing environment 400.
[0107] Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs,
components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the methods can be practiced with
other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor
or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe
computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing
devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or
more associated devices.
[0108] As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more
processors as well as other application specific circuits such as
an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit,
state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that
processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or
data in response thereto. It should be noted that while any
functions and features described herein in association with the
operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a
processing circuit.
[0109] The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be
also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed computing
environment, program modules can be located in both local and
remote memory storage devices.
[0110] Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media,
which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or
communications media, which two terms are used herein differently
from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be
any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer
and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and
non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation,
computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection
with any method or technology for storage of information such as
computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or
unstructured data.
[0111] Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not
limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),
electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash
memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory
(CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk
storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage
or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or
non-transitory media which can be used to store desired
information. In this regard, the terms "tangible" or
"non-transitory" herein as applied to storage, memory or
computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only
propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not
relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or
computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory
signals per se.
[0112] Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or
more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests,
queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of
operations with respect to the information stored by the
medium.
[0113] Communications media typically embody computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured
or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data
signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and
comprises any information delivery or transport media. The term
"modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one
or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as
to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example,
and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such
as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media
such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
[0114] With reference again to FIG. 4, the example environment can
comprise a computer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing
unit 404, a system memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus
408 couples system components including, but not limited to, the
system memory 406 to the processing unit 404. The processing unit
404 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual
microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be
employed as the processing unit 404.
[0115] The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus
structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or
without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus
using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures.
The system memory 406 comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic
input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory
such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM),
EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to
transfer information between elements within the computer 402, such
as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAM
such as static RAM for caching data.
[0116] The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk
drive (HDD) 414 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also
be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a
magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write
to a removable diskette 418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g.,
reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or, to read from or write to other high
capacity optical media such as the DVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD
416 and optical disk drive 420 can be connected to the system bus
408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, a magnetic disk drive
interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428, respectively. The
hard disk drive interface 424 for external drive implementations
comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394
interface technologies. Other external drive connection
technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described
herein.
[0117] The drives and their associated computer-readable storage
media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures,
computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer
402, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any
data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of
computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive
(HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media
such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in
the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a
computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory
cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example
operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can
contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods
described herein.
[0118] A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and
RAM 412, comprising an operating system 430, one or more
application programs 432, other program modules 434 and program
data 436. All or portions of the operating system, applications,
modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 412. The systems
and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various
commercially available operating systems or combinations of
operating systems.
[0119] A user can enter commands and information into the computer
402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a
keyboard 438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other
input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared
(IR) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch
screen or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit 404 through an input device
interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408, but can be
connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE
1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,
an IR interface, etc.
[0120] A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also
connected to the system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video
adapter 446. It will also be appreciated that in alternative
embodiments, a monitor 444 can also be any display device (e.g.,
another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet
computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with
computer 402 via any communication means, including via the
Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to the monitor 444,
a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not
shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.
[0121] The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment
using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications
to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448.
The remote computer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer,
a router, a personal computer, portable computer,
microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or
other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of
the elements described relative to the computer 402, although, for
purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storage device 450 is
illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprise
wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452
and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such
LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and
companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such
as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications
network, e.g., the Internet.
[0122] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402
can be connected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless
communication network interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can
facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 452, which
can also comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for communicating
with the adapter 456.
[0123] When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402
can comprise a modem 458 or can be connected to a communications
server on the WAN 454 or has other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 454, such as by way of the Internet.
The modem 458, which can be internal or external and a wired or
wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 408 via the
input device interface 442. In a networked environment, program
modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portions thereof,
can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It will be
appreciated that the network connections shown are example and
other means of establishing a communications link between the
computers can be used.
[0124] The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any
wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless
communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable
computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any
piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly
detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and
telephone. This can comprise Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and
BLUETOOTH.RTM. wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can
be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply
an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
[0125] Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at
home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without
wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a
cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and
receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base
station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11
(a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast
wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect
computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks
(which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in
the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with
products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can
provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired
Ethernet networks used in many offices.
