US 11,870,972 B2
Methods, systems and devices supporting real-time shared virtual reality environment
Chris Milk, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Aaron Koblin, Venice, CA (US)
Assigned to Within Unlimited, Inc., Venice, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/279,241
Filed by Within Unlimited, Inc., Los Angeles, CA (US)
PCT Filed Sep. 30, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/058311
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 24, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/070630, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/888,532, filed on Aug. 18, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/747,237, filed on Oct. 18, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/740,252, filed on Oct. 2, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0409677 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. H04N 13/368 (2018.01); G06T 7/194 (2017.01); H04N 13/204 (2018.01); H04N 13/111 (2018.01); H04N 13/00 (2018.01)
CPC H04N 13/368 (2018.05) [G06T 7/194 (2017.01); H04N 13/111 (2018.05); H04N 13/204 (2018.05); H04N 2013/0081 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, in a system in which a virtual reality (VR) user interacts with a virtual environment via a VR device, and in which the VR user is provided a view of the virtual environment via the VR device, the method comprising:
(A) tracking the VR user relative to a second device in a real-world environment;
(B) extracting an image of the VR user from the real-world environment, wherein the extracting is performed by the second device and uses one or more depth maps determined and/or obtained by the second device and using at least one camera in the second device;
(C) obtaining information about the virtual environment; and
(D) presenting a second view corresponding to the VR user's virtual environment, wherein the second view is based on the virtual environment and interactions of the VR user with the virtual environment, and wherein the second view is presented as if seen from a location and/or perspective and/or orientation of the second device relative to the VR user in the real-world environment,
wherein the second view includes a representation of the VR user, and
wherein the representation of the VR user comprises the image of the VR user extracted in (B) or an image based thereon.