IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,340,031
Granted Patent B2
US 12,340,031 · App. 18/606,377 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Muting mode for a virtual object representing one or more physical elements

Inventors: Clément Pierre Nicolas Boissière (San Francisco, CA); Shaun Budhram (Los Gatos, CA); Tucker Bull Morgan (Sunnyvale, CA); Bruno M. Sommer (Sunnyvale, CA); Connor A. Smith (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G06F3/03G06T13/20G06T19/006
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,340,031
App. No.
18/606,377
Granted
Jun 24, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for displaying a virtual object in an enhanced reality setting in accordance with a physical muting mode being active are described. In some examples, while the physical muting mode is active, a system obtains a first set of context data for one or more physical elements in a physical setting and causes display of a virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in a first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data. After the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements is displayed in the first position, the physical muting mode is deactivated. In response to detecting the deactivation of the physical muting mode, the system causes display of a transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to a second position.

Claims (50)

1. An electronic system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:

while a physical muting mode is activated:

obtaining a first set of context data for one or more physical elements in a physical setting;

causing display of a virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in a first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data, wherein causing display of the virtual object in the first position includes posing a feature of a virtual avatar in a respective pose;

after causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position, obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting; and

determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar; and

in response to determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar:

deactivating the physical muting mode; and

causing display of a transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to a second position that is different from the first position.

2. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:

obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting, wherein causing the display of the transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to the second position uses the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting.

3. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein the first position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of at least a portion of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting while the physical muting mode is activated, and wherein the second position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting upon deactivation of the physical muting mode.

4. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein the obtained first set of context data includes sensor data representing movement of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting.

5. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of context data includes first context data and second context data that is different from the first context data, and wherein causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position uses the first context data without using the second context data.

6. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data includes:

identifying a respective portion of the obtained first set of context data; and

causing display of the virtual object that represents the one or more physical elements without using the respective portion of the obtained first set of context data.

7. The electronic system of claim 6 , wherein the respective portion of the obtained first set of context data is identified based on a match between the respective portion of the obtained first set of context data and predefined user data.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic system, the one or more programs including instructions for:

while a physical muting mode is activated:

obtaining a first set of context data for one or more physical elements in a physical setting;

causing display of a virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in a first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data, wherein causing display of the virtual object in the first position includes posing a feature of a virtual avatar in a respective pose;

after causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position, obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting; and

determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar; and

in response to determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar:

deactivating the physical muting mode; and

causing display of a transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to a second position that is different from the first position.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:

obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting, wherein causing the display of the transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to the second position uses the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of at least a portion of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting while the physical muting mode is activated, and wherein the second position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting upon deactivation of the physical muting mode.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first set of context data includes first context data and second context data that is different from the first context data, and wherein causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position uses the first context data without using the second context data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data includes:

identifying a respective portion of the obtained first set of context data; and

causing display of the virtual object that represents the one or more physical elements without using the respective portion of the obtained first set of context data.

13. A method, comprising:

at an electronic system:

while a physical muting mode is activated:

obtaining a first set of context data for one or more physical elements in a physical setting;

causing display of a virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in a first position using at least a portion of the first set of context data, wherein causing display of the virtual object in the first position includes posing a feature of a virtual avatar in a respective pose;

after causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position, obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting; and

determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar; and

in response to determining that the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting corresponds to the respective pose of the feature of the virtual avatar:

deactivating the physical muting mode; and

causing display of a transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to a second position that is different from the first position.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

obtaining a second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting, wherein causing the display of the transitional motion of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements from the first position to the second position uses the second set of context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of at least a portion of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting while the physical muting mode is activated, and wherein the second position of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements corresponds to a physical position of the one or more physical elements in the physical setting upon deactivation of the physical muting mode.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first set of context data includes first context data and second context data that is different from the first context data, and wherein causing display of the virtual object representing the one or more physical elements in the first position uses the first context data without using the second context data.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17362457 · Jun 29, 2021
Continuation PCTUS2020027501 · Apr 9, 2020
Provisional Application 62834266 · Apr 15, 2019
Related Publication 20240220031A1 · Jul 4, 2024
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