{
  "patent_number": "US 12008152",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Snap's AR Tech Measures Distance for Virtual Button Presses",
  "original_title": "Distance determination for mixed reality interaction",
  "summary": "A method for mobile devices to calculate exactly when a user's finger or controller touches a virtual object in augmented reality by measuring precise distances from the camera.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a mathematical system for mobile devices to determine the depth and position of physical surfaces in the real world. It uses a specific formula involving two camera lenses to calculate the distance to a point on a surface. Once the device knows where that surface is, it renders a virtual button or control there. The system tracks the user's finger or controller and triggers an action when the user's movement crosses a specific distance threshold from that virtual object. It also includes a dynamic adjustment feature where the threshold for 'touching' the button gets tighter as the interaction continues, allowing for more precise control.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover interaction methods that rely solely on 2D screen coordinates without depth calculation.",
    "Does not cover systems that do not use a dual-camera (stereo) setup for distance calculation.",
    "Does not cover non-visual methods of interaction like voice commands or haptic-only inputs.",
    "Does not cover general object recognition that does not involve triggering a virtual control."
  ],
  "filed": "2021-12-29",
  "granted": "2024-06-11",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Snap Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/snap-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Benjamin Lucas",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/benjamin-lucas"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 2,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "ai_ml"
  ],
  "abstract": "Systems, methods, and computer readable media that determines distances for mixed reality interaction, where the methods include determining a first position of a point of a surface and rendering a virtual reality (VR) interactive item comprising a VR interactive control. The methods further include tracking a control indicator controlled by the user by determining a first plurality of positions of the control indicator and activating the VR interactive control in response to detecting the control indicator controlled by the user transgressing a first threshold distance from the VR interactive control. The methods further include determining a closest position of the first plurality of positions to the point based on the first position, determining the point of the surface to have a second position based on the determined closest position plus a constant for the control indicator, and associating a second threshold with the point of the surface.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12008152/vision-pro-persona",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12008152/vision-pro-persona/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12008152",
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}