Systems and methods for docking virtual objects with virtual displays

1 . A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform operations for docking virtual objects to virtual display screens in an extended reality environment, the operations comprising:

generating virtual content for presentation via a wearable extended reality appliance, where the virtual content includes a virtual display screen and a plurality of virtual objects located outside the virtual display screen;

receiving a selection of at least one virtual object from the plurality of virtual objects;

docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen without displaying any part of the at least one virtual object on the virtual display screen;

after docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen, receiving an input indicative of an intent to change a location of the virtual display screen without an expression of an intent to move the at least one virtual object;

changing the location of the virtual display screen in response to the input; and

wherein changing the location of the virtual display screen, causes the at least one virtual object to move with the virtual display screen as a result of the docking of the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen.

2 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include causing the at least one virtual object to move from a first location to a second location, wherein a spatial orientation of the at least one virtual object relative to the virtual display screen in the second location corresponds to an original spatial orientation of the at least one virtual object relative to the virtual display screen in the first location.

3 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein, after docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen, the operations further include:

receiving a first user-initiated input for triggering a change in the location of the virtual display screen and for triggering a change in the location of the at least one virtual object;

receiving a second user-initiated input for triggering a change in the location of the virtual display screen, wherein the second user-initiated input excludes a trigger for a change in the location of the at least one virtual object;

changing the location of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in response to the first user-initiated input; and

changing the location of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in response to the second user-initiated input.

4 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3 , wherein the operations further include receiving a third user-initiated input that triggers a change in the location of the at least one virtual object but excludes change in the location of the virtual display screen, and changing the location of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in response to the third user-initiated input.

5 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen opens a communications link between the at least one virtual object and the virtual display screen for exchanging data, and wherein the operations further include retrieving data from the at least one virtual object via the communications link and displaying the retrieved data on the virtual display screen.

6 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein a duration of association between the at least one virtual object and the virtual display screen is time-dependent.

7 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the operations further include:

moving the at least one virtual object with the virtual display screen during a first time period, in response to a change in the location of the virtual display screen during the first time period; and

dissociating the at least one virtual object from the virtual display screen during a second time period different from the first time period, in response to a second change in the location of the virtual display screen during the second time period.

8 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein selectively moving the at least one virtual object with the virtual display screen is geolocation-dependent.

9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the operations further include:

causing the at least one virtual object to move with the virtual display screen upon detection of the wearable extended reality appliance at a first geolocation; and

disassociating the at least one virtual object from the virtual display screen upon detection of the wearable extended reality appliance at a second geolocation, different from the first geolocation.

10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:

receiving a selection of an additional virtual object from the plurality of virtual objects;

docking the additional virtual object to the at least one virtual object;

after docking the additional virtual object to the at least one virtual object, receiving a second input, the second input is indicative of a second intent to change the location of the virtual display screen without an expression of a second intent to move either the at least one virtual object or the additional virtual object;

changing the location of the virtual display screen in response to the second input; and

wherein changing the location of the virtual display screen causes the at least one virtual object and the additional virtual object to move with the virtual display screen as a result of the docking of the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen and the docking of the additional virtual object to the at least one virtual object.

11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:

docking the virtual display screen to a physical object;

after docking the virtual display screen to the physical object, analyzing image data captured by the wearable extended reality appliance to determine a movement of the physical object; and

changing the locations of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in response to the determined movement of the physical object.

12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the physical object is an input device, and the operations further include changing orientations of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in response to the determined movement of the physical object.

13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the docking of the virtual display screen to the physical object takes place before the docking of the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen, and the operations further include receiving input for undocking the virtual display screen from the physical object, and automatically undocking the at least one virtual object from the virtual display screen.

14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the operations further include avoiding changing the locations of the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object when the determined movement of the physical object is smaller than a selected threshold.

15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include displaying the virtual display screen on a first virtual surface and displaying the at least one virtual object on a second surface that at least partially coincides with the first surface.

16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the at least one virtual object selected from the plurality of virtual objects includes a first virtual object displayed on a first surface and a second virtual object displayed on a second surface that at least partially coincides with the first surface.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further include changing plane cursor movement between the first and second surfaces.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:

analyzing image data captured by the wearable extended reality appliance to detect a real world event at least partly occluded by at least the virtual display screen and a particular virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects, the particular virtual object differs than the at least one virtual object; and

in response to the detection of the real world event at least partly occluded by at least the virtual display screen and the particular virtual object, moving the virtual display screen and the at least one virtual object in a first direction, and moving the particular virtual object in a second direction, the second direction differs from the first direction.

19 . A method for docking virtual objects to virtual display screens in an extended reality environment, the method comprising:

generating virtual content for presentation via a wearable extended reality appliance, where the virtual content includes a virtual display screen and a plurality of virtual objects located outside the virtual display screen;

receiving a selection of at least one virtual object from the plurality of virtual objects;

docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen without displaying any part of the at least one virtual object on the virtual display screen;

after docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen, receiving an input indicative of an intent to change a location of the virtual display screen without an expression of an intent to move the at least one virtual object;

changing the location of the virtual display screen in response to the input; and

wherein changing the location of the virtual display screen, causes the at least one virtual object to move with the virtual display screen as a result of the docking of the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen.

20 . A system for docking virtual objects to virtual display screens in an extended reality environment, the system comprising:

at least one processor configured to:

generate virtual content for presentation via a wearable extended reality appliance, where the virtual content includes a virtual display screen and a plurality of virtual objects located outside the virtual display screen;

receive a selection of at least one virtual object from the plurality of virtual objects;

dock the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen without displaying any part of the at least one virtual object on the virtual display screen;

after docking the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen, receiving an input indicative of an intent to change a location of the virtual display screen without an expression of an intent to move the at least one virtual object;

change the location of the virtual display screen in response to the input; and

wherein changing the location of the virtual display screen, causes the at least one virtual object to move with the virtual display screen as a result of the docking of the at least one virtual object to the virtual display screen.