Virtual Reality Content Management via Gaze-Triggered Pausing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Virtual reality technologies face challenges in maintaining audience attention during storytelling, as users can freely navigate and look around, disrupting the narrative flow and pacing.

Innovation Solution

The system divides virtual spaces into areas for primary, secondary, and tertiary content, using sensory cues to guide the user's attention, pausing and resuming content based on their view direction, allowing creators to manage the narrative flow while enabling user interaction and customization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users are allowed to freely navigate and look around in virtual space, then user freedom and interaction are improved, but narrative flow and audience attention deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser freedomVSAvoidnarrative flow

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual space is segmented into multiple fields of view (first field of view for primary content, second field of view for secondary content, etc.), each with designated boundaries. This segmentation allows the system to control which content is active based on user gaze direction, thereby maintaining narrative flow while permitting user exploration within defined zones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the virtual space are assigned different functional qualities: the first field of view contains primary narrative content that must be viewed for story progression, while the second field of view contains secondary interactive content that can be explored without disrupting the narrative. This local differentiation allows users to interact with secondary content only when appropriate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If primary content is paused when user looks away, then narrative attention is maintained, but user interaction with secondary content is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudience attentionVSAvoiduser interaction

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system periodically monitors user gaze direction and dynamically pauses or resumes primary content playback based on whether the user is viewing the first field of view or has shifted to the second field of view. This periodic action ensures narrative attention is maintained during critical moments while allowing interaction during appropriate intervals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary mechanism (the field boundary detection and content state management system) that mediates between the user's desire to explore secondary content and the narrative requirement to maintain attention on primary content. This intermediary automatically manages content pausing and resuming based on gaze detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If sensory cues are provided to indicate boundaries, then user understanding of content areas is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser understandingVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces complex mechanical or visual boundary indicators with subtle sensory cues (such as audio signals or haptic feedback) that indicate when the user is approaching or has crossed a field boundary. This substitution provides clear user understanding while avoiding the complexity of visible boundary lines or physical indicators in the virtual environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11962954B2System and method for presenting virtual reality content to a user

Publication Date: 2024.04.16 MINDSHOW INC

AI summary

This disclosure describes a system configured to present primary and secondary, tertiary, etc., virtual reality content to a user. Primary virtual reality content may be displayed to a user, and, responsive to the user turning his view away from the primary virtual reality content, a sensory cue is provided to the user that indicates to the user that his view is no longer directed toward the primary virtual reality content, and secondary, tertiary, etc., virtual reality content may be displayed to the user. Primary virtual reality content may resume when the user returns his view to the primary virtual reality content. Primary virtual reality content may be adjusted based on a user's interaction with the secondary, tertiary, etc., virtual reality content. Secondary, tertiary, etc., virtual reality content may be adjusted based on a user's progression through the primary virtual reality content, or interaction with the primary virtual reality content.