Disney to Release Gaming Console? Secures Patent for Rumored 'Toy Box'

Cnet reports that the US Patent Office has just issued a new patent to Disney for what is rumored to be the company's first gaming console - the Toy Box. "The patent describes a device that can capture a real scene and then augment it, like taking pictures of a coffee mug on top of a table and then animating the cup. When the user looks at the mug through the device, it will look like a cartoon character. The images included in the patent documents show a handheld device. Could this be the beginnings of the reported Toy Box console? A Disney executive previously described the Toy Box as a console with "extensive mobile and online applications," with interactions from various Pixar and Disney characters."

Click herefor full details of the patent app, which is described as:

Techniques for displaying content using an augmented reality device are described. Embodiments provide a visual scene for display, the visual scene captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device. Embodiments adjust physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene to correct for optimal projection. Additionally, illumination characteristics of the visual scene are modified based on environmental illumination data to improve realism of the visual scene when it is displayed. Embodiments further adjust display characteristics of the visual scene to improve tone mapping output. The adjusted visual scene is then output for display on the augmented reality device.

1. A method for displaying content using an augmented reality device, comprising: providing a visual scene for display, wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device; adjusting one or more of: physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene based on a viewing pose of a user of the augmented reality device; illumination characteristics of the visual scene based on environmental illumination data; and display characteristics of the visual scene to improve tone mapping output; and outputting the adjusted visual scene for display on the augmented reality device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting further comprises: modifying one or more content elements of the visual scene; and wherein at least one of the physical display geometry characteristics, the illumination characteristics and the display characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted based on the modified one or more content elements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the one or more content elements of the visual scene comprises: removing one or more content elements from the visual scene; and replacing the removed one or more content elements, in the visual scene, using at least one of background data or an algorithmic estimation of the background data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: measuring one or more environmental illumination characteristics of an environment in which the augmented reality device is located; and generating the environmental illumination data based on the one or more environmental illumination characteristics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining one or more environmental illumination characteristics of the environment further comprises: applying a convolution filter to a series of captured images of the environment to determine a measurement of illumination for one or more areas of the captured images; determining relative movements of the augmented reality device; and determining one or more light sources within the environment, based on the identified areas of high-frequency illumination and the determined movement activity of the augmented reality device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining movement activity of the augmented reality device using an accelerometer of the augmented reality device, wherein the physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted further based on the determined movement activity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental illumination data specifies at least one of a position of a light source within an environment in which the augmented reality device is located, an angle of the light source, an indication of whether the light source is omnidirectional, a color of the light source, an intensity of the light source and a reflectivity value the at least one content element in the environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the one or more physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene further comprises: adjusting one or more active parallax barrier characteristics of the visual scene, based on the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device is determined using one or more user-facing cameras of the augmented reality device.

10. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program that, when executed, performs an operation for displaying content using an augmented reality device, comprising: providing a visual scene for display, wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device; adjusting one or more of: physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene based on a viewing pose of a user of the augmented reality device; illumination characteristics of the visual scene based on environmental illumination data; and display characteristics of the visual scene to improve tone mapping output; and outputting the adjusted visual scene for display on the augmented reality device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein adjusting further comprises: modifying one or more content elements of the visual scene; and wherein at least one of the physical display geometry characteristics, the illumination characteristics and the display characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted based on the modified one or more content elements.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein modifying the one or more content elements of the visual scene comprises: removing one or more content elements from the visual scene; and replacing the removed one or more content elements, in the visual scene, using at least one of background data or an algorithmic estimation of the background data.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the operation further comprising: measuring one or more environmental illumination characteristics of an environment in which the augmented reality device is located; and generating the environmental illumination data based on the one or more environmental illumination characteristics.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining one or more environmental illumination characteristics of the environment further comprises: applying a convolution filter to a series of captured images of the environment to determine a measurement of illumination for one or more areas of the captured images; determining relative movements of the augmented reality device; and determining one or more light sources within the environment, based on the identified areas of high-frequency illumination and the determined movement activity of the augmented reality device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the operation further comprising: determining movement activity of the augmented reality device using an accelerometer of the augmented reality device, wherein the physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted further based on the determined movement activity.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the environmental illumination data specifies at least one of a position of a light source within an environment in which the augmented reality device is located, an angle of the light source, an indication of whether the light source is omnidirectional, a color of the light source, an intensity of the light source and a reflectivity value the at least one content element in the environment.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein adjusting the one or more physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene further comprises: adjusting one or more active parallax barrier characteristics of the visual scene, based on the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device is determined using one or more user-facing cameras of the augmented reality device.

19. An augmented reality device, comprising: a processor; and a memory containing a program that, when executed by the processor, performs an operation for displaying content on the augmented reality device, comprising: providing a visual scene for display, wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices of the augmented reality device; adjusting one or more of: physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene based on a viewing pose of a user of the augmented reality device; illumination characteristics of the visual scene based on environmental illumination data; and display characteristics of the visual scene to improve tone mapping output; and outputting the adjusted visual scene for display on the augmented reality device.

20. The augmented reality device of claim 19, wherein adjusting further comprises: modifying one or more content elements of the visual scene; and wherein at least one of the physical display geometry characteristics, the illumination characteristics and the display characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted based on the modified one or more content elements.

21. The augmented reality device of claim 20, wherein modifying the one or more content elements of the visual scene comprises: removing one or more content elements from the visual scene; and replacing the removed one or more content elements, in the visual scene, using at least one of background data or an algorithmic estimation of the background data.

22. The augmented reality device of claim 19, the operation further comprising: measuring one or more environmental illumination characteristics of an environment in which the augmented reality device is located; and generating the environmental illumination data based on the one or more environmental illumination characteristics.

23. The augmented reality device of claim 22, wherein determining one or more environmental illumination characteristics of the environment further comprises: applying a convolution filter to a series of captured images of the environment to determine a measurement of illumination for one or more areas of the captured images; determining relative movements of the augmented reality device; and determining one or more light sources within the environment, based on the identified areas of high-frequency illumination and the determined movement activity of the augmented reality device.

24. The augmented reality device of claim 19, the operation further comprising: determining movement activity of the augmented reality device using an accelerometer of the augmented reality device, wherein the physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene are adjusted further based on the determined movement activity.

25. The augmented reality device of claim 19, wherein the environmental illumination data specifies at least one of a position of a light source within an environment in which the augmented reality device is located, an angle of the light source, an indication of whether the light source is omnidirectional, a color of the light source, an intensity of the light source and a reflectivity value the at least one content element in the environment.

26. The augmented reality device of claim 19, wherein adjusting the one or more physical display geometry characteristics of the visual scene further comprises: adjusting one or more active parallax barrier characteristics of the visual scene, based on the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device.

27. The augmented reality device of claim 19, wherein the viewing pose of the user of the augmented reality device is determined using one or more user-facing cameras of the augmented reality device.