[0126] Turning now to FIG. 5, an embodiment 500 of a mobile network
platform 510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150,
152, 154, 156, and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, mobile
network platform 510 can facilitate in whole or in part modifying
aspects of an extended reality (XR) immersive experience based on
personal preferences, demographics or an existing policy model to
improve the enjoyment of the experience by the user. Communications
including data defining the immersive experience may be provided in
part over mobile network platform 510. In one or more embodiments,
the mobile network platform 510 can generate and receive signals
transmitted and received by base stations or access points such as
base station or access point 122. Generally, mobile network
platform 510 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways,
interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate both
packet-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol (IP), frame relay,
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) and circuit-switched (CS) traffic
(e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networked
wireless telecommunication. As a non-limiting example, mobile
network platform 510 can be included in telecommunications carrier
networks, and can be considered carrier-side components as
discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile network platform 510 comprises
CS gateway node(s) 512 which can interface CS traffic received from
legacy networks like telephony network(s) 540 (e.g., public
switched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobile network
(PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7) network 560. CS gateway
node(s) 512 can authorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice)
arising from such networks. Additionally, CS gateway node(s) 512
can access mobility, or roaming, data generated through SS7 network
560; for instance, mobility data stored in a visited location
register (VLR), which can reside in memory 530. Moreover, CS
gateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and
PS gateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS
gateway node(s) 512 can be realized at least in part in gateway
GPRS support node(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated that
functionality and specific operation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PS
gateway node(s) 518, and serving node(s) 516, is provided and
dictated by radio technologies utilized by mobile network platform
510 for telecommunication over a radio access network 520 with
other devices, such as a radiotelephone 575.
[0127] In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic
and signaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and
authenticate PS-based data sessions with served mobile devices.
Data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with
networks external to the mobile network platform 510, like wide
area network(s) (WANs) 550, enterprise network(s) 570, and service
network(s) 580, which can be embodied in local area network(s)
(LANs), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 510
through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that WANs 550 and
enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at least in part, a service
network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Based on radio
technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) or radio
access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packet data
protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data
structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be
generated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 can
comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG)
in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate
packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such
as Wi-Fi networks.
[0128] In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also
comprises serving node(s) 516 that, based upon available radio
technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) in the radio
access network 520, convey the various packetized flows of data
streams received through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted
that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on CS
communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance
on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s) can embody
at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, in a
3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving
GPRS support node(s) (SGSN).
[0129] For radio technologies that exploit packetized
communication, server(s) 514 in mobile network platform 510 can
execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate
packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule,
queue, format . . . ) such flows. Such application(s) can comprise
add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning,
billing, customer support . . . ) provided by mobile network
platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a
voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gateway node(s)
518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data
session, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter.
In addition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise
utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning
server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server
that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and
firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. In an
aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through
mobile network platform 510 to ensure network's operation and data
integrity in addition to authorization and authentication
procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512 and PS gateway node(s) 518
can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services
from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate
service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or Global Positioning
System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s) can
also provision coverage through networks associated to mobile
network platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same
service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown
in FIG. 1(s) that enhance wireless service coverage by providing
more network coverage.
[0130] It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or
more processors configured to confer at least in part the
functionality of mobile network platform 510. To that end, the one
or more processor can execute code instructions stored in memory
530, for example. It is should be appreciated that server(s) 514
can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially the
same manner as described hereinbefore.
[0131] In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information
related to operation of mobile network platform 510. Other
operational information can comprise provisioning information of
mobile devices served through mobile network platform 510,
subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes,
e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns;
technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication
protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology
layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also store information from at
least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7 network 560, or
enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 can be, for
example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a
remotely connected memory store.
[0132] In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the
disclosed subject matter, FIG. 5, and the following discussion, are
intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable
environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject
matter can be implemented. While the subject matter has been
described above in the general context of computer-executable
instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or
computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination
with other program modules. Generally, program modules comprise
routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform
particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data
types.
