Bridging Physical and Virtual Spaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025150498-A1
Application number	US-202519012203-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 7, 2025
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for bridging virtual and physical spaces are described. In some of these examples, a particular communicant's real world state drives changes in one or more of the communications connections, virtual state, and communications interface of the particular communicant or another communicant.

First claim

1 .- 69 . (canceled)

70 . A method implemented by one or more computers, the method comprising:
tracking a current real-world location of a user in a physical place comprising real-world geographic regions each of which is associated with a virtual interactive customer service; based on a determination that the current real-world location of the user is in a respective one of the real-world geographic regions of the physical place, establishing a presence for the user in a customer service virtual area and automatically notifying a customer service representative who is available, to join the user in the customer service virtual area, wherein (A) the customer service virtual area (i) represents a physical room, and (ii) includes definitions of geometry that represent at least a geographic perimeter of the physical room of the customer service virtual area, and (B) the user is not actually located in the physical room represented by the virtual area; to a network node associated with the user, transmitting data representing the tracked current real-world location of the user in the physical place, wherein the data when received and processed by the network node causes the network node to display a first representation of the user on the network node in a map view concurrently with a view of the customer service virtual area, wherein the view of the customer service virtual area (i) is distinct from the map view, (ii) displays a virtual environment that includes a displayed second representation of the user in the virtual area, (iii) is associated with real time communications between the established presence of the user and the customer service representative in the customer service virtual area, and (iv) displays a real world location of the user while the user is in the customer service virtual area; and based on a determination that the user and the customer service representative are copresent in the customer service virtual area, administering a network connection supporting realtime communications between a network node associated with the customer service representative and the network node associated with the user to enable the user and the customer service representative to communicate with each other in the customer service virtual area and the customer service representative to guide the user to a particular physical location using the tracked current real-world location of the user.

71 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising providing access to a self-help resource that provides information to resolve an issue relating to the physical place; and the administering comprises administering a network connection between the self-help resource and the network node associated with the user.

72 . The method of claim 71 , wherein the self-help resource is a network-based source of information relating to products associated with the physical place.

73 . The method of claim 72 , wherein the self-help resource provides information enabling the user to perform tasks comprising one or more of identifying products, checking product availability, comparing different products, submitting queries to and receiving query responses from a knowledgebase, reading user guides, and reading FAQs.

74 . The method of claim 71 , further comprising depicting the self-help resource in the virtual area view on a viewscreen object.

75 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising:
maintaining and managing lists of issues; and issuing the user a new ticket that tracks a particular issue and schedule support for the particular issue.

76 . The method of claim 75 , further comprising, responsive to issuance of the new ticket, automatically sending a notification of the particular issue to the customer service representative.

77 . The method of claim 70 , wherein the customer service representative is a communicant.

78 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising, based on the user's current location in the respective real-world geographic region, automatically sending to the customer service representative a notification to join the user in the customer service virtual area.

79 . The method of claim 70 , wherein the notifying comprises notifying the customer service representative that the user is present in the customer service virtual area.

80 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising depicting in the customer service virtual area a respective object that is associated with a respective link that references a respective network resource providing information relating to contents of the respective real-world geographic region of the physical place.

81 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising associating one or more customer service representatives with respective ones of the real-world geographic regions of the physical place.

82 . The method of claim 81 , further comprising, responsive to movement of the user into a particular one of the real-world geographic regions of the physical place, automatically notifying a respective one of the customer service representatives associated with the particular real-world geographic region to join the user in the customer service virtual area.

83 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising, based on the tracked current real-world location of the user in a respective one of the real-world geographic regions of the physical place, automatically moving the presence of the user to the D respective customer service virtual area that is associated with the real-world geographic region in which the user currently is located.

84 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising displaying, to the network node associated with the user, transmitting a map view depicting the tracked current real-world location of the user in relation to the real-world geographic regions of the physical place.

85 . The method of claim 84 , further comprising depicting on the network node in the map view aisles and rows between shelves arranged in a layout, wherein the real-world geographic regions correspond to respective shelf locations between intersections of respective ones of the aisles and rows.

86 . The method of claim 70 , further comprising, responsive to a request received from the network node of the user to locate a particular item in the physical place, transmitting to the network node of the user instructions for displaying an indicator in the map view that shows where the particular item is located in relation to the real-world geographic regions of the physical place.

87 . The method of claim 70 , wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting instructions, wherein the instructions when received and processed by the network node cause the network node to concurrently display on the network node of the user the map view and the customer service virtual area view in a graphical user interface.

88 . An apparatus in a network communications environment comprising a non-transitory memory storing processor-readable instructions, and a processor coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising:
tracking a current real-world location of a user in a physical place comprising real-world geographic regions each of which is associated with a virtual interactive customer service; based on a determination that the current real-world location of the user is in a respective one of the real-world geographic regions of the physical place, establishing a presence for the user in a customer

Assignees

• Sococo Inc

Inventors

• Van Wie David
• Brody Paul J
• Jennings Joseph W

Classifications

• H04N7/157

  defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents (computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827) · CPC title

• H04M2242/30

  Determination of the location of a subscriber · CPC title

• H04M3/567

  Multimedia conference systems · CPC title

• H04L12/1827

  Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation · CPC title

• H04L12/1822

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title