Virtual prop allocation method, server, client, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019342620-A1
Application number	US-201916511614-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 15, 2019
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Nov 7, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A server may divide a map into a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each of the cells corresponding to different geographic areas represented on the map. The server may determine geographic locations for a plurality of virtual props, respectively. The server may determine cells for the virtual props based on the geographic locations for placement of the virtual props. The server may obtain a current geographic location of a client. The server may identify a cell of the grid corresponding to the current geographic location of the client. The server may determine the identified cell is associated a virtual prop included in the virtual props. The server may allocate in response to the identified cell being associated with the virtual prop, the virtual prop to the client. The client receive prompt information indicative of the virtual prop being allocated to the client.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
dividing, by a server, a map into a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each of the cells corresponding to different geographic areas represented on the map; determining, by the server, geographic locations for a plurality of virtual props, respectively; determining, by the server, the cells are associated with the virtual props based on the geographic locations for placement of the virtual props; obtaining, by the server, a current geographic location of a client; identifying, by the server, a cell of the grid corresponding to the current geographic location of the client; determining, by the server, the identified cell is associated a virtual prop included in the virtual props; and allocating, by the server, in response to the identified cell being associated with the virtual prop, the virtual prop to the client.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the server, location prompt information for at least one of the virtual props proximate to the identified cell corresponding to the current geographic location of the client; and sending, by the server, the location prompt information to the client.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the location prompt information for the at least one of the virtual props proximate to the identified cell corresponding to the current geographic location of the client further comprises:
gradually traversing, by the server, the cells by starting with cells adjacent to the identified cell corresponding to the client until a traversing scope criteria is satisfied; and marking, by the server, the traversed cells in response to the traversed cells being mapped to at least one of the virtual props.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the server, a streaming video sent by the client; determining, by the server, an identifier of a target virtual prop that is indicated by the client; determining, by the server, a position of a streamer portrait in the streaming video; generating, by the server, a target image by superimposing an image of the target virtual prop corresponding to the identifier onto the streaming video based on the position of the streamer portrait in the streaming video; and sending, by the server, the target image to a viewer client.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining the position of the streamer portrait in the streaming video comprises:
detecting, by the server, an edge of the streamer portrait in a frame of the streaming video based on an edge detection technology; obtain an edge position of the streamer portrait in a frame of the streaming video; determining, based on a motion detection technology, a body position of the streamer portrait in the frame of the streaming video; and determining a position of the streamer portrait in the frame of the streaming video based on the edge position and the body position of the streamer portrait in each frame of streaming video image.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the server, in response to positioning service being disabled, an angle a camera of the client relative to the virtual prop; determining, by the server, whether the angle is within an angle range; allocating, by the server, the virtual prop to a streamer client in response to the angle being in the angle range; and prompting, by the server, in response to the angle not being in the angle range, the client to correct a direction of the camera until the angle is adjusted to be in the angle range.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, by the server, the current geographic location of the client and a geographic location the virtual prop to the client; and causing, by the server, the client to draw a radar map according to the current geographic location of the client and the geographic location for the virtual prop, wherein the radar map is marked with a distance and a direction of the virtual prop relative to the client.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the server, a frame of streaming video; extracting, by the server, a streamer portrait in the frame of streaming video; sending, by the server, the streamer portrait extracted from the frame of streaming video to a viewer client; and causing, by the server, the viewer client to superimpose the streamer portrait on an image of a palm of a viewer in captured frames of a viewer video.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the server, the geographic locations for the plurality of virtual props, respectively, further comprises:
obtaining, by the server, a virtual prop placement request sent by a viewer client, wherein the virtual prop placement request indicates the virtual prop and a geographic location for placement; and determining, by the server, the geographic location for the virtual prop according to the virtual prop placement request.

10 . A method, comprising:
reporting, by a client, a geographic location identifier to a server, the geographic location identifier corresponding to a current geographic location of a client; and receiving, by the client, in response to determination, by the server, that a virtual prop is associated with a cell corresponding to the current geographic location of the client in a map, prompt information indicative of the virtual prop being allocated to the client, wherein the map is divided into a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each of the cells being associated with corresponding geographic area and a geographic location for placement of at least one of a plurality of virtual props.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, by the client, location prompt information for the virtual prop in response to the client being in proximity to the virtual prop, wherein the location prompt information is determined by the server according to a first cell corresponding to the geographic location of the client and the a second cell corresponding to the geographic location of the virtual prop; or receiving, by the client, the current geographic location of the client and a geographic location the virtual prop that are sent by the server, and drawing a radar map according to the current geographic location of the client and the geographic location for the virtual prop, wherein the radar map is marked with a distance and a direction of the virtual prop relative to the client.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, by the client, a positioning service is disabled on the client; obtaining, by the client, in response to the positioning service being disabled, the prompt information by the server, the prompt information indicative of the virtual prop being allocated to the client in response to an angle being within an angle range for virtual prop allocation; and obtaining, by the client, prompt information that sent by the server, the prompt information comprising an instruction to adjust a photographing direction of a camera until the angle is within the angle range.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the client, a streamer portrait extracted from a frame of streaming video; capturing, by the client, a frame of viewer video; and determining, by the client, a position of a palm of a viewer in a frame of the viewer video; and superimposing, by the client, the streamer portrait onto the palm of the viewer in each frame of viewer image based on the position of the palm of the viewer in the frame of the viewer video.

14 . A server, comprising:

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yan Yi

Classifications

• H04N21/25841

  involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00) · CPC title

• H04N21/44

  Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs · CPC title

• H04N21/2743

  Video hosting of uploaded data from client · CPC title

• H04N21/6543

  for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4524

  involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00) · CPC title