Display application and perspective views of virtual space

Abstract

A display management resource associated with a mobile device controls display of images on a respective display screen of the mobile device. The display management resource receives location information indicating a location of the mobile device in a geographical region. Additionally, the display management resource receives input from a user operating the mobile device. The input can be any suitable information such as a command to play back images on the display screen of the mobile device. The display management resource maps the input to content such as virtual images such as images associated with an historical event that occurred in the past. Using the virtual images, the display management resource initiates display of a rendition of the virtual images from different perspectives depending on an orientation and location of the mobile device and corresponding display screen.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 via computer processor hardware:
 receiving location information, the location information indicating a location of a mobile device in a geographical region; 
 receiving input from a user operating the mobile device; 
 mapping the input to an historical event that occurred at the location; and 
 initiating display of a rendition of the historical event from different perspectives depending on an orientation of a display screen of the mobile device at the location. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein initiating display of the rendition includes:
 detecting a directional orientation of the mobile device at the location, attributes of the historical event defined in 3-dimensional space in multiple different directions in a vicinity of the location as specified by the location information; and   dynamically displaying the rendition of the historical event on the display screen from a viewing perspective of the directional orientation of the mobile device located at the location as specified by the location information.   
     
     
         3 . The method as in  claim 2 , wherein detecting the directional orientation includes:
 receiving an image captured by a camera on the mobile device;   detecting a reference item captured in the image; and   utilizing the detected reference item in the image as a basis to determine the directional orientation of the mobile device in the geographical region.   
     
     
         4 . The method as in  claim 2 , wherein initiating display of the rendition further comprises:
 producing the rendition of the historical event from the viewing perspective of the directional orientation of the display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         5 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 initiating display of the rendition of the historical event on the display screen in accordance with a panning motion of the mobile device, the panning motion of the mobile device enabling the user to view actions of the historical event occurring in different angular directions with respect to the location depending on a directional orientation of a camera disposed on a facing of the mobile device. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the rendition of the historical event on the mobile device is a reenactment of the historical event. 
     
     
         7 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the rendition of the historical event includes actual images of the historical event. 
     
     
         8 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the input includes time information specifying a time in history when the historical event occurred. 
     
     
         9 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 deriving the rendition of the historical event displayed on the display screen from multiple image layers, each of which defines attributes of objects at different distances from the location of the mobile device. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method as in  claim 9 , wherein the multiple image layers includes a first image layer and a second image layer, the first image layer defining a first set of virtual objects residing within a first range of distances band with respect to the location, the second image layer defining a second set of virtual objects residing within a second range of distances with respect to the location, the second range of distances disposed further from the location than the first range of distances. 
     
     
         11 . The method as in  claim 10 , wherein deriving the rendition includes:
 producing a vector indicating the orientation of the display screen of the mobile device;   utilizing the vector to define a viewing window through the first image layer and the second image layer, the viewing window defining a region in the first image layer and a region in the second image layer.   
     
     
         12 . The method as in  claim 11 , wherein deriving the rendition includes:
 detecting a rendition of a first object residing in the region of the first image layer;   detecting a rendition of a second object residing in the region of the second image layer; and   initiating display of the rendition of the first object and rendition of the second object on the display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         13 . The method as in  claim 12 , wherein deriving the rendition includes:
 detecting a rendition of a first object residing in the region of the first image layer;   detecting a rendition of a second object residing in the region of the second image layer; and   initiating display of the rendition of the first object over the rendition of the second object on the display screen of the mobile device, the first object appearing to be in front of the second object on the display screen.   
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 receiving location information indicating a location of a mobile device in a geographical region;   receiving a vector indicating an orientation of a display screen of the mobile device;   utilizing the vector to define a viewing window through a first image layer and a second image layer, the viewing window defining a region in the first image layer to be superimposed onto a region in the second image layer;   utilizing the region in the first image layer and the region in the second image layer to produce a viewable perspective rendition of virtual images for display on the display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         15 . The method as in  claim 14 , wherein deriving the rendition includes:
 detecting a rendition of a first object residing in the region of the first image layer;   detecting a rendition of a second object residing in the region of the second image layer; and   initiating display of the rendition of the first object and rendition of the second object on the display screen of the mobile device.   
     
     
         16 . The method as in  claim 14 , wherein deriving the rendition includes:
 detecting a rendition of a first object residing in the region of the first image layer;   detecting a rendition of a second object residing in the region of the second image layer; and   initiating display of the rendition of the first object over the rendition of the second object on the display screen of the mobile device, the first object displayed in the viewable rendition to be in front of the second object.   
     
     
         17 . The method as in  claim 14 , wherein the viewable rendition is an historical event that occurred at the geographical region in the past, each of the first image layer and the second image layer including virtual objects associated with the historical event. 
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving an image of the user operating the mobile device; and 
 overlaying the image of the user on the rendition of the historical event on the display screen.