Apple advances their VR Headset based 3D Document Editing and Viewing System
On March 22, 2018 Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple's In-Depth Work on a Next-Gen Mixed Reality Headset is Simply Mind Boggling in Scope." On March 23 Patently Apple posted a follow-up patent titled "Apple's Mixed Reality Headset Part 2: A 3D Document Editing and Viewing System." Apple was granted a patent for this invention in late October 2020. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published continuation patent 20210042010 from Apple that advances and legally protects this invention.
In-part and in reality, Apple's mixed reality headset could double as a portable desktop and/or desktop replacement. For professionals on the road, using a mixed reality headset as their 30" display to work on large documents or architectural drawings or an ad campaign is vastly superior to a notebook to be sure.
Apple's invention covers methods and apparatus for generating and editing documents with three-dimensional (3D) effects for text content in a 3D virtual view space. Embodiments of 3D document editing systems, methods, and graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are described that may include a virtual reality (VR) device such as a VR headset, helmet, goggles or glasses for displaying documents in a 3D virtual space, and an input device (e.g., keyboard) for entering and editing text or other content in the documents and that includes sensing technology for detecting gestures by the user.
Apple further notes that the input device (e.g., keyboard) may include sensing technology, for example a motion, touch, and/or pressure sensing region or area on a keyboard, for detecting a user's gestures, for example motions of the user's thumbs when on or near the sensing region.
The VR device may detect gestures made by the user via the sensing technology, and in response may move selected content in a document (e.g., words, paragraphs, sections, columns, sentences, text boxes, uniform resource locators (URLs) or other active text, etc.) forward or backward on a Z axis in the 3D virtual space relative to the rest of the document according to the detected gestures.
Below we present patent FIG. 1A that illustrates a 3D document editing system; FIG. 2A shows the text area #212 displayed at the same depth as the document #210 in the 3D virtual space #202. The keyboard #220 may include a sensing area #224 that implements one or more of motion sensing, pressure/force sensing, or capacitive (touch) sensing technology located below the keypad #222 to be easily accessible by user's thumbs. FIG. 2A shows user's left and right thumbs touching at respective contact points #226 in the sensing area.
Today's patent report isn't about a new invention application but rather a continuation patent wherein Apple is updating and/or adding specific technologies, features and/or methods that they want to legally extend, protect and fold into their granted patent which is legally permitted. Any change and/or addition to their invention is restricted to Apple's patent claims that are legally binding.
Today, Apple's continuation patent cancels all 20 previous patent claims and rewrites this invention patent claims from the ground up. The following presents the full 20 new patent claims now protecting Apple's invention. Considering that this is a continuation patent, Apple must begin to number the new claims starting with Patent Claim #21 in order to protect the granted patent and its approval date.
Patent Claims #1-20. (canceled)
Patent Claim #21: A system, comprising: an input device configured to receive text input from a user; and an electronic device configured to: display a document including text in a 3D virtual space for viewing by the user; receive the text input from the user via the input device; apply one or more rules to the text input to detect a particular type of text input as specified by the one or more rules; and move at least a portion of the document that includes the text input forward or backward on the Z axis relative to the document in the 3D virtual space based at least in part on the particular type of text input.
- The system of claim 21, wherein to move at least the portion of the document, the electronic device is further configured to: add 3D effects to at least the portion of the document based at least in part on the one or more rules.
- The system of claim 21, wherein the electronic device is further configured to: determine whether to move a text area or a text portion of the document that includes the text input based on the one or more rules.
- The system of claim 23, wherein the text area is one of a paragraph, a column, a section, a text field, or a text box.
- The system of claim 23, wherein the text portion is one of a word, a sentence, a title, a heading, or a uniform resource locator (URL).
- The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more rules indicate the particular type of text input and a direction to move the text input relative to the document in the 3D virtual space.
- The system of claim 21, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard or a keypad, and wherein the electronic device comprises an augmented reality device, a virtual reality device, or a mixed reality device.
- A device, comprising: a controller; and a projector configured to display a document including text in a 3D virtual space for viewing by a user under control of the controller, wherein the controller is configured to: receive text input from the user via an input device; apply one or more rules to the text input to detect a particular type of text input as specified by the one or more rules; and move at least a portion of the document that includes the text input forward or backward on the Z axis relative to the document in the 3D virtual space based at least in part on the particular type of text input.
- The device of claim 28, wherein to move at least the portion of the document, the controller is further configured to: add 3D effects to at least the portion of the document based at least in part on the one or more rules.
- The device of claim 28, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine whether to move a text area or a text portion of the document that includes the text input based on the one or more rules.
- The device of claim 30, wherein the text area is one of a paragraph, a column, a section, a text field, or a text box.
- The device of claim 30, wherein the text portion is one of a word, a sentence, a title, a heading, or a uniform resource locator (URL).
- The device of claim 28, wherein the one or more rules indicate the particular type of text input and a direction to move the text input relative to the document in the 3D virtual space.
- The device of claim 28, further comprising the input device, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard or a keypad.
- A method, comprising: performing, by an electronic device: displaying a document including text in a 3D virtual space for viewing by the user; receiving text input from the user via an input device; applying one or more rules to the text input to detect a particular type of text input as specified by the one or more rules; and moving at least a portion of the document that includes the text input forward or backward on the Z axis relative to the document in the 3D virtual space based at least in part on the particular type of text input.
- The method of claim 35, further comprising: adding 3D effects to at least the portion of the document based at least in part on the one or more rules.
- The method of claim 35, further comprising: determining whether to move a text area or a text portion of the document that includes the text input based on the one or more rules.
- The method of claim 37, wherein the text area is one of a paragraph, a column, a section, a text field, or a text box.
- The method of claim 37, wherein the text portion is one of a word, a sentence, a title, a heading, or a uniform resource locator (URL).
- The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more rules indicate the particular type of text input and a direction to move the text input relative to the document in the 3D virtual space.
Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
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