Canon had two patents in metaverse during Q3 2023. Canon Inc has filed a patent for an information processing apparatus that allows for the control of virtual objects based on the movement of a virtual viewpoint. The apparatus includes an acquisition unit to gather the position and orientation of the viewpoint and objects, a movement unit to move the viewpoint, a control unit to determine if the objects should be interlocked with the viewpoint based on a condition, and a generation unit to create a virtual image with the controlled objects at the new viewpoint. GlobalData’s report on Canon gives a 360-degreee view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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Canon grant share with metaverse as a theme is 50% in Q3 2023. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Recent Patents
Application: Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium for presenting virtual object (Patent ID: US20230252729A1)
The patent filed by Canon Inc. describes an information processing apparatus that includes various components for generating a virtual image. The apparatus comprises an acquisition unit that acquires the position and orientation of a virtual viewpoint and the position and orientation of one or more virtual objects. A movement unit is responsible for moving the virtual viewpoint. A control unit determines whether each virtual object should be interlocked with the movement of the virtual viewpoint based on a predetermined condition. Finally, a generation unit generates a virtual image that includes the controlled virtual objects from the viewpoint after the virtual viewpoint has been moved.
The patent includes several claims that further elaborate on the functionality of the information processing apparatus. Claim 2 specifies that the control unit can control the position and orientation of the virtual objects to be interlocked with the movement of the virtual viewpoint. Claim 3 states that the control unit maintains the position and orientation of virtual objects that do not satisfy the predetermined condition without interlocking them with the movement of the virtual viewpoint. Claim 4 describes the control unit's ability to change a virtual object to a different one that is not interlocked with the movement of the virtual viewpoint. Claim 5 introduces a copying unit that generates a copy of a virtual object, which can be used as a replacement for a virtual object that is not interlocked with the movement of the virtual viewpoint.
The predetermined condition for interlocking the virtual objects with the movement of the virtual viewpoint can be based on various factors, as mentioned in claims 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. These factors include the relative distance, relative angle, position, orientation, movement information, moving speed, and movement trajectory between the virtual viewpoint and the virtual objects.
Claims 11 to 14 describe the association of virtual objects with real objects. The apparatus can detect a contact state between a user and a real object, such as a hand, and use it as a predetermined condition for interlocking or not interlocking the virtual object associated with the real object with the movement of the virtual viewpoint.
The acquisition unit can acquire the position and orientation of an image capturing apparatus, which captures an image of a real space, as the position and orientation of the virtual viewpoint (claim 15). Additionally, the movement unit can calculate the movement amount of the virtual viewpoint based on user input from an input apparatus (claim 17).
Overall, the patent describes an information processing apparatus that can generate a virtual image by controlling the interlocking of virtual objects with the movement of a virtual viewpoint based on predetermined conditions.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
