XR Policy Editing Interface for Context-Aware Rule Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Extended reality systems lack intuitive means for users to create and modify context-aware policies, leading to misalignment with dynamic environments and changing user preferences, reducing performance and applicability.

Innovation Solution

An editing tool user interface is provided for defining and modifying context-aware policies in extended reality environments, using an object-based programming language with interconnectable building blocks to visualize and configure policies, allowing users to associate and cluster policies with physical or virtual objects, and enabling reconfiguration based on user interactions and preferences.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional virtual assistants are used in extended reality systems, then users can perform tasks through voice or text commands, but the interaction methods remain limited and do not fully leverage the immersive capabilities of extended reality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinteraction methodsVSAvoiduser interface accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a virtual assistant as an intermediary entity that mediates between the user and the extended reality system. This virtual assistant processes natural language commands and translates them into system actions, bridging the gap between conventional interaction methods and the immersive extended reality environment. The virtual assistant serves as a mediator that understands user intent and executes appropriate actions within the extended reality context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If extended reality systems provide hand controllers for interaction, then users can manipulate virtual objects, but the controllers limit the hands-free capability that extended reality aims to provide

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehands-free operationVSAvoidinteraction precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the interaction functionality from physical hand controllers and relocates it to voice-based virtual assistant commands. By taking out the interaction capability from the physical domain (controllers) and moving it to the auditory/language domain, the system enables hands-free operation while maintaining interaction precision through natural language processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If extended reality systems use hand gestures for interaction, then users can control virtual components without controllers, but users must keep arms extended within sensor range causing fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontroller-free interactionVSAvoiduser endurance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical interaction system (hand gestures requiring physical movement within sensor range) with an acoustic/linguistic system (voice commands). This substitution eliminates the need for continuous arm extension and physical positioning, allowing users to interact naturally without physical fatigue while maintaining controller-free operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Adaptability or versatility

If context-aware policies are defined without intuitive editing tools, then system complexity is reduced, but the policies become misaligned with dynamic environments and user preferences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolicy adaptabilityVSAvoidpolicy configuration interface

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the policy configuration process into manageable components through a visual editing interface. Users can break down complex context-aware policies into discrete elements such as conditions, actions, and parameters that can be individually configured and modified. This segmentation makes the policy creation process more intuitive while maintaining the ability to handle complex adaptive scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

5Reliability

If virtual assistants process increasing numbers of utterances, then response reliability and speed improve, but the system requires more data processing resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse accuracyVSAvoidprocessing energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-processing and categorizing user utterances as they are received. The virtual assistant performs initial analysis and filtering of commands, preparing them for more detailed processing only when necessary. This preliminary action reduces the overall processing load while maintaining response accuracy, as not all utterances require full computational analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12579765B2Defining and modifying context aware policies with an editing tool in extended reality systems

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for defining and modifying behavior in an extended reality environment. The systems and methods include receiving a request to build or modify a rule or policy for a given user or activity, obtaining a template based on the user or the activity, displaying the template and tools for editing the template, receiving a modification to the template via the user interacting with the tools of the user interface, and modifying the template based on the modification to generate the rule or policy. The modification includes changing the initial value for the actions or the conditions of the template and saving the template as a separate instance representative of the rule or policy, and the rule or policy includes one or more conditional statements for executing one or more of the actions based on evaluation of one or more of the conditions.