Augmented, virtual and mixed-reality content selection and display for real estate
A real estate information system recognizes a real world object relating to a real estate transaction and uses augmented, mixed and/or virtual reality to display information relating to the property and/or the transaction on a smart device such as a smartphone or AR glasses.
1 . A method of presenting real estate information to a user comprising:
enabling capture by a portable camera of an image of an item having real estate indicia printed thereon, the printed real estate indicia relating to a real estate property for sale or rent; and
automatically performing operations with at least one processor operatively connected to the portable camera, the operations comprising:
translating a pattern of an image captured by the portable camera into shades of grey and/or color;
recognizing the pattern within-the printed item from the captured image, based on the shades of grey and/or color within a flexibly-definable area of recognition representing only part of the item;
based at least in part on machine learning, pattern-matching the recognized pattern with a real estate data record stored in a multiple listing service (MLS) database and accessed over a digital network;
selecting an interactive media item in response to the matching, the selected interactive media item providing additional audible and/or visual information concerning the real estate property for sale or rent; and
anchoring and superimposing the selected interactive media item onto a display of the captured image or an image derived therefrom.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the superimposing comprises using at least one of augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein recognizing comprises recognizing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object with print on it.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the item has indicia printed thereon, and the recognizing comprises recognizing the pattern defined by at least some of the printed indicia.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the recognizing further includes recognizing characters printed on the item.
6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the item comprises a printed real estate advertisement.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the selected media item comprises a digital overlay that leads to specific action selected from the group consisting of providing specific information; a video, tutorial, or any kind of displayable content.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the superimposing is performed on a handheld display device, a user's retina or smart glasses.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the selected media item comprises a call button.
10 . The method of claim 1 further including displaying any or all of the following action buttons in any combination or subcombination:
Price Tag,
Photo Gallery,
Videos,
Description,
Call,
Mail,
Shoplink,
Explanation,
Intro,
Social Media links,
Floor plan,
MLS number,
Neighborhood, ‘Pricing history, and/or
Map.
11 . A system for presenting real estate information to a user comprising:
a portable camera configured to capture an image of an item having real estate indicia printed thereon, the printed real estate indicia relating to a real estate property for sale or rent; and
at least one processor operatively connected to the portable camera and configured to automatically perform operations comprising;
translating a pattern within an area of recognition defined by the item into grey scale and/or color values., the area of recognition being smaller than a visible surface of the item;
recognizing the printed item from the grey scale and/or color values within the area of recognition in the captured image, including enabling wide variation in a definition of an area of recognition;
based at least in part on machine learning, pattern-matching the recognized printed item with a real estate data record stored in a multiple listing service (MLS) database and accessed over a digital network;
selecting an interactive media item in response to the matching, the selected interactive media item providing additional information concerning the real estate property for sale or rent; and
superimposing a the selected interative media item onto a display of the captured image or an image derived therefrom.
12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the superimposing comprises using at least one of augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality.
13 . The system of claim 11 wherein recognizing comprises recognizing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object with print on it.
14 . The system of claim 11 wherein the item has indicia printed thereon, and the recognizing further comprises recognizing at least some of the printed indicia.
15 . The system of claim 14 wherein the recognizing further includes recognizing characters printed on the item.
16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the item comprises a printed real estate advertisement.
17 . The system of claim 16 wherein the selected media item comprises a digital overlay that leads to specific action selected from the group consisting of providing specific information; a video, tutorial, or any kind of displayable content.
18 . The system of claim 11 wherein the superimposing is performed on a handheld display device, a user's retina or smart glasses.
19 . The system of claim 11 wherein the selected media item comprises a call button.
20 . The system of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise displaying any or all of the following action buttons in any combination or subcombination:
Price Tag,
Photo Gallery,
Videos,
Description,
Call,
Mail,
Shoplink,
Explanation,
Intro,
Social Media links,
Floor plan,
MLS number,
Neighborhood,
Pricing history, and/or
Map.