Synchronization in a multiuser experience

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12177274-B2
Application number	US-202418410466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2024
Priority date	Sep 24, 2020
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

Facilitating collaboration in a multiuser communication session includes detecting initiation of an interaction between a user of a first device and a virtual object in a multiuser communication session, where the first device and a second device are active in the multiuser communication session, and where state information is synchronized among the first device and second device in the multiuser communication session. In accordance with detecting the initiation of an interaction between the user and the virtual object, synchronization of state information is suspended by the first device, where the state information is related to the interaction between the user and the virtual object. A representation of the multiuser communication session at the first device and a representation of the multiuser communication session at the second device are inconsistent in accordance with the suspended synchronization of the state information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating collaboration in a multiuser communication session, comprising:
providing, at a first device, a first representation of a multiuser communication session in which the first device and a second device are active;
synchronizing the first representation of the multiuser communication session at the first device with a second representation of the multiuser communication session at the second device by providing, to the second device, state information for the first representation of the multiuser communication session, wherein components of the multiuser communication session are presented consistently among the first device and the second device in accordance with the synchronization;
detecting, at the first device, initiation of an interaction in the first representation of the multiuser communication session satisfying a synchronization suspension criterion; and
in accordance with detecting the initiation of the interaction satisfying the synchronization suspension criterion, ceasing to provide the state information to the second device to suspend synchronization, wherein the components of the first representation of the multiuser communication session and the second representation of the multiuser communication session are inconsistently presented in accordance with the first device ceasing to provide the state information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information comprises object state information associated with a presentation state of a virtual object in the multiuser communication session.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information comprises user state information, the method further comprising:
in accordance with detecting a change in location of a user of the first device, transmitting updated user state information associated with an updated location to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with detecting completion of the interaction, obtaining updated state information for the second device; and
presenting an updated representation of the multiuser communication session in accordance with the updated state information for the second device.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
further in accordance with detecting completion of the interaction, obtaining an updated presentation state for a third device active in the multiuser communication session.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein presenting the updated representation comprises:
interpolating one or more intermediary frames between a current representation of the multiuser communication session at the first device and an updated representation of the multiuser communication session for the second device.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the completion of the interaction is detected based on determining an elapsed time since the interaction satisfies a predetermined threshold.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code executable by one or more processors to:
provide, at a first device, a first representation of a multiuser communication session in which the first device and a second device are active;
synchronize the first representation of the multiuser communication session at the first device with a second representation of the multiuser communication session at the second device by providing, to the second device, state information for the first representation of the multiuser communication session, wherein components of the multiuser communication session are presented consistently among the first device and the second device in accordance with the synchronization;
detect, at the first device, initiation of an interaction in the first representation of the multiuser communication session satisfying a synchronization suspension criterion; and
in accordance with detecting the initiation of the interaction satisfying the synchronization suspension criterion, cease providing the state information to the second device to suspend synchronization, wherein the components of the first representation of the multiuser communication session and the second representation of the multiuser communication session are inconsistently presented in accordance with the first device ceasing to provide the state information.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer readable code to:
in accordance with detecting completion of the interaction and determining that the first device is authorized to globally update a state of the multiuser communication session, transmit a current state of the first representation of the multiuser communication session for the first device to the second device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer readable code to:
in accordance with detecting the initiation of the interaction, transmit an indication of the suspended synchronization of the state information to the second device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the interaction comprises an interaction between a user of the first device and a virtual object, and wherein a representation of the user and the virtual object in the multiuser communication session at the second device is inconsistent with the interaction of the user and the virtual object in accordance with the suspended synchronization of the state information.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer readable code to:
in accordance with a detection of a commit action by the first device, providing additional state information for the first device, wherein the first representation of the multiuser communication session is configured to be synchronized with the second representation of the multiuser communication session in accordance with the additional state information.

13. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer-readable code executable by the one or more processors to:
provide, at a first device, a first representation of a multiuser communication session in which the first device and a second device are active;
synchronize the first representation of the multiuser communication session at the first device with a second representation of the multiuser communication session at the second device by providing, to the second device, state information for the first representation of the multiuser communication session, wherein components of the multiuser communication session are presented consistently among the first device and the second device in accordance with the synchronization;
detect, at the first device, initiation of an interaction in the first representation of the multiuser communication session satisfying a synchronization suspension criterion; and
in accordance with detecting the initiation of the interaction satisfying the synchronization suspension criterion, cease providing the state information to the second device to suspend synchronization, wherein the components of the first representation of the multiuser communication session and the second representation of the multiuser communication session are inconsistently presented in accordance with the first device ceasing to provide the state information.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the state information comprises object state information associated with a presentation state of a virtual object in the multiuser communication session.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the state information comprises user s

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Deliz Centeno Luis R
• Cerra Joseph P

Classifications

• G06T2219/024

  Multi-user, collaborative environment · CPC title

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G06T7/70

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• H04L12/1827

  Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation · CPC title

• H04L51/18

  Commands or executable codes · CPC title