Immersive Environment APIs for Secure Limited-Privilege Application Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional artificial reality systems restrict applications with limited display privileges from fully utilizing the immersive environment elements, limiting the flexibility and functionality of XR systems.

Innovation Solution

An immersive controller provides an application programming interface (API) that allows applications with limited privileges to control immersive environment elements, such as skybox, foreground, and background, through an interface call, ensuring system security and data privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If applications are granted full control over immersive environment elements, then the functionality and flexibility of XR systems is improved, but system security and data privacy are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctionality and flexibilityVSAvoidsystem security and data privacy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an immersive controller as an intermediary component that sits between applications and the immersive environment elements. This controller receives interface calls from applications with limited privileges and mediates their requests to control immersive environment elements, thereby enabling application functionality while maintaining system security through controlled access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If applications with limited privileges are restricted from controlling immersive environment elements, then system security is maintained, but the adaptability and versatility of the XR system deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem securityVSAvoidfunctionality and flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the control architecture into distinct components: applications with limited privileges, an immersive controller intermediary, and the immersive environment elements. This segmentation allows applications to access specific functions through controlled interface calls without requiring full system privileges, thereby balancing security with functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250265776A1Interface for Controlling Immersive Environments

Publication Date: 2025.08.21 META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to controlling an immersive environment via an application programming interface (API). Some applications executing via artificial reality systems provide immersive content for display to the user. However, other types of artificial reality applications provide lighter weight content (e.g., two-dimensional content, three-dimensional content that is not immersive, etc.), such as a web browser, video player, social media application, communication application, and many others. These executing applications that provide content for portions of the artificial reality system's display often have limited control over the immersive elements of the artificial reality system, such as the immersive environment in which a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual object is displayed. Implementations of an immersive controller provide these applications an API for controlling these elements of the immersive environment via an API call.