Platform for enabling remote services

Abstract

A platform receives service requests from a principal. The service request includes a service location that is remote from the principal. A communication session between the principal and an agent that is near the service location is provided. The agent is available to perform the service, which may include remote videography services, tutorial services, or personal shopping services, over the communication session. The principal generates gesture data to direct the agent when performing the service. A visual representation of the gesture data is provided to the agent so that the agent may follow the principal's direction. The gesture data may be blended and/or overlaid image data captured by an image sensor employed by the agent. The principal may provide financial resources to the agent to enable the agent to perform the service and/or compensate the agent for their performance. The principal is enabled to provide metrics for the agent's performance.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 . A method for providing an image service over a network for a plurality of users, wherein computing devices that include one or more processors execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:
 forwarding, from one or more principal users, a request to capture image data at a service location to one or more of a plurality of agent users that are currently available to perform the request, wherein one of the agent users is selected to perform the request;   establishing a session between the one or more principal users and the selected agent user, wherein the session includes a primary channel for communicating the image data and a sub-channel for communicating non-image data;   transforming physical gestures of the one or more principal users into gesture data associated with one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein the gesture data is communicated over the sub-channel, and wherein the image data is captured by the selected agent user and communicated over the primary channel to the one or more principal users; and   transforming the communicated gesture data into one or more visual representations that modify the image data, wherein the modified image data is communicated for display by one or more of the one or more principal users or the selected agent user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the image data includes one or more of video data, photographic data, or audio data, and wherein the non-image data includes one or more of gesture data, text data, global positioning system (GPS) data, or control data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gesture data includes one or more of point of interest cue data, directional motion cue data, stop motion cue data, zoom in cue data, zoom out cue data, pan cue data, or tilt cue data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transforming the communicated gesture data includes rendering a first visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed to the one or more principal users and a second visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed to the selected agent user. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual representation includes one or more of an arrow, a vector, an icon, or text. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request includes a type of service to be provided by the selected agent user, including one or more of: language translation, videography, photography, audio recording, purchasing a physical item, or tutoring. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising enabling the one or more principal users to provide compensation to the selected agent user, wherein the compensation includes one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation, and wherein the compensation is provided one or more of during, prior to, or after the selected agent user performs the request. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising employing the session to communicate one or more of virtual reality data, or augmented reality data over one or more of the primary channel or the sub-channel between the one or more primary users and the selected agent user. 
     
     
         9 . A system for providing an image capture service over a network for a plurality of users, wherein computing devices that include one or more processors execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:
 instantiating a network platform engine that performs actions, including:
 forwarding, from one or more principal users' computers, a request to capture image data at a service location to one or more of a plurality of agent users' computers that are currently available to perform the request, wherein one of the agent users' computers is selected to perform the request; 
 establishing a session between the one or more principal users' computers and the selected agent user's computer, wherein the session includes a primary channel for communicating the image data and a sub-channel for communicating non-image data; 
 enabling the transformation of physical gestures of the one or more principal users into gesture data associated with one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein the gesture data is communicated by the one or more principal users' computers over the sub-channel, and wherein the image data is captured by the selected agent user and communicated by the selected agent user's computer over the primary channel to the one or more principal users' computers; and 
 enabling the transformation of the communicated gesture data into one or more visual representations that modify the image data, wherein the modified image data is communicated for display by one or more of the one or more principal user's computers or the selected agent user's computer. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the image data includes one or more of video data, photographic data, or audio data, and wherein the non-image data includes one or more of gesture data, text data, global positioning system (GPS) data, or control data. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the gesture data includes one or more of point of interest cue data, directional motion cue data, stop motion cue data, zoom in cue data, zoom out cue data, pan cue data, or tilt cue data. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein transforming the communicated gesture data includes rendering a first visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed on the one or more principal user's computers and a second visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed on the selected agent user's computer. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the visual representation includes one or more of an arrow, a vector, an icon, or text. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the request includes a type of service to be provided by the selected agent user, including one or more of: language translation, videography, photography, audio recording, purchasing a physical item, or tutoring. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising enabling the one or more principal users to provide compensation to the selected agent user, wherein the compensation includes one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation, and wherein the compensation is provided one or more of during, prior to, or after the selected agent user performs the request. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising employing the session to communicate one or more of virtual reality data, or augmented reality data over one or more of the primary channel or the sub-channel between the one or more primary users and the selected agent user. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer readable media that includes instructions for providing an image service over a network for a plurality of users, wherein computing devices that include one or more processors execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:
 forwarding, from one or more principal users, a request to capture image data at a service location to one or more of a plurality of agent users that are currently available to perform the request, wherein one of the agent users is selected to perform the request;   establishing a session between the one or more principal users and the selected agent user, wherein the session includes a primary channel for communicating the image data and a sub-channel for communicating non-image data;   transforming physical gestures of the one or more principal users into gesture data associated with one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein the gesture data is communicated over the sub-channel, and wherein the image data is captured by the selected agent user and communicated over the primary channel to the one or more principal users; and   transforming the communicated gesture data into one or more visual representations that modify the image data, wherein the modified image data is communicated for display by one or more of the one or more principal users or the selected agent user.   
     
