User/object interactions in an augmented reality environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9921641-B1
Application number	US-201113158022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 10, 2011
Priority date	Jun 10, 2011
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An augmented reality environment allows interaction between virtual and real objects. By monitoring user actions with the augmented reality environment various functions are provided to users. Users may buy or sell items with a gesture, check inventory of objects in the augmented reality environment, view advertisements, and so forth.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An augmented reality system comprising:
a processor;
a projector coupled to the processor and configured to generate structured light within an environment;
a camera coupled to the processor and configured to receive a portion of the structured light that has been reflected off one or more objects in the environment;
a tracking and control module coupled to the processor and configured to:
identify, using the portion of the structured light, a user;
determine, using the portion of the structured light, a gesture generated by the user;
identify an interaction with a physical object of the one or more objects in the environment based, at least in part, on a determination that the gesture is made towards the physical object;
cause information based on the interaction to be output;
identify, based at least in part on the information, a different physical object;
associate the gesture with the different physical object; and
determine a price for the different physical object;
a user interface module coupled to the processor and configured to:
generate, using the projector, an indication of the different physical object and the price, the indication being visually perceptible in the environment; and
a transaction module coupled to the processor and configured to generate an offer for sale of the different physical object based at least in part upon the gesture.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the physical object comprises an audio output device, the information comprises an advertisement output by the audio output device, and the advertisement advertises the different physical object.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the price comprises an offer price at which the different physical object is to be offered for acquisition.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gesture comprises one or more motions of the user that occur at least in part in free space free from contact with other physical objects within a pre-determined period of time.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transaction module is further configured to provide the offer to a marketplace.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transaction module is further configured to store at least a portion of the offer in a transaction datastore.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transaction module is further configured to:
identify a user issuing the pre-determined gesture; and
determine an authorization level of the user;
and wherein the offer is generated at least partly in response to determining that the authorization level of the user, authorizes the generating of the offer.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
causing augmented reality data to be captured from a camera;
identifying, using the augmented reality data, a first user;
identifying, using the augmented reality data, a pre-determined sell gesture, made by the user in an environment, comprising one or more motions that occur at least in part in free space free from contact with objects in the environment; and
at least partly in response to the identifying of the pre-determined sell gesture:
identifying a subset of the objects in the environment, the subset comprising a first physical object and a second physical object;
generating a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator designating the first physical object in the environment and the second indicator designating the second physical object in the environment;
identifying a selection gesture, indicating a selection by the user of the first physical object from among the first physical object and the second physical object;
determining an offer price at which to offer the first physical object for acquisition at least in part by generating an appraisal of a value associated with the first physical object;
indicating the offer price at which to offer the first physical object for acquisition; and
generating an offer for the first physical object.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , the offer comprising an offer to transfer property rights associated with the first physical object.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising:
accessing ownership rights for the physical object, wherein the ownership rights include first ownership rights that indicate first property rights for a first user and second ownership rights that indicate second property rights for a second user; and
determining, based at least on the first ownership rights, that the first user holds property rights that allow the first physical object to be sold by the first user.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein the first indicator comprises a projected image proximate to the first physical object and the second indicator comprises a projected image proximate to the second physical object.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein one or more attributes of the first indicator are in proportion to a purchase price of the first physical object.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , wherein one or more attributes of the first indicator are in proportion to the offer price of the first physical object.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the one or more attributes comprise size, brightness, color, intensity, or a combination thereof.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising queuing offers from one or more unauthorized users for confirmation by an authorized user.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising providing the offer to a marketplace.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising modifying the first indicator designating the first physical object when local availability of the object exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising ordering shipping materials.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the first ownership rights differ from the second ownership rights.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 , further comprising determining a location of the first physical object, and storing the location of the first physical object.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
causing augmented reality data to be captured from a camera;
identifying, based at least in part on the augmented reality data, a pre-determined sell gesture made by associated with a user in an environment;
at least partly based on identifying the pre-determined sell gesture, identifying a first object in the environment and a second object in the environment;
generating a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator designating the first object in the environment and the second indicator designating the second object in the environment;
identifying a selection gesture indicating a selection by the user of the fi

Assignees

• Worley Iii William Spencer
• Coley Christopher
• Yuan Robert A
• Crump Edward Dietz
• Cederlof Colter E
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Worley Iii William Spencer
• Coley Christopher
• Yuan Robert A
• Crump Edward Dietz
• Cederlof Colter E

Classifications

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G06T19/006

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

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G01B11/25

  by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50}) · CPC title