Avatar-Based AR Location Sharing in a Single User Action

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems are inefficient in allowing users to simultaneously share their location and augmented reality content, requiring separate operations that consume computational resources and time.

Innovation Solution

Augmented reality content items that integrate an avatar of the user with location information, enabling direct sharing of both through a user interface element, combining user content with location indicators and avatars.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If separate operations are used to share location and augmented reality content, then each operation can be performed independently, but computational resources and time are consumed inefficiently

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesharing efficiencyVSAvoidcomputational resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines location sharing and augmented reality content sharing into a single integrated operation. The augmented reality content item simultaneously includes both the user's location information and the augmented reality content itself, allowing one action to perform multiple functions that would otherwise require separate operations, thereby improving productivity and reducing computational resource consumption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If separate operations are used to share location and augmented reality content, then each function can be optimized independently, but time is wasted on multiple operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesharing speedVSAvoidtime for sharing operations
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges location sharing and augmented reality content sharing into a single atomic operation. When a user initiates sharing through the integrated augmented reality content item, the system simultaneously transmits both location data and content data in one operation, eliminating the time required for sequential operations and improving sharing speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If integrated augmented reality content with location sharing is implemented, then sharing efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesharing efficiencyVSAvoidsystem integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal augmented reality content item structure that serves multiple functions: displaying augmented reality content, indicating user location, and enabling sharing. This multi-functional design consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single unified component, improving sharing efficiency while managing complexity through functional integration rather than separate modules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4217837B1Augmented reality content items including user avatar to share location
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 SNAP INC
  • EP4217837B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4217837B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4217837B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In one or more implementations, a user of a client application may share the location of the user in relation to an avatar of the user. In various examples, an avatar-based location sharing user interface element may be selectable to execute an augmented reality content item that is executable to make the location of the user accessible to one or more additional users of the client application. In one or more examples, a message may be generated that includes user content captured at a location of the user, an avatar of the user, and location information related to the location of the user. In one or more additional examples, the location of the user may be accessible via a map user interface that displays the avatar of the user at the location of the user within a geographic region.