     
         18 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the image data includes one or more of video data, photographic data, or audio data, and wherein the non-image data includes one or more of gesture data, text data, global positioning system (GPS) data, or control data. 
     
     
         19 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the gesture data includes one or more of point of interest cue data, directional motion cue data, stop motion cue data, zoom in cue data, zoom out cue data, pan cue data, or tilt cue data. 
     
     
         20 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein transforming the communicated gesture data includes rendering a first visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed to the one or more principal users and a second visual representation that is included in the modified image data that is displayed to the selected agent user. 
     
     
         21 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the visual representation includes one or more of an arrow, a vector, an icon, or text. 
     
     
         22 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the request includes a type of service to be provided by the selected agent user, including one or more of: language translation, videography, photography, audio recording, purchasing a physical item, or tutoring. 
     
     
         23 . The media of  claim 17 , further comprising enabling the one or more principal users to provide compensation to the selected agent user, wherein the compensation includes one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation, and wherein the compensation is provided one or more of during, prior to, or after the selected agent user performs the request. 
     
     
         24 . The media of  claim 17 , further comprising employing the session to communicate one or more of virtual reality data, or augmented reality data over one or more of the primary channel or the sub-channel between the one or more primary users and the selected agent user. 
     
     
         25 . A mobile computer for providing an image capture service over a network for a plurality of users, wherein computers that include one or more processors execute instructions to perform actions, comprising:
 receiving, from one or more principal users' computers, a request to capture image data at a service location, wherein the mobile computer is one of a plurality of agent users' computers that are currently available to perform the request, wherein the mobile computer is the one of the agent users' computers that is selected to perform the request;   participating in a session with the one or more principal users' computers, wherein the session includes a primary channel for communicating the image data and a sub-channel for communicating non-image data;   receiving physical gestures of the one or more principal users that are transformed into gesture data associated with one or more actions of the selected agent user, wherein the gesture data is communicated by the one or more principal users' computers over the sub-channel, and wherein the image data is captured by the selected agent user and communicated over the primary channel to the one or more principal users' computers; and   enabling the transformation of the gesture data into one or more visual representations that modify the image data, wherein the modified image data is displayed by one or more of the one or more principal users' computers or the selected agent user's mobile computer.   
     
     
         26 . The mobile computer of  claim 25 , wherein the image data includes one or more of video data, photographic data, or audio data, and wherein the non-image data includes one or more of gesture data, text data, global positioning system (GPS) data, or control data. 
     
     
         27 . The mobile computer of  claim 25 , wherein the visual representation includes one or more of an arrow, a vector, an icon, or text. 
     
     
         28 . The mobile computer of  claim 25 , wherein the request includes a type of service to be provided by the selected agent user, including one or more of: language translation, videography, photography, audio recording, purchasing a physical item, or tutoring. 
     
     
         29 . The mobile computer of  claim 25 , further comprising enabling the one or more principal users to provide compensation to the selected agent user, wherein the compensation includes one or more of a credit, an attribution, a financial payment or a donation, and wherein the compensation is provided one or more of during, prior to, or after the selected agent user performs the request. 
     
     
         30 . The mobile computer of  claim 25 , further comprising employing the session to communicate one or more of virtual reality data, or augmented reality data over one or more of the primary channel or the sub-channel between the one or more primary users and the selected agent user.