Dynamic Virtual Content Placement in Mixed Reality

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for presenting digital advertisements in mixed reality environments are ineffective due to users' ability to look in any direction and interact for longer periods, leading to lower ad visibility and obstruction of the environment.

Innovation Solution

A head-mounted display device with image sensors and a processor that collects environmental data, transmits it to a server, and receives virtual content items for dynamic positioning based on spatial and temporal constraints, ensuring optimal display opportunities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If virtual content items are placed in fixed positions in mixed reality environments, then content placement is simple, but users may miss the content due to free movement and gaze orientation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent placement simplicityVSAvoidcontent visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines content display opportunities by continuously monitoring user position, gaze orientation, and environmental features. Content locations are adjusted in real-time based on user behavior patterns, ensuring content remains visible without requiring fixed positioning. This resolves the contradiction by making content placement adaptive rather than static.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from user interactions, gaze tracking, and movement patterns to continuously optimize content placement. By analyzing whether users notice or miss content, the system adjusts future content positioning to maximize visibility while maintaining placement simplicity through automated decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If virtual content items are dynamically positioned based on user behavior, then content visibility improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent visibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary content management layer that handles the complexity of dynamic positioning algorithms, user behavior analysis, and environmental feature recognition. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity from the core mixed reality rendering system, allowing dynamic content placement without significantly increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of user behavior patterns and environmental features before content placement decisions are made. By pre-processing user gaze data, movement patterns, and environmental geometry, the system reduces real-time computational complexity while maintaining high content visibility through informed placement decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If advertisements are displayed in mixed reality environments, then advertising reach increases, but user experience is interrupted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadvertising reachVSAvoiduser experience continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different display strategies to different content types and user contexts. Advertisements are selectively placed in peripheral vision areas or non-intrusive locations rather than centering them in the user's primary field of view. This local differentiation allows advertising reach to increase while minimizing interruptions to the core user experience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial action by displaying advertisements only during specific user behaviors (e.g., when users pause, change direction, or are in idle states) rather than continuously. This selective display approach increases effective advertising reach during natural breaks in user interaction while maintaining experience continuity during active engagement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3881165B1Virtual content display opportunity in mixed reality
Publication Date: 2025.01.01 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3881165B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3881165B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3881165B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A head-mounted display device, including a display, one or more input devices including one or more image sensors, one or more communication devices, and a processor. The processor may output for display a mixed reality experience including one or more virtual objects. The processor may transmit imaging data to a server computing device. The processor may receive, from the server computing device, an identification of a virtual content item display opportunity, which may include a determination that the mixed reality experience and one or more physical features identified from the imaging data satisfy one or more spatial and/or temporal constraints. The processor may transmit a request for one or more virtual content items to the server computing device based on the identification. The processor may receive the one or more virtual content items from the server computing device and may output the one or more virtual content items for display