[0133] Turning now to FIG. 6, an illustrative embodiment of a
communication device 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can
serve as an illustrative embodiment of devices such as data
terminals 114, mobile devices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144
or other client devices for communication via either communications
network 125. For example, computing device 600 can facilitate in
whole or in part modifying aspects of an extended reality (XR)
immersive experience based on personal preferences, demographics or
an existing policy model to improve the enjoyment of the experience
by the user. Data processing, including processing data defining
the immersive experience may be provided by computing device
600.
[0134] The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or
wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface
(UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion
sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for
managing operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support
short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as
Bluetooth.RTM., ZigBee.RTM., WiFi, DECT, or cellular communication
technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth.RTM. and ZigBee.RTM.
are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth.RTM. Special Interest
Group and the ZigBee.RTM. Alliance, respectively). Cellular
technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA,
GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next
generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. The
transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched
wireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched
wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and
combinations thereof.
[0135] The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive
keypad 608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a
joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations
of the communication device 600. The keypad 608 can be an integral
part of a housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an
independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline
interface (such as a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting
for example Bluetooth.RTM.. The keypad 608 can represent a numeric
keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTY keypad with
alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display 610
such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED
(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology
for conveying images to an end user of the communication device
600. In an embodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a
portion or all of the keypad 608 can be presented by way of the
display 610 with navigation features.
[0136] The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also
serve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch
screen display, the communication device 600 can be adapted to
present a user interface having graphical user interface (GUI)
elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger.
The display 610 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other
forms of sensing technology to detect how much surface area of a
user's finger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen
display. This sensing information can be used to control the
manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the user
interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housing
assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device
communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface
(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.
[0137] The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that
utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as
audio heard in proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio
(such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system
612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals
of an end user. The audio system 612 can also be used for voice
recognition applications. The UI 604 can further include an image
sensor 613 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera for
capturing still or moving images.
[0138] The power supply 614 can utilize common power management
technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply
regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for
supplying energy to the components of the communication device 600
to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications.
Alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize
external power sources such as DC power supplied over a physical
interface such as a USB port or other suitable tethering
technologies.
[0139] The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology
such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of
assisted GPS for identifying a location of the communication device
600 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS
satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services
such as navigation. The motion sensor 618 can utilize motion
sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other
suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the
communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. The
orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology
such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the
communication device 600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as
combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable
orientation metrics).
[0140] The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to
also determine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth.RTM., or
other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as
utilizing a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal
time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The
controller 606 can utilize computing technologies such as a
microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gate
arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video
processor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM,
SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer
instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the
aforementioned components of the communication device 600.
[0141] Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or
more embodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the
communication device 600 can include a slot for adding or removing
an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card
or Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can
be used for identifying subscriber services, executing programs,
storing subscriber data, and so on.
[0142] The terms "first," "second," "third," and so forth, as used
in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity
only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For
instance, "a first determination," "a second determination," and "a
third determination," does not indicate or imply that the first
determination is to be made before the second determination, or
vice versa, etc.
[0143] In the subject specification, terms such as "store,"
"storage," "data store," data storage," "database," and
substantially any other information storage component relevant to
operation and functionality of a component, refer to "memory
components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or components
comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory
components described herein can be either volatile memory or
nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile
memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile
memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage.
Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory
(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM
(EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory.
Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts
as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not
limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM
(SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data
rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM
(SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). Additionally, the
disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are
intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these
and any other suitable types of memory.
[0144] Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter
can be practiced with other computer system configurations,
comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems,
mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal
computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA, phone,
smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.),
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial
electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be
practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are
performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a
communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the
subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a
distributed computing environment, program modules can be located
in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0145] In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of
services can be generated including services being accessed, media
consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. This
information can be obtained by various methods including user
input, detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs.
audio content), analysis of content streams, sampling, and so
forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring of this
information can be responsive to an authorization provided by the
user. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be
subject to authorization from user(s) associated with the data,
such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements,
notifications, selective authorization based on types of data, and
so forth.
[0146] Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ
artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more
features described herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection
with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a
maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication
network) can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out
various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier can be
employed to determine a ranking or priority of each cell site of
the acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an input
attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . , xn), to a confidence
that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence
(class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or
statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis
utilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user
desires to be automatically performed. A support vector machine
(SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM
operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs,
which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria
from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the
classification correct for testing data that is near, but not
identical to training data. Other directed and undirected model
classification approaches comprise, e.g., naive Bayes, Bayesian
networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and
probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of
independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is
inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop
models of priority.
[0147] As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the
embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained
(e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained
(e.g., via observing UE behavior, operator preferences, historical
information, receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs
can be configured via a learning or training phase within a
classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the
classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a
number of functions, including but not limited to determining
according to predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell
sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of
the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing
communication network coverage, etc.
[0148] As used in some contexts in this application, in some
embodiments, the terms "component," "system" and the like are
intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an
entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more
specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either
hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or
software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is
not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a
processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,
computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By
way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running
on a server and the server can be a component. One or more
components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution
and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed
between two or more computers. In addition, these components can
execute from various computer readable media having various data
structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local
and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having
one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting
with another component in a local system, distributed system,
and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via
the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus
with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated
by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a
software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein
the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and
executes at least a part of the software or firmware application.
As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that
provides specific functionality through electronic components
without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a
processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at
least in part the functionality of the electronic components. While
various components have been illustrated as separate components, it
will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as
a single component, or a single component can be implemented as
multiple components, without departing from example
embodiments.
[0149] Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a
method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard
programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer
to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term "article of
manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer
program accessible from any computer-readable device or
computer-readable storage/communications media. For example,
computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited
to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,
magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital
versatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,
card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art will
recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration
without departing from the scope or spirit of the various
embodiments.
[0150] In addition, the words "example" and "exemplary" are used
herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any
embodiment or design described herein as "example" or "exemplary"
is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example
or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.
As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an
inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless
specified otherwise or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is
intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That
is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X
employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances.
In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application
and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one
or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be
directed to a singular form.
[0151] Moreover, terms such as "user equipment," "mobile station,"
"mobile," subscriber station," "access terminal," "terminal,"
"handset," "mobile device" (and/or terms representing similar
terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a
subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive
or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or
substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoing
terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the
related drawings.
[0152] Furthermore, the terms "user," "subscriber," "customer,"
"consumer" and the like are employed interchangeably throughout,
unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. It
should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities
or automated components supported through artificial intelligence
(e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex
mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound
recognition and so forth.
[0153] As employed herein, the term "processor" can refer to
substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising,
but not limited to comprising, single-core processors;
single-processors with software multithread execution capability;
multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software
multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with
hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel
platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor
can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a
field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic
controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a
discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or
any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described
herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as,
but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors,
switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance
performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented
as a combination of computing processing units.
[0154] As used herein, terms such as "data storage," data storage,"
"database," and substantially any other information storage
component relevant to operation and functionality of a component,
refer to "memory components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or
components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the
memory components or computer-readable storage media, described
herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can
include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.
[0155] What has been described above includes mere examples of
various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe
every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for
purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in
the art can recognize that many further combinations and
permutations of the present embodiments are possible. Accordingly,
the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to
embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that
fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in
either the detailed description or the claims, such term is
intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term
"comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a
transitional word in a claim.
[0156] In addition, a flow diagram may include a "start" and/or
"continue" indication. The "start" and "continue" indications
reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in
or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this
context, "start" indicates the beginning of the first step
presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically
shown. Further, the "continue" indication reflects that the steps
presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded
by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow
diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings
are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are
maintained.
[0157] As may also be used herein, the term(s) "operably coupled
to", "coupled to", and/or "coupling" includes direct coupling
between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or
more intervening items. Such items and intervening items include,
but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components,
circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. As
an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first
item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening
items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a
signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal
are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the
second item. In a further example of indirect coupling, an action
in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a
result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening
items.
[0158] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement
which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for
the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. The
subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or
variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above
embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described
herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. For instance, one or
more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one
or more features of one or more other embodiments. In one or more
embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be
negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without
replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The
steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the
subject disclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or
functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject
disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other
steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other
embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the
subject disclosure. Further, more than or less than all of the
features described with respect to an embodiment can also be
utilized.
* * * * *