IP Library Granted Patent US 11,144,759
Granted Patent B1
US 11,144,759 · App. 15/930,354 · Granted Oct 12, 2021

Presentation of graphical objects on display based on input from rear-facing camera

Inventors: Nathan Andrew Hatfield (Raleigh, NC); Jonathan Co Lee (Cary, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
G06K9/00671H04W12/33G02B27/0172G02B2027/014G02B2027/0138G02B2027/0141
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,144,759
App. No.
15/930,354
Granted
Oct 12, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

A rear-facing camera may be disposed on a headset or other device. Input from the rear-facing camera may be used to present graphical objects on a display of the headset, such as breadcrumbs indicating previous movement of the headset and/or a virtual tether to a device different from the headset.

Claims (45)

1. A headset, comprising:

at least one processor;

a rear-facing camera accessible to the at least one processor;

a transparent display accessible to the at least one processor; and

storage accessible to the at least one processor and comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

receive input from the rear-facing camera; and

based on the input, present a feed from the rear-facing camera on the transparent display along with a virtual tether, the virtual tether moving clockwise and counterclockwise about an axis in real time as the headset moves for the virtual tether to mimic extending toward a current location of a person other than a user of the headset, the virtual tether being virtually anchored to the current location of the person.

2. The headset of claim 1 , wherein the virtual tether is established by one or more of: a graphical chain, a graphical cord, a graphical rope, a graphical wire.

3. At least one computer readable storage medium (CRSM) that is not a transitory signal, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to:

receive input from a rear-facing camera of a first device;

determine, based on the input, that a person other than a user of the first device is looking at a display of a second device, the second device being different from the first device; and

based on the determination, present images from the rear-facing camera on a display of the first device.

4. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the first device comprises a headset, and wherein the instructions are executable to:

execute eye tracking using the input from the rear-facing camera to make the determination.

5. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, present at least one graphical object on the display of the first device, the graphical object indicating a particular location on the display of the second device at which the person is determined to be looking.

6. The CRSM of claim 5 , wherein the graphical object is presented on the display of the first device to appear as though actually located in the real-world at the particular location on the display of the second device at which the person is determined to be looking.

7. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, present a notification on the display of the first device, the notification comprising text indicating that the person is determined to be looking at the display of the second device.

8. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, present at least one graphical object on the display of the first device so that the graphical object is overlaid on the images from the rear-facing camera, the graphical object being different from the images from the rear-facing camera, the graphical object indicating the person as shown in the images from the rear-facing camera.

9. The CRSM of claim 8 , wherein the graphical object points toward the person as shown in the images from the rear-facing camera.

10. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, present an audible notification using one or more speakers controlled by the first device, the audible notification indicating that the person is looking at the display of the second device.

11. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, communicate with the second device to dim and/or turn off the display of the second device.

12. The CRSM of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are executable to:

based on the determination, communicate with the second device to present a notification on the display of the second device that indicates that the person is looking at the display of the second device.

13. The CRSM of claim 3 , comprising the at least one processor.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving input from a rear-facing camera of a first device;

determining, based on the input, that a person other than a user of the first device is looking at a display of a second device, the second device being different from the first device; and

based on the determining, presenting at least one graphical object on a display of the first device, the graphical object indicating a particular location on the display of the second device at which the person is determined to be looking.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

based on the determining, presenting images from the rear-facing camera on the display of the first device.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one graphical object is a first graphical object, and wherein the method comprises:

based on the determining, presenting a second graphical object on the display of the first device so that the second graphical object is overlaid on the images from the rear-facing camera, the second graphical object indicating the person as shown in the images from the rear-facing camera.

17. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

executing eye tracking using the input from the rear-facing camera to perform the determining.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the graphical object is presented on the display of the first device to appear as though actually located in the real-world at the particular location on the display of the second device at which the person is determined to be looking.

19. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

determining, based on the input, that the person is looking at the display of the second device for more than a threshold amount of time; and

based on the determining that the person is looking at the display of the second device for more than the threshold amount of time, communicating with the second device to dim and/or turn off the display of the second device.

20. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

based on the determining, communicating with the second device to present a notification on the display of the second device that indicates that the person is looking at the display of the second device.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 069870/0670 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2022
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 060638/0067 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 14, 2020
From: HATFIELD, NATHAN ANDREW; LEE, JONATHAN CO
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 052661/0172 →
Cited By (12)
US 12,189,422 US 12,236,008 US 12,265,655 US 12,315,363 US 12,360,558 US 12,380,238 US 12,474,816 US 12,530,102 US 12,530,103 US 12,537,877 US 12,619,774 US 12,669,848