IP Library Granted Patent US 11,770,384
Granted Patent B2
US 11,770,384 · App. 17/675,852 · Granted Sep 26, 2023

Artificial reality collaborative working environments

Inventors: Michael James Lebeau (London, GB); Manuel Ricardo Freire Santos (London, GB); Aleksejs Anpilogovs (London, GB); Alexander Sorkine Hornung (Zurich, CH); Björn Wanbo (London, GB); Connor Treacy (London, GB); Fangwei Lee (San Carlos, CA); Federico Ruiz (London, GB); Jonathan Mallinson (London, GB); Jonathan Richard Mayoh (London, GB); Marcus Tanner (Old Windsor, GB); Panya Inversin (Gersau, CH); Sarthak Ray (Santa Clara, CA); Sheng Shen (Seattle, WA); William Arthur Hugh Steptoe (London, GB); Alessia Marra (Zurich, CH); Gioacchino Noris (Zurich, CH); Derrick Readinger (Redmond, WA); Jeffrey Wai-King Lock (Menlo Park, CA); Jeffrey Witthuhn (Oakland, CA); Jennifer Lynn Spurlock (Seattle, WA); Larissa Heike Laich (Zurich, CH); Javier Alejandro Sierra Santos (London, GB)
Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
H04L63/107G06F3/011G06F3/0219G06F3/1423G06T19/003G06T19/006G06V40/107H04L65/4015H04L65/4046H04L65/70G06T2219/024
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,770,384
App. No.
17/675,852
Granted
Sep 26, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to creating and administering artificial reality collaborative working environments and providing interaction modes for them. An XR work system can provide and control such artificial reality collaborative working environments to enable, for example, A) links between real-world surfaces and XR surfaces; B) links between multiple real-world areas to XR areas with dedicated functionality; C) maintaining access, while inside the artificial reality working environment, to real-world work tools such as the user's computer screen and keyboard; D) various hand and controller modes for different interaction and collaboration modalities; E) use-based, multi-desk collaborative room configurations; and F) context-based auto population of users and content items into the artificial reality working environment.

Claims (77)

1. A method comprising:

tracking a real-world location of a real-world keyboard;

generating a 3D keyboard model at a location in an artificial reality environment relative to the real-world location;

determining that one or both of a user's hands are within a threshold distance of the real-world keyboard;

identifying contours of the one or both of the user's hands;

enabling a hand passthrough mode that presents, in the artificial reality environment, a display of a portion of the real-world that corresponds to the identified hand contours;

receiving a stream of a display of a real-world computer; and

displaying content from the display of the real-world computer, in the artificial reality environment, with a location based on one or more established anchor points in the artificial reality environment;

wherein user movements in relation to the 3D keyboard model correspond to input to the real-world keyboard that is routed to the real-world computer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

interfacing with the real-world keyboard; and

causing the real-world keyboard to display a pattern of lights;

wherein the tracking the real-world location of the real-world keyboard is based on recognizing the pattern of lights.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by an XR device and the method further comprises:

interfacing with the real-world computer, other than the XR device, with which the real-world keyboard is connected; and

receiving, from the real-world computer, an identification of a type of the real-world keyboard;

wherein the generating the 3D keyboard model is performed, in part, by selecting a 3D model corresponding to the type of the real-world keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a height of a dedicated space on a surface of a real-world desk; and

setting the one or more anchor points, in relation to the dedicated space, where each anchor point is identified as a location in the artificial reality environment for placing virtual content.

5. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the method is performed by an XR device; and

wherein the stream of the display of the real-world computer is received from an application, installed on the real-world computer, that has an established communication channel with the XR device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying contours of the one or both of the user's hands is performed by monitoring captured images that depict the one or both of the user's hands to create a virtual model of the one or both of the user's hands and using the model to determine one or more of hand outlines, hand shapes, hand positions, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the identifying the contours of the one or both of the user's hands comprises determining one or more outlines of the one or both of the user's hands; and

wherein the enabling the hand passthrough mode includes displaying of a portion of the real-world that is a set amount around one the or more determined outline of the one or both of the user's hands.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the one or both of the user's hands are no longer within the threshold distance of the real-world keyboard; and

in response, disabling the hand passthrough mode, including stopping display of the portion of the real-world and displaying a virtual model of the one or both of the user's hands corresponding to one or more real-world locations of the one or both of the user's hands.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:

tracking a real-world location of a real-world keyboard;

determining that one or both of a user's hands are within a threshold distance of the real-world keyboard;

identifying contours of the one or both of the user's hands;

enabling a hand passthrough mode that presents, in the artificial reality environment, a display of a portion of the real-world that corresponds to the identified hand contours;

receiving a stream of a display of a real-world computer; and

displaying content from the display of the real-world computer, in the artificial reality environment, with a location based on one or more anchor points in the artificial reality environment;

wherein user movements in relation to a 3D keyboard, in the artificial reality environment, correspond to input to the real-world keyboard that is routed to the real-world computer.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the process is performed by an XR device and the process further comprises:

receiving, from the real-world computer, an identification of a type of the real-world keyboard; and

generating the 3D keyboard by selecting a 3D model corresponding to the type of the real-world keyboard.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the process further comprises:

identifying a height of a dedicated space on a surface of a real-world desk; and

setting the one or more anchor points, in relation to the dedicated space, where each of the one or more anchor points is identified as a location in the artificial reality environment for placing virtual content.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the process further comprises:

wherein the process is performed by an XR device; and

wherein the stream of the display of the real-world computer is received from an application, installed on the real-world computer, that has an established communication channel with the XR device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the identifying contours of the one or both of the user's hands is performed by monitoring captured images that depict the one or both of the user's hands to create a virtual model of the one or both of the user's hands and using the model to determine one or more of hand outlines, hand shapes, hand positions, or any combination thereof.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 ,

wherein the identifying the contours of the one or both of the user's hands comprises determining one or more outlines of the one or both of the user's hands; and

wherein the enabling the hand passthrough mode includes displaying of a portion of the real-world that is a set amount around one the or more determined outline of the one or both of the user's hands.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the process further comprises coordinating authorization to allow the stream of the display of the real-world computer by:

causing an authorization request to be provided in a foreground of the real-world computer such that keyboard strokes from the real-world keyboard are routed to the authorization request; and

providing a notification, in the artificial reality environment, instructing the user to press a key that will authorize the stream, of the display of the real-world computer, in response to the authorization request.

16. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:

tracking a real-world location of a real-world keyboard;

determining that one or both of a user's hands are within a threshold distance of the real-world keyboard;

presenting, in the artificial reality environment, a portion of the real-world that corresponds to the user's hands and/or the real-world keyboard;

receiving a stream of a display of a real-world computer; and

displaying content from the display of the real-world computer, in the artificial reality environment, with a location based on one or more anchor points in the artificial reality environment;

wherein user movements in relation to a keyboard, in the artificial reality environment, correspond to input to the real-world keyboard that is routed to the real-world computer.

17. The computing system of claim 16 wherein the computing system is an XR device and the process further comprises:

interfacing with the real-world computer, other than the XR device, with which the real-world keyboard is connected;

receiving, from the real-world computer, an identification of a type of the real-world keyboard; and

generating the keyboard, in the artificial reality environment, by selecting a 3D model corresponding to the type of the real-world keyboard.

18. The computing system of claim 16 ,

wherein the process is performed by an XR device; and

wherein the stream of the display of the real-world computer is received from an application, installed on the real-world computer, that has an established communication channel with the XR device.

19. The computing system of claim 16 , wherein the process further comprises coordinating authorization to allow the stream of the display of the real-world computer by:

causing an authorization request to be provided in a foreground of the real-world computer such that keyboard strokes from the real-world keyboard are routed in response to the authorization request; and

providing a notification, in the artificial reality environment, instructing the user to press a key that will authorize the stream of the display of the real-world computer.

20. The computing system of claim 16 , wherein the process further comprises:

interfacing with the real-world keyboard; and

causing the real-world keyboard to display a pattern of lights;

wherein the tracking the real-world location of the real-world keyboard is based on recognizing the pattern of lights.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2022
From: LEBEAU, MICHAEL JAMES; FREIRE SANTOS, MANUEL RICARDO; ANPILOGOVS, ALEKSEJS; HORNUNG, ALEXANDER SORKINE; WANBO, BJORN; TREACY, CONNOR; LEE, FANGWEI; RUIZ, FEDERICO; MALLINSON, JONATHAN; MAYOH, JONATHAN RICHARD; TANNER, MARCUS; INVERSIN, PANYA; RAY, SARTHAK; SHEN, SHENG; STEPTOE, WILLIAM ARTHUR HUGH; MARRA, ALESSIA; NORIS, GIOACCHINO; READINGER, DERRICK; LOCK, JEFFREY WAI-KING; WITTHUHN, JEFFREY; SPURLOCK, JENNIFER LYNN; LAICH, LARISSA HEIKE; SANTOS, JAVIER ALEJANDRO SIERRA
To: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 060393/0136 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 15, 2022
From: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 060386/0364 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17085623 · Oct 30, 2020
Provisional Application 63078821 · Sep 15, 2020
Related Publication 20220172444A1 · Jun 2, 2022
Cited By (4)
US 12,238,059 US 12,586,326 US 12,614,355 US 12,719,882