Patent Arcade: augmented reality

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U.S. Patent No. 8,764,563: Video Game superimposing virtual characters on user supplied phot used as game screen background

posted 10/23/2018 10:00:00 AM by Patent Arcade Staff

U.S. Patent No. 8,764,563: Video Game superimposing virtual characters on user supplied phot used as game screen background

Issued July 1, 2014, to Bandai Namco Entertainment, Inc.

Priority Date: March 24, 2009

Summary:

The Nintendo DSi was the fourth iteration of the Nintendo DS design. Unlike, previous models, the DSi featured two VGA (0.3-megapixel) digital cameras. One camera pointed toward the user while the second camera pointed away. The cameras allowed for augmented reality games to be played on the DSi and U.S. Patent No. 8,764,563 describes one such game.

Players use the DSi's cameras to take photographs of real objects. The picture appears on the bottom screen of the DSi while the game analyzes it for recognizable shapes or openings. If the photograph contained a house, the game would look for windows and doors. Based on the analysis, the game will cause characters to appear from those shapes or openings so that a ghost might appear from a window. The player taps on the characters to gain points.

Abstract:

A feature image area that has a similar feature (e.g., quadrangular outline) is extracted from an original two-dimensional image photographed by a player. When a game has started, the original two-dimensional image is displayed as the background of a game stage, and a target character 4 is caused to appear or disappear from the extracted feature image area at a random appearance frequency and a random appearance speed. When the player has touched the target character 4, points are added to the score of the player.

Illustrative Claim:

1. A method comprising: detecting an image area that satisfies a feature image area condition from a photographed image, the feature image area condition being a condition to detect an image area that has an outline of a given shape and satisfies a proper size condition; displaying the photographed image on a touch panel; selecting character type based on at least one of a color of the image area and a size of the image area; displaying a character of the selected character type on the photographed image in a manner such that the character appears to emerge from the image area; and incrementing a score linked to the character that has appeared from the image area when a user inputs a touch operation on the character, wherein the detecting, the selecting, the displaying the character, and the incrementing are performed by a hardware processor.

U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849: Augmented reality playspaces with adaptive game rules

posted 9/04/2018 10:00:00 AM by Patent Arcade Staff

U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849: Augmented reality playspaces with adaptive game rules

Issued September 27, 2016, to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Summary:

U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849 (the ‘849 Patent) describes a method for generating a virtual gaming environment based on real-world objects. The patent describes a scenario where a player puts on an augmented reality head set and begins to travel around the real world. During the player’s travels, he may encounter monsters or puzzles which is generated by the headset. The headset will generate the monsters based on the real world environment surrounding the player. For example, a player in a forest is more likely to encounter a forest monster than an ocean monster. While wearing the headset, players will be able to interact with both real objects and virtual objects. Virtual objects will be created based on a variety of factors, including the real world environment.

Abstract:

A system for generating a virtual gaming environment based on features identified within a real-world environment, and adapting the virtual gaming environment over time as the features identified within the real-world environment change is described. Utilizing the technology described, a person wearing a head-mounted display device (HMD) may walk around a real-world environment and play a virtual game that is adapted to that real-world environment. For example, the HMD may identify environmental features within a real-world environment such as five grassy areas and two cars, and then spawn virtual monsters based on the location and type of the environmental features identified. The location and type of the environmental features identified may vary depending on the particular real-world environment in which the HMD exists and therefore each virtual game may look different depending on the particular real-world environment.

Illustrative Claim:

1. A method for generating an augmented reality environment, comprising: generating one or more virtual objects associated with a computing application using a mobile device, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object: identifying one or more real-world objects within a first real-world environment that are of a particular type; acquiring a computing application requirement that a particular number of real-world objects of the particular type be identified within the first real-world environment from the computing application; determining that a number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application; adjusting the one or more virtual objects in response to determining that the number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object that moves within the augmented reality environment; detecting a particular sound using the mobile device; determining a distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device; setting a degree of transparency for the first virtual object based on the distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device in response to detecting the particular sound; generating one or more images associated with the first virtual object based on the degree of transparency; and displaying on the mobile device the one or more images, the one or more images are displayed such that the first virtual object is perceived to exist within the augmented reality environment.

Sony files IPR Petition against 3D Stereoscopy Patent

posted 5/16/2018 02:47:00 PM by Kirk Sigmon

On May 15, 2018, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“Sony”) filed a petition for Inter Partes review (“IPR”) of U.S. Patent No. 7,666,096 (the “’096 Patent”). The owner of the ’096 Patent is Techno View IP, Inc. (“Techno View”). The ’096 Patent generally relates to hardware and software for displaying stereoscopic images (e.g., by providing different images that are offset from a user’s left and right eyes to create a three-dimensional effect). While not explicitly discussed in the petition, the IPR is likely related to Sony’s Playstation VR system.

Claim 1 of the ’096 Patent reads:

1. A method of displaying images in a videogame system that supports two-dimensional and three-dimensional display of the images, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:
clearing left and right backbuffers in the videogame system;
storing an image into the left backbuffer;
determining if the image is in a two-dimensional format or a three-dimensional format, wherein when the image is in a three-dimensional format, calculating the coordinates of a second view position of the image and storing a second view position image into the right backbuffer;
displaying the image stored in the left backbuffer onto one or more displays when the image is in a two-dimensional format; and
simultaneously displaying the images stored in the left and right backbuffers onto the one or more displays to create a three dimensional perspective of the image to a user when the image is in a three-dimensional format.

This isn’t the first IPR that Sony has filed regarding stereoscopy. Back in February, Sony filed an IPR petition against U.S. Patent No. 9,503,742, which relates to stereoscopic image decoding via data compression.

This filing is a great example of a defendants using IPRs to attack patents asserted in litigation. Per Sony’s IPR petition, the ’096 Patent is involved in a patent infringement lawsuit (No. 8:17-CV-01268) filed by Techno View in the Central District of California against Sony. The ’096 Patent was also asserted by Techno View against Sony in a U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware suit on May 15, 2017, though that case was dismissed. Techno View has apparently also asserted the ’096 Patent against Oculus VR, LLC and Facebook, Inc.

Pokémon GO Creator Niantic, Inc. sued for Augmented Reality Patent Infringement

posted 1/31/2018 10:40:00 AM by Kirk Sigmon

On January 30, 2018, Barbaro Technologies, LLC (“Barbaro”) sued Niantic, Inc. (“Niantic”) for the alleged infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,373,377 and 8,228,325. Barbaro’s asserted patents are generally directed to integrating real-world information (e.g., a real-world geographic location) with an augmented reality environment. Barbaro specifically asserts that both Niantic’s Pokémon GO and Ingress infringe the asserted patents.

Claim 1 of the ’377 Patent reads:

1. A method of integrating real-time information into a virtual thematic environment using a computer system including a client and a server, comprising:
providing a graphics user interface (GUI) module for use in the client system;
providing a quantum imaging environment (QIE) module in one of the client or the server system;
providing a digital logic library in one of the client or the server system;
providing a primary application in the client system;
providing a first user interface that is associated with the primary application;
sending a request for first real-time information via the QIE module to the world wide web;
obtaining the first real-time information via the world wide web;
downloading the first real-time information from the world wide web into the primary application;
providing access to the first real-time information within the virtual thematic environment via the first user interface;
providing at least one secondary application within the primary application at the client system;
sending a request for second real-time information via the QIE module;
obtaining the second real-time information via the world wide web;
downloading the second real-time information into the secondary application;
enabling a user to access the at least one secondary application through the first user interface; and
enabling the user to control the at least one secondary application through a second user interface.

Niantic, which was spun off from Google, Inc. (“Google”), may have been aware of the Barbaro patents as early as 2006. Per Barbaro, around October 26, 2006, Barbaro sent Google’s Deputy General Counsel a copy of patent publications that led to the issuance of Barbaro’s asserted patents. Google, Inc. allegedly acknowledged the letter but “refused to discuss the matter before the patent issued.” No further detail regarding exchanges between Barbaro and Google are provided in the complaint.

This is case 2:18-CV-00773 in the District Court for Central District of California. We will track it and keep you apprised of significant updates